Venezuela hits BP with back-tax bill

[JoePolitix]

Xipe blames the democrats and aids the coup plotters

If you want me to engage with you any further you can answer my question:
Exactly where have my arguments been disproved?

Your arguments, the ones that are remotely coherent that is, have been refuted. One example – your claim that Venezuela’s Electoral Council is simply a government front organisation was completely rejected by international observers like the European Union Observer Mission and the Carter Institute. Both organisations accepted that the CNE had bent over backwards to meet opposition demands and it is obvious to anybody that the stated reason of the opposition parties that the CNE could not be trusted was merely an excuse for them to pull out of an election they would be humiliated in.

It’s true that the separation of powers in Venezuela is quite weak – like in the US and UK – but its not as weak as you imply. This was illustrated by the link I provided which shows that only days ago Venezuela’s Supreme Court ruled the Vice-Minister of Foreign Relations for North America - a loyal Chavatista - is unfit to exercise public office, rather illustrates that judicial independence is still alive and well in Venezuela.

You locate the blame for the difficulties Venezuela is facing with Chavez who you say has a “questionable attitude to democracy (!)”. Yet who is to blame for the fact that the country’s elected body, the NA, is solely made up of the pro Chavez parties? Could it be the bankrupt neo-liberal parties who spent their years in office selling Venezuela’s assets to the highest bidder, massacring street protesters and excluding the majority of the population from politics? Could it be these same parties who have aided a fascistic coup, organised lockouts and attempted to disrupt Venezuela’s democratic life at every conjuncture? Was it not these parties that of their own volition boycotted last years democratic elections?

The fact that you blame the leadership of the Bolivarian revolution for any democratic deficits that Venezuela might suffer whilst neglecting the role of the imperialist backed opposition objectively makes your contributions to this thread pro-imperialist and reactionary despite your wining to the contrary and your insincere applauding of the revolution’s achievements.

 

[nino_savatte]

Dude! I live in California. Heating is not a real huge issue here.

Really? Enron shenanigans almost pulled the plug on California's electricity grid. I presume you were four square behind this this unfettered "deregulation".

 

[JoePolitix]

Venezuelan Opposition: Still Cowards and Lackeys

In a comment on the failure of the right-wing parties in Venezuela to endorse a serious candidate to challenge him in the presidential elections due in December this year, Chavez said, “This only confirms that Bush is the [real] chief of the Venezuelan opposition. I challenge his minions here in Venezuela, such as [media owners] Granier, Ravell, Otero, and Mata Osorio, to publicize the [recent opinion] polls…. They won´t do it because no candidate of the opposition can do any better.”

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1925

Sobering thought eh Xipe?

 

[Xipe Totec]

Everything.

Do you think the civil service should be policitally neutral?

If the majority of the people of Venezuela are dissatified with the appointments as made by the President, or any other aspect regarding the way presidential power is being used or abused, they have recourse to affect change enshrined within the constitution.

This mechanism was tested in the 2004 recall referendum.

How many citizens of other countries have such democratic rights?

The president and parliment are directly elected, and the president can be recalled if he becomes too unpopular.
This system is followed in many democratic countries.
But it says nothing about the government bodies whose job it is to oversee the actions of the president.

your claim that Venezuela’s Electoral Council is simply a government front organisation was completely rejected by international observers like the European Union Observer Mission and the Carter Institute

Where did I make this claim?
I did say that Chavistas dominate the CNE however.
Is this false?

You locate the blame for the difficulties Venezuela is facing with Chavez

I haven`t blamed anyone for the difficulties Venezuela is facing.
In fact I`ve tried to avoid that area altogether (that is, if you are referring to the countries economic problems)

who you say has a “questionable attitude to democracy (!)”

Are coups staged against elected governments compatible with democracy?

The fact that you blame the leadership of the Bolivarian revolution for any democratic deficits that Venezuela might suffer whilst neglecting the role of the imperialist backed opposition

The other parties, when they held power and now in opposition, have often been antidemocratic in nature.
But I have been focusing on those currently in power.

Also; Chavez had significant foreign backing when he came to power.
He has interfered in the internal affairs of other sovereign nations as well.
I think the situation is more complex than a struggle against 'the imperialists'.

and your insincere applauding of the revolution’s achievements

I assure you my praise was sincere.
I have plenty of sincere criticisms too, though.

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

Well, you can't say I didn't warn you...

Do you think the civil service should be policitally neutral?

NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! ALL NON-CHAVISTA SHOULD BE PUT AGAINST A WALL AND KILLED IN THE FUCKING FACE!!!

Oh, do fuck off with your pitifully piss-poor attempts to smear the democratic processes of Venezuela. I'd actually think a lot more of you if you admitted to being a paid propagandist, because if you are doing this for your own ideological reasons I have nothing more than my pity to offer you.

You've just got boring now. Ah, well. One more fucktard on the shit-list won't hurt.

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

Here's something interesting - Good old NUJ!

45,000-strong British journalists' union praises new media in Venezuela

UK National Union of Journalists organizer Rob Sewell writes: The annual delegate conference of the National Union of Journalists, meeting in Liverpool, once again yesterday pledged “its solidarity with all those in Venezuela who are resisting American imperialism and building a society orientated towards socialism."

The 45,000-strong union, the most important body of journalists in Britain, gave its support to the solidarity work of the Hands Off Venezuela campaign and agreed to the

1) building of links with the UNT trade unions,

2) promoting the gains made by the Venezuela workers,

3) publicizing the union’s opposition to any interference by the USA in Venezuelan internal affairs.

The motion which came from the Book branch of the union was moved by Sylvia Courtnage and seconded by Steve Jones, both of whom outlined the successes of the Chavez government and the need for the union to maintain its position of solidarity with Venezuela.

The annual conference also welcomed the launching of Vive TV and Telesur “in an effort by the Venezuelan people to counteract US sponsored misinformation across Latin America and as a vehicle to extend education, culture, arts and progressive ideas throughout the continent.”

This resolution, submitted by the London Central branch, was seconded by journalist Ian Bruce from the BBC. He praised the new media in Venezuela in its efforts to provide an alternative viewpoint to the opposition-dominated media.

The resolution went on to instruct the National Executive to build solidarity with and send messages of support to these new broadcasting bodies.

Once again, British journalists have sided with the revolution in Venezuela. Hopefully this growing support will become increasingly reflected in the British media.

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=51723

Here's hoping, eh?

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

...although it sounds like John Pilger isn't too hopefull.

British Channel 4 paints President Chavez as a Dictator -- Hugo to go?

A special report by Jonathan Rugman on Venezuela's extraordinary President Chavez -- friend of the poor, enemy of the gringo. But is he coming off the rails?
Broadcast 03/27/06 Channel 4 UK

John Pilger writes: On March 27, Channel 4 News broadcast a relatively long piece on Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela. On Channel 4's website you get a flavor: “He is in danger of joining a rogue’s gallery of dictators and despots -- Washington’s latest Latin nightmare.”

* This was a piece seemingly written by the US State Department, although Channel 4's Washington correspondent, Jonathan Rugman, appeared on screen.

It was one of the worst, most distorted pieces of journalism I have ever seen, qualifying as crude propaganda.

I have been in Venezuela lately and almost nothing in Rugman’s rant coincides with reality. Factories are like “Soviet collectives”; a dictatorship is on the rise; Chavez is like Hitler (Rumsfeld); and the media is under government attack. The inversion of the truth throughout this travesty is demonstrated in the “coverage” of a cowed media.

Venezuela is a country in which 95% of the press and TV and radio are owned by the far-right who mount unrelenting daily attacks on the government unhindered. The Latin American Murdoch, Cisneros, unfettered, controls much of it. Indeed, it is probably the most concentrated, reactionary media on earth ... but that was not worthy of a single word from Rugman.

The dishonesty of interviewing Maria Corina Machado and calling her a “human rights activist” was breathtaking. She is a leader of Sumate (’Join up’), an extreme right organization that was deeply involved in the 2002 coup.

She met Bush in the White House shortly before the coup ... there was no mention of this. Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, is dismissed as a Chavez protege,” a puppet, a ludicrous description of a man who has been in politics longer than Chavez and has just won a landslide election. No mention of this.

Chavez himself is portrayed by Rugman as a comical dictator, with his folksy Latin way (one reason ordinary people love him) taken out of any context. In fact, this highly intelligent, accessible man has overseen victory in nine democratic elections in less than eight years -- a world record. In crude Soviet-flick style, he is shown with the likes of Saddam Hussein and Khadaffi when these brief encounters only had to do with OPEC and oil. (He met Saddam literally in a day-long stopover).

Chavez is said to have “torn up contracts” with foreign oil companies ... the contracts were barely legal, based on loopholes which Chavez’s predecessor Rafael Caldera exploited to give away much of Venezuela’s oil, in effect; billions of dollars went into the pockets of Venezuela’s wealthy minority. No mention of this.

Utter BS about Venezuela helping Iran develop a nuclear capability is sourced to “press reports” (discredited in the United States) peddled by axe-grinding outsiders, in league with Washington, along with other half-baked hearsay.

There was little, apart from tokens, about the way the Chavez government has changed millions of people’s lives for the better. Rugman whined that he was “held for 30 hours” by police in Caracas. Oh, how dramatic for him.

This is a country threatened day and night by the United States; there was nothing from our Channel 4 hero about “Operation Bilbao,” to which serious US analysts like William Arkin have given credibility and which is about overthrowing the elected government of Venezuela.

In his brief captivity, Rugman would have learned that this is a country, although under constant military threat, and threats from within, has not a single political prisoner.

* While Chavez was offered up as a clown, Condoleezza Rice was given true gravitas.

I could go on ... but that’s enough.

This was a disgrace from beginning to end ... worse, it joined the kind of hysteria in the US that is following the Bush administration’s agenda of “positioning” Venezuela as a “rogue state” and a threat to US interests: in other words, softening it up for attack.

If and when it comes, the Rugmans will share some of the responsibility.

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=52184

Video of offending segment: mmst://video.channel4.com/news/2006/03/27_chavez.wmv

http://www.channel4.com/news/special-reports/special-reports-storypage.jsp?id=2022

I can't get it to play - must be my 'bullshit filter'. Did anyone else see the report?

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

Anyway, let's hope the BBC can do better next week:

UK BBC television's Newsnight announces 'Inside Latin America' week

BBC television's Newsnight is to broadcast a series of films, interviews and cultural performances in a specially commissioned Inside Latin America week starting April 3.

The week of programming, to be broadcast at 10.30 p.m. on BBC Two, April 3-7, will look at various aspects of life in Latin America in the run up to the first round of the Peruvian elections on April 9.

It will also focus on how America has lost influence in its own backyard, the implications of the leftward swing across Latin America and the rise of indigenism.

<snip>

Greg Palast reports from Venezuela on April 3 examining how President Hugo Chavez was able to bankroll the continent's leftist governments and challenge the previously unquestioned influence of the US in the region.

The report will also include a new interview with President Chavez.

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=52185

Greg Palast. Good-o!

 

[nino_savatte]

Anyway, let's hope the BBC can do better next week:

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=52185

Greg Palast. Good-o!

Looks good, I shall check out.

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

(You can blame Xipe for this! )

Going back to that C4 news segment from last week that pissed John Pilger off so much - I think it's quite interesting to read the (full) text accompanying the piece on the C4 site:

Viva la Revolution.

Published: 23 Mar 2006
By: Jonathan Rugman

Venezuela's socialist government had threatened to seize farms owned by the British meat magnate Lord Vestey. Now the company decides to hand over two of them.

Venezuela's biggest meat producer - British Lord Vestey - nicknamed "Spam" by his friends - will get $4.2 million compensation after the state seized two of his cattle farms earlier this year.

That's less than half their commercial value - but Hugo Chavez' socialist land reform project is proving popular with the rural poor.

Our Washington Correspondent visited the now state-owned farm, outside the Venezuelan capital Caracas, and sends this report.

http://www.channel4.com/news/special-reports/special-reports-storypage.jsp?id=2022


This whole thing about Vesey was covered about 18 months ago - here's a typical piece from the Telegraph:

Venezuelan troops grab farms from Lord 'Spam' Vestey
By Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter
(Filed: 09/01/2005)

Troops were preparing yesterday to seize a 32,000-acre ranch owned by one of Britain's richest men as the Left-wing leaders of Venezuela stepped up their controversial "land grab" policy.The ranch, which is set in rich cattle-rearing land close to the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, is owned by Lord Vestey, whose personal wealth from his family's food empire is estimated at £750 million.

<snip>

"They did not live on their income; they did not live on the interest from their investments; they lived on the interest on the interest."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...FFWAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2005/01/09/wspam09.xml


Anyway, here's a few excerpts from a report by a woman from Bristol who visited one of the Vestey ranches last September. It's quite long, but interesting reading:

Following the Land Act, passed in December 2001, 400 families moved onto the El Charcote ranch and began to farm it. The Land Act stated that the government can expropriate farmlands if they are declared idle or if there is no evidence of rightful ownership. This would only apply to large areas of land (more than 5000 hectares) not under production. The landowners will then have a period in which they have to begin production and, if they fail to do this, the law says that the land can be bought by the government at current market prices.

This Act is intended to increase food production in Venezuela, where currently the vast majority of food is still imported (70%), and to address inequality, as presently 60% of Venezuelan farmland is owned by less than 1% of the population. Since this Law was passed, the National Land Institute has redistributed 2.2 million hectares.

However, all of this has been state owned land and there has been no expropriation of privately owned land, so far...

..The group told me they were being shot at every day. I asked them if there had been any injuries and they said there had. They believed Vestey were sending vigilantes to carry out the shooting. They said they came in masks with guns and shot at them. They also told me the police harass and abuse them and they believe Vestey give money to the police to do this. The police frequently stop and search them and sometimes refuse to let them pass roadblocks...

..large parts of the land are not being used for active food production.

The government is only asking for 800 hectares to be brought under production or sold. The Legal Officer said they would respect any legal documents that could be produced but that, so far, this had not happened. He said Agroflora/Vestey had the right to any legal process that would prove ownership.

They explained to me that the state wants to rescue unused land and help people set up co-ops to make the land more productive..

..The Coordinator said, “The people here are so poor. Some of them come into this office crying because they can't feed their families. It isn't fair that they have nothing while this Company has land that is idle.”...

...a member of the group said 'It's important that the woman from England knows we are being provoked by the English Company. Last night we were shot at 400 times in the night – it was like fireworks'. People in the meeting were nodding in agreement and repeating similar things. They said that blood could run if something was not done. They also said that, during the coup, 1,000 British Soldiers had been on the land...

...when the campesinos originally occupied the land the English company had shot at them, killing several people and wounding many...

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1570

So you can imagine how I laughed when I came across a 'conference paper' apparently presented to 'The 2004 Commonwealth Agricultural Conference - (The Power of Water)' by 'The Rt Hon Lord Vestey Chairman of the Commonwealth Royal Agricultural Society' which reads:

"We have just celebrated the observance of Commonwealth Day and our Head, Her Majesty The Queen, in her annual message stressed the building of a Commonwealth of Freedom. Not just the freedom from terrorism and torture, but also from hunger, poverty, disease and ignorance. The ability of individual countries to feed their people depends largely on their ability to grow their own food. The relief of poverty and its associated ignorance, long objectives of the Commonwealth of Nations, can be directly related to the development of agriculture, the growing of food and the access to markets.

http://www.rasnsw.com.au/power.htm

Such 'Lordable' values.

 

[JoePolitix]

Anyway, here's a few excerpts from a report by a woman from Bristol who visited one of the Vestey ranches last September. It's quite long, but interesting reading:

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1570

That would be my good friend Karen Bell (not Hill - that's a misprint!) Good on the El Charcote peasants, they've been fighting long and hard for that land. The multi-millionaire tory lord Vesty (who earns his keep by destroying the rainforest to slaughter cattle to for Mcdonalds) was alledgedly involved in hiring private militias to terrorise the peasants. He only got half the market value for his land? - my heart bleeds for him.

As for Treacle I've lost the will to even read his shit now.

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

As for Treacle I've lost the will to even read his shit now.

Perhaps (s)he's lost the will to write it.

More Venezuelan oil news:

Venezuelan: Exxon Mobil Not Welcome
Staff and agencies
31 March, 2006


By NATALIE OBIKO PEARSON, AP Business Writer Wed Mar 29, 11:05 PM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela‘s oil minister said Wednesday that Exxon Mobil Corp., the world‘s second-largest integrated oil company, was no longer welcome in this oil-producing nation.

Rather than submit to new terms that will turn 32 privately run oil fields over to state control, the company sold its stake in the 150,000 barrel-a-day Quiamare-La Ceiba field to its partner, Spanish-Argentine major Repsol YPF, to avoid accepting the unfavorable terms in December.

"We said we don‘t want them to be here then," Ramirez said. "We have many partners, many capabilities and many countries that are willing to manage our resources with us."

http://www.localnewsleader.com/brocktown/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=168348

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

Chavez says Venezuela invites oil firms to sign JV model Friday

Last Update: 1:19 PM ET Mar 31, 2006

CARACAS (MarketWatch) -- Venezuela will sign a new business model with oil firms on Friday that puts operations under majority state control, said President Hugo Chavez.
Chavez said he would sign the agreement "with a group of companies."

Earlier on Friday, corporate oil executives said they had been invited to sign a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, that recognizes the legality of the new "mixed companies" that will operate 32 fields. The fields were auctioned off to private firms during three bidding rounds in the 1990s under a previous, business friendly administration.

http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Sto...73FAF}&dist=newsfinder&siteid=google&keyword=

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

Chevron to pay Venezuela $50.2 mln tax
Sat Apr 1, 2006 11:28 AM GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - U.S. oil major Chevron will pay $50.2 million in back taxes, fines and interest to the Venezuelan government, the nation's tax chief said on Friday.

"Chevron will pay today," Jose Vielma, superintendent of Venezuela's Seniat tax agency, told reporters.

Venezuela's government has hit foreign and private companies operating in Venezuela with back tax payments for operations between 2001 and 2004.

http://za.today.reuters.com/news/ne...VENEZUELA-CHEVRON-20060401.XML&archived=False

*ker-ching*

Ahfankyooo. ​

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

They've let BP off $47million of the amount in the OP.

Venezuela says BP to pay back tax
Sat Apr 1, 2006 12:32 AM GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela's tax authorities said on Friday BP had agreed to pay $14.4 million (8.3 million pounds) in back taxes after officials reduced their original $61.4 million demand during an appeals process by the operator.

Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter, has been carrying out a broad probe into the energy sector and has hit foreign and local petroleum operators with back taxes from the period 2001 to 2004.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/new...C_0_UK-ENERGY-VENEZUELA-BP.xml&archived=False

-

Edit to add:

From Guardian (3/4/06):

Chávez seeks to peg oil at $50 a barrel

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez is poised to launch a bid to transform the global politics of oil by seeking a deal with consumer countries which would lock in a price of $50 a barrel.

A long-term agreement at that price could allow Venezuela to count its huge deposits of heavy crude as part of its official reserves, which Caracas says would give it more oil than Saudi Arabia.

"We have the largest oil reserves in the world, we have oil for 200 years." Mr Chávez told the BBC's Newsnight programme in an interview to be broadcast tonight. "$50 a barrel - that's a fair price, not a high price."...

..."Seven years ago Venezuela was a US oil colony," said Mr Chávez.

..more..

http://business.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329448816-108725,00.html

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

The BBC's take on the $50 peg (it's trading at $67.21):

Chavez rules out return to cheap oil

If you thought high oil prices were just a blip think again - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has ruled out any return to the era of cheap oil.

In an interview with BBC Newsnight's Greg Palast, Mr Chavez - who is due to host the Opec meeting on 1 June in Caracas - said he would ask the oil cartel to set $50 a barrel as the long term level.

During the 1990s the price of oil had hovered around the $20 mark falling as low as $10 a barrel in early 1999.

"We're trying to find an equilibrium. The price of oil could remain at the low level of $50. That's a fair price it's not a high price," Mr Chavez said.

He will have added clout at this Opec meeting.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4871938.stm

10.30PM BBC2 tonight to see the interview.

Also:

Venezuela takes back oil fields

Venezuela has taken control of two oil fields operated by French firm Total and Italy's Eni.

The government said it had taken the step after the failing to agree a deal with the two firms which would give it a majority stake in new ventures.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4873202.stm

-

More background and latest here: http://www.vheadline.com/section.asp?secid=11

 

[nino_savatte]

Viva Hugo!!!

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

Good on the El Charcote peasants, they've been fighting long and hard for that land.

...and now they've got it.

Land Dispute Between English Company and Venezuelan Government Resolved

Tuesday, Apr 04, 2006

Caracas, Venezuela, April 3, 2006—Last week, England’s Agroflora agreed to sell one of its ten ranches to the Venezuelan government and cede another in an accord which ended a months long battle between the company and state, reports the AP.

According to the wire service, Omar Benitez, a lawyer for Agroflora, said that the government will pay the company $4.2 million for the 50 square mile El Charcote ranch and also receive the 166 square mile San Pablo Paeno ranch.

The combined market value of the farms is at least $11 million, according to Reuters.

“Agroflora wins because it feels it is making a contribution that will benefit the country and allow it to continue conducting business in Venezuela,” said Agroflora president Diana Dos Santos

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1932

 

[fela fan]

This thread is almost too good to be true. Chavez is the dream leader.

Unreal.

 

[JoePolitix]

Bom bom bom another two bite the dust

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1935

Venezuela Takes Over Two Foreign Operated Oil Fields

Caracas, Venezuela, April 5, 2006—Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA took over seven oil fields last weekend, which were previously run by foreign oil companies. Five of these fields were ceded to PDVSA intentionally and two, run by the Italian oil company Eni and the other by the French oil company Total, PDVSA took over without the companies’ agreement.

...Aside from forcing companies to share risks and profits with the state-owned oil company, the new legal framework, which had been passed in November 2001 with the new Hydrocarbons Law, also changed taxes and royalties. While foreign oil companies previously had to pay a maximum of 36% taxes, they now are required to pay 50%. Royalties, which mainly affect oil production in the Orinoco Oil Belt, were increased from 1% to 30%. Also, the law specifies that PDVSA has a minimum participation of 60% in all joint ventures.

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

Bumpety-bump.

As the project to re-nationalise of Venezuelan oil assets nears completion, guess who's still whining?

Exxon seeks deal on Venezuela oil

Exxon Mobil is seeking arbitration over a stand-off with Venezuela about the takeover of its oil assets.

The US oil firm made its case to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, a group with close ties to the World Bank.

It has not said how much compensation it wants for the 41.7% stake in the Orinoco Belt oil field - worth an estimated $750m (£370m).

Venezuela took over the oil project as part of a nationalisation drive.

"Exxon Mobil has worked with the Venezuelan government to reach an agreement regarding compensation based on the fair market value of the assets," company spokesman Len D'Eramo said.

"We are disappointed these discussions have not been successful."

As a result, the firm has applied to the independent, Washington-based centre to settle the rows.

Nationalisation drive

President Hugo Chavez's government took control of exploration projects in the Orinoco Belt, which had been among the last privately-run fields in the country.

It is the country's most important oil area, with massive potential.

There are proven reserves of at least 80 billion barrels, but there could be enough there to make Venezuela the world's biggest source of oil.

Four major companies - US-based Chevron, the UK's BP, French group Total and Norway's Statoil - accepted the government's move.

Only Exxon and ConocoPhillips refused to accept the terms of the deal, which made them junior partners in the project, by the June deadline.

ConocoPhillips said it is still in talks with the Venezuelan government and hopes to resolve the dispute amicably.

Officials in Venezuela declined to comment on the news.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6992487.stm


Anyone know what 'power' the ICSID / World Bank have to enforce any 'decision'?

I thought Venezuela paid off everything and told them to fuck off ages ago?

So what can they do?

 

[JoePolitix]

Fuck all

The cunts are just gonna have to suck it up.

Good to see this thread bumped - I love this thread.

 

[YoursTruly]

Bullshit, compared to virtually all leaders in the world, he's a total radical. He calls the US for what it really is. The likes of blair and other spineless weak corrupt gits just want a bit of reflected power. They sell their populations down the market so they can enrich themelves and big up their egos.

So Blair and Chavez have a lot in common then.