[Previous entry: "Chalabi takes over Iraq Oil Ministry"] [Next entry: "Secret Invasion: US Troops Steal into Paraguay"]

01/01/2006:

"Morales to Nationalize Bolivia Oil, Gas"

LA PAZ, Bolivia -- The winner of Bolivia's presidential elections has repeated his vow to nationalize oil and gas and said he will void at least some contracts held by foreign companies ``looting'' the poor Andean nation's natural resources.

Indian coca farmer Evo Morales said he will not confiscate refineries or infrastructure owned by multinational corporations. Instead, his government would renegotiate contracts so that the companies are partners, but not owners, in developing Bolivia's resources, he said.

``We will nationalize (Bolivia's) natural resources,'' Morales said at a news conference Tuesday in La Paz.

``Many of these contracts signed by various governments are illegal and unconstitutional. It is not possible that our natural resources continue to be looted, exploited illegally, and as the lawyers say, these contracts are legally void and must be adjusted,'' Morales said.

Bolivia's proven and potential reserves total 48.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, second only to Venezuela in South America, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration.
thedailyjournal.com

The Good Neighbor Policy and Other Political Amusements Bolivian Democracy and the US: a History Lesson
...Such routine pronouncements on US-Latin America policy presume that a policy exists, something beyond Washington demanding Latin American obedience to its dictates, so that US companies can continue their looting. Throughout, the last century, the United States has provided different labels for its domination. By the early 20th Century, the Monroe Doctrine took the form of "Gunboat Diplomacy." The Navy would routinely intervene to protect US investments and ensure "stable"--read obedient -- governments.

New Bolivian President Vows to Take Action Against US
It didn't take long for the newly elected Bolivian President to intensify his verbal attacks against the United States. But the new Bolivian leader, an avowed Socialist and friend of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Fidel Castro of Cuba, is going even further than rhetoric. He's threatening to take action against the US.
President Evo Morales, according to a news story in the Washington Times, leveled allegations at the United States that its advisors secretly removed Chinese-made anti-aircraft missiles from Bolivia. US military and law enforcement personnel serve as advisors to the Bolivians in their drug control activities and counterterrorism training.

Morales, an Indian and former coca farmer, has pledged to end United States drug eradication programs in the country. The US had been invited to help Bolivian authorities by the previous administration which was more centrist than the incoming neo-Marxists. A Morales campaign promise to legalize coca plant cultivation is expected to increase cocaine production in the region.
a neo-Marxist AND 'an Indian' AND a coca farmer to boot...

Cuba, Bolivia Make Literacy, Health Plans
Fidel Castro and Bolivian President-elect Evo Morales say cooperation between their countries will bloom despite U.S. worries about more nations allying with communist Cuba and a growing leftward tilt in Latin American politics.

The two men late Friday announced a 30-month plan to erase illiteracy in Bolivia, the latest move by left-leaning South American leaders calling for increased cooperation among nations in the region without U.S. influence.

Cuba also agreed to offer free eye operations to up to 50,000 needy Bolivians as well as 5,000 full scholarships for young Bolivians to study medicine on the island.

"Could it be that the government of the United States feels hurt that Cuba cooperates with a brother nation?" Castro said. "Does that offend the U.S. government ... is it antidemocratic, is it a crime?"

Bolivian leader to cut own salary
The socialist president-elect of Bolivia, Evo Morales, has said he will cut his salary by half when he takes office next month.
Mr Morales said his cabinet would follow suit and that members of Bolivia's parliament would be expected to cut their allowances.

"Economic Brief: Venezuela's Pipeline Deals"
The recent gas pipeline agreement between Venezuela and Colombia is the latest step in an effort by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to integrate South America better. The pipeline deal was signed by Chavez and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on November 24, 2005. The agreement puts onto paper the decision to construct a two-way gas pipeline between Colombia and Venezuela.

The pipeline agreement is the beginning of a larger project that will bring crude oil from Venezuela to the Pacific Ocean, where it will then be transported to Asia. It also comes after Chavez and Argentine President Nestor Kirchner discussed building a natural gas pipeline connecting the two countries. Both the Venezuelan and Argentine leaders also expressed their optimism that the proposed pipeline will be part of a larger project involving Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador.

Huge new oil discovery in Brazil
Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras, says it has discovered a huge new offshore oil field off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state.
The Papa-Terra field was found in the Campos Basin, which is already Brazil's most important oil-producing region.

Petrobras estimates it contains at least 700 million barrels of crude - about 10% of Brazil's current reserves.

The field, which is jointly operated with the US company Chevron, should start producing oil by the end of 2011.

Ex-army officer seeks presidency in Peru
LIMA, Peru -- A former army officer whose nationalistic stance has made him a contender in Peru's April 9 presidential race paraded with hundreds of supporters Friday to election offices to register as a candidate.

Retired Lt. Col. Ollanta Humala told reporters he was taking "with humility" recent polls showing him in a statistical dead heat with former Congresswoman Lourdes Flores, considered by many to be the front-runner.

In a national survey of 1,144 people Dec. 16-19 by polling firm Datum Internacional, Flores was favored by 26 percent of respondents, and Humala by 23 percent. The poll had a margin of error of 3 percentage points, putting the two in a statistical tie.

Flores was a congresswoman for the centrist Popular Christian Party throughout the 1990s and a strong opponent of former President Alberto Fujimori. Flores ran for president in 2001 on a pro-business platform but was eliminated in the first round of voting.

Analysts say Humala seems to have some of the same appeal as President Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and President-elect Evo Morales in neighboring Bolivia, both political outsiders who won wide support among the poor and working classes for pledging to protect the country from intrusive foreign interests.

Mining Conflict in Ecuador Heats Up
Dozens of Ecuadorians recently burnt down a building owned by Ascendant Copper Corporation to protest its mining activities in the area. The Canadian mining company claimed in a press release (1) that the structure burnt down was a community health clinic located on an experimental farm, that supplies were stolen and that company employees were physically and verbally assaulted.

"The company is outraged by this assault against company personnel and assets that were dedicated to the assistance of the local community," stated Gary Davis, Ascendant’s President and CEO.

But Defensa y Conservacion Ecologica de Intag (DECOIN) (2), a local environmental group, rejected the company’s claims in a statement on its website.

"Somebody’s making something up," said Jamie Kneen, a spokesperson for MiningWatch Canada.

The Canadian mining industry’s atrocious track record regarding honesty, transparency, and legality with its ventures in Latin America, suggests Ascendant is at fault. According to Kneen, who has been monitoring the mining conflict in Ecuador, this was the first that he has heard of Ascendant’s "health clinic." In fact, this is the first time the company has mentioned its alleged clinic.