Venezuela, it has been learned, will seek compensation at a London High Court for costs incurred during an expensive legal process that began in February when US oil giant, ExxonMobil secured an injunction effectively freezing Petroleos de Venezuela's (PDVSA) assets to the tune of $12,000 and after PDVSA launched an appeal at a British high court to have the injunction overthrown. Wearing an appropriate black scarf at what he sees as ExxonMobil's funeral, Venezuela's Ambassador to the UK, Samuel Moncada forecasts that it's the beginning of the end for ExxonMobil's campaign of harassment against PDVSA around the world. Judge Paul Walker read out a summary of reasons for his decision stating the following: "In the absence of any exceptional feature, such as fraud and in the absence of substantial assets of PDVSA located here (in the UK), the fact that the seat of arbitration is not here makes it inappropriate to grant an order." The barrister, who represented PDVSA, Gordon Pollock (QC) highlights the case as setting a precedent and expects courts in the Netherlands and possibly the USA that ruled in favor of freezing PDVSA assets could follow the British example. The Venezuelan government continues to urge ExxonMobil to reach an agreement via arbitration over its decision to withdraw from the Orinoco Oil Belt heavy crude project. Pollock says PDVSA is requesting that ExxonMobil pay a compensation of $760,000 for time wasted in legal fees.
In his Sunday TV talk show, former Executive Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel claims that two reconnaissance planes with sophisticated equipment flew along the Venezuelan coast during the crisis with Colombia. The objective of the exercise, which started a few days before the stand-off, Rangel muses, was to update maps of the Zulia, Falcon, Vargas, and Miranda. The pilots of the planes apparently were Colombian and America. The journalist also suggests that similar cross-border strikes to the controversial incursion into Ecuador could take place in Venezuela's Apure State where supposedly there is a field hospital belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The US spy station or forward operations location (FOL) in Manta, Ecuador, which is said to have been instrumental in the Colombian army strike against the FARC in Ecuadorian territory, supposedly will be relocated in Colombia.
Jose Vicente Rangel has listed the Colombian media leading the assault on Venezuela and its government and they are: El Tiempo, El Espectador and El Colombiano (newspapers), RCN TV and Sky TV, Radio Caracol, Semana and Cambio magazines and RCN radio. Rangel agrees with the analysis of other sources that Venezuelan opposition media sources and its politicians have been parroting the Colombian government's official line, word for word.
Jose Vicente Rangel also denounces that the US anti-drugs agency, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is still functioning inside Venezuela, despite the government having broken off an agreement several years ago. Rangel claims that Venezuelan and British intelligence anti-drug agents are allowing DEA agents to act as quasi-observers. The TV presenter poses the question: who is monitoring the anti-drugs services provided by foreign countries. Furthermore, he argues, the DEA has mounted a operation in cahoots with a State Governor to have drugs placed in a Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) tanker to create an international scandal.
Cuban President Fidel Castro has been commenting on the sordid maneuver employed by the Colombian government which resulted in the assassination of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) leader, Jose Juvenal Veladia, alias Ivan Rios. Castro has confirmed an earlier report published by VHeadline.com last week that Rios' assassin and former comrade, Pedro Paulo Montoya received $2.5 million for the murder. Fidel Castro in his commentary piece claims that Montoya could have been a US infiltrator. The affair has provoked a strong debate worldwide because of its ethical implications, Castro writes, since the reward or ransom has been legalized. The revelation of the Colombian army's adherence to US counter-insurgency manuals has punched a hole in the image the government has been crafting of violence and terrorism as emanating solely from the FARC. The Cuban leader criticizes what he calls the "stupid attempt" to involve Cuba with the FARC, as the "US refuses to be the only loser in the diplomatic crisis" that has shaken Latin America for the last two weeks.
Colombian broadsheet El Tiempo has apologized to Ecuador's Internal & External Security Minister, Gustavo Larrea for what it admits was confusion in a photograph released allegedly showing slain FARC leader, Raul Reyes talking to Larrea. According to the newspaper, the photograph was part of a collection of photos found on Reyes' "celebrity" computer ... the caption was " Minister dialogues with guerrilla." The PR self-destructed when it was pointed out that person in the photograph was a visiting Argentinean Communist leader.
According to a report from the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), around 60,000 Colombian citizens have fled their country, locating to northern areas of Ecuador. The majority of the families emigrating to Ecuador are from the Pacific coast and the reason for leaving is simply the internal armed conflict. UNHCR spokesperson, Ron Redmond says the displaced citizens have requested protection ... 10,000 persons have sought political asylum in Esmeraldas (Ecuador) that borders Colombia. Redmond points out that many other families are unable to move out because of the high number of anti-personnel mines planted in the area. The UNHCR calls for an end to violent actions by Colombian state agencies against indigenous and peasant movements protesting non-compliance with the government's land policy and the signing of a free-trade agreement with the USA. The report highlights a high level of violence during 2007 when around 30 mostly anti-Uribe candidates were assassinated during regional elections. The US State Department insists that Colombia's human rights record has improved.
The USA suffers another defeat in an special meeting of Organization of American States (OAS) foreign ministers. The USA, Mexico and Colombia were the only countries opposing the final agreement, which rejected the violation of the sovereignty of any country in the region. The USA has lamented the fact that the right of countries to self defense was not included in the agreement and it continues to maintain its thesis of preventive warfare. The counties assembled also accepted full apologies from Colombia for the incursion of its military into Ecuador and Colombia's commitment not to embark on similar actions under any circumstances in the future. The OAS general secretary has received a mandate to exercise good offices to observe compliance with the resolution and to re-establish confidence between the governments of Ecuador and Colombia. The consensus came after news sources forecast the imminent failure of the foreign ministers to reach an agreement after 14 hours of closed-door meetings. The agreement was reached after a smaller meeting of the countries involved (Colombia and Ecuador) and representatives from Brazil, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Paraguay.
Patrick J. O'Donoghue
patrick.vheadline@gmail.com
PdVSA is doing the right thing in pursuing Exxon-Mobil after-the-fact. Too often the Left makes the mistake of simply being relieved in fighting-off some assault from the Right -- when the proper strategy is to then go on the offensive and pursue the aggressor and hurt their ability to commit aggression again, somewhere else. Because they will be back again, otherwise.
ReplyDeleteAs for colombian and U.S. planes in venezuelan airspace: that's what smart SAM missiles are for. Shoot `em down.