Return-Path: Received: from imo-r07.mx.aol.com (imo-r07.mx.aol.com [152.163.225.103]) by fastersite.propagation.net (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id RAA19927 for ; Sun, 5 Jan 2003 17:48:00 -0600 From: Iaczine@aol.com Received: from Iaczine@aol.com by imo-r07.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v34.13.) id i.151.19dfed67 (3842) for ; Sun, 5 Jan 2003 18:40:21 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <151.19dfed67.2b4a1c65@aol.com> Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 18:40:21 EST Subject: Brazil - Lula to Aid Venezuela To: Iaczine@aol.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_151.19dfed67.2b4a1c65_boundary" X-Mailer: AOL 7.0 for Windows US sub 10641 Status: --part1_151.19dfed67.2b4a1c65_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Brazil's new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to aid Venezuelan oil industry http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=648 Brazil's new president has agreed with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Frias to send experienced Brazilian oil executives to break the back of a month-long opposition impasse which has disrupted production and supply at the State-owned oil corporation, Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). Chavez Frias had yesterday (Wednesday) attended Lula da Silva's inauguration in what has been described as the first peaceful transition of power in the last forty years in Venezuela's southern neighbor. Top-level discussions have been taking place with executives at Brazil's Petrobras today to decide on logistics in a unique technical aid package. In Caracas, the Chavez Frias government has already begun remedial action to separate a number of employees from positions where they have sabotaged PDVSA operations since December 2, 2002, in an increasingly futile attempt to dislodge the democratically-elected Head of State. Chavez Frias told reporters "we are going to begin conversations between Petrobras and PDVSA to see how this technical cooperation can be formed." Chavez Frias had joined the leaders of 120 countries for Lula da Silva's inauguration but he answered repeated questions about Venezuela saying that "the striking oil workers have stabbed the heart of Venezuela ... they are traitors of the homeland." Venezuela's opposition-led saboteurs insist that national oil production has been culled to just 190,000 barrels from a full capacity of 3 million barrels a day, but Chavez Frias says pre-December levels will be reached again in 45 days. Nevertheless, the crisis has contributed by no small means to a spike in world oil prices, to now in excess of $30 a barrel. A Brazilian oil tanker arrived in Venezuela last Saturday with 525,000 barrels of gasoline to stave off the effects of the opposition's self-inflicted shortages of fuel with long lines at gas stations throughout the country that are still open. Chavez Frias said today that he has asked Lula da Silva to send more Brazilian gasoline to Venezuela, and that Brazilian tankers could carry Venezuelan oil to refineries in the Virgin Islands to ensure supplies to North America. Back home in Venezuela, Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry president Carlos Fernandez (who replaced Dictator-for-a-Day Pedro Carmona Estanga after the latter pulled off the April 11 coup d'etat and attempted to close down the Venezuelan Congress and the Judiciary), is still demanding that Chavez Frias should call a consultative referendum on February 2 or resign. But his support is dwindling as trade union mafia boss, Carlos Ortega refuses to answer challenges on his own dubious "election" to the Confederation of Trade Unions (CTV) leadership and is said to be preparing for a quick exit from Venezuela to an undisclosed location in Europe as his chips go down this coming weekend and as supermarket chains and big businesses prepare to go back to work on Monday. In what is seen as sheer desperation, the opposition is claiming again that Chavez Frias is trying to impose heavy-handed rule similar to that of Cuba's Fidel Castro, but they are unable to explain how such widespread liberties are tolerated under the supposedly totalitarian Chavez Frias rule they despise. Meanwhile the Internet is abuzz this Thursday evening with emails calling for Venezuelans resident in North America to congregate at CITGO service stations on Saturday (December 4) to demonstrate against the democratically-elected Chavez Frias government and its wish to impose law & order ... and democratic rule. The email agitators say that they want volunteers to picket CITGO gas stations in a pots & pans protest but warn that participants should treat the "gringos" with respect and explain why they don't want them to buy gas. Brazilian President Lula da Silva says "the great priority of foreign policy during my government will be the construction of a politically stable South America that is prosperous and united ... for that, it is essential to take action to revitalize Mercosur, which is weak for the crises of each one of its members." --part1_151.19dfed67.2b4a1c65_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Brazil's new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to aid Venezuelan oil industry

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=648

Brazil's new president has agreed with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Frias to send experienced Brazilian oil executives to break the back of a month-long opposition impasse which has disrupted production and supply at the State-owned oil corporation, Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).

Chavez Frias had yesterday (Wednesday) attended Lula da Silva's inauguration in what has been described as the first peaceful transition of power in the last forty years in Venezuela's southern neighbor. Top-level discussions have been taking place with executives at Brazil's Petrobras today to decide on logistics in a unique technical aid package.

In Caracas, the Chavez Frias government has already begun remedial action to separate a number of employees from positions where they have sabotaged PDVSA operations since December 2, 2002, in an increasingly futile attempt to dislodge the democratically-elected Head of State.  Chavez Frias told reporters "we are going to begin conversations between Petrobras and PDVSA to see how this technical cooperation can be formed."
Chavez Frias had joined the leaders of 120 countries for Lula da Silva's inauguration but he answered repeated questions about Venezuela saying that "the striking oil workers have stabbed the heart of Venezuela ... they are traitors of the homeland."

Venezuela's opposition-led saboteurs insist that national oil production has been culled to just 190,000 barrels from a full capacity of 3 million barrels a day, but Chavez Frias says pre-December levels will be reached again in 45 days.  Nevertheless, the crisis has contributed by no small means to a spike in world oil prices, to now in excess of $30 a barrel.

A Brazilian oil tanker arrived in Venezuela last Saturday with 525,000 barrels of gasoline to stave off the effects of the opposition's self-inflicted shortages of fuel with long lines at gas stations throughout the country that are still open.
Chavez Frias said today that he has asked Lula da Silva to send more Brazilian gasoline to Venezuela, and that Brazilian tankers could carry Venezuelan oil to refineries in the Virgin Islands to ensure supplies to North America.

Back home in Venezuela, Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry president Carlos Fernandez (who replaced Dictator-for-a-Day Pedro Carmona Estanga after the latter pulled off the April 11 coup d'etat and attempted to close down the Venezuelan Congress and the Judiciary), is still demanding that Chavez Frias should call a consultative referendum on February 2 or resign.
But his support is dwindling as trade union mafia boss, Carlos Ortega refuses to answer challenges on his own dubious "election" to the Confederation of Trade Unions (CTV) leadership and is said to be preparing for a quick exit from Venezuela to an undisclosed location in Europe as his chips go down this coming weekend and as supermarket chains and big businesses prepare to go back to work on Monday.

In what is seen as sheer desperation, the opposition is claiming again that Chavez Frias is trying to impose heavy-handed rule similar to that of Cuba's Fidel Castro, but they are unable to explain how such widespread liberties are tolerated under the supposedly totalitarian Chavez Frias rule they despise.
Meanwhile the Internet is abuzz this Thursday evening with emails calling for Venezuelans resident in North America to congregate at CITGO service stations on Saturday (December 4) to demonstrate against the democratically-elected Chavez Frias government and its wish to impose law & order ... and democratic rule.

The email agitators say that they want volunteers to picket CITGO gas stations in a pots & pans protest but warn that participants should treat the "gringos" with respect and explain why they don't want them to buy gas.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva says "the great priority of foreign policy during my government will be the construction of a politically stable South America that is prosperous and united ... for that, it is essential to take action to revitalize Mercosur, which is weak for the crises of each one of its members."

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