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Pluto
Joined: 19 Dec 2006
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 Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:47 pm Post subject: Oh that Hugo |
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What a guy!
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CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez ordered the U.S. ambassador to leave Venezuela in 72 hours and said he was immediately withdrawing his ambassador from Washington.
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Chavez said Thursday night that U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy is no longer welcome, just as his close ally Bolivia expelled the American envoy from La Paz a day earlier.
"They're trying to do here what they were doing in Bolivia," Chavez said, accusing Washington of trying to oust him.
"That's enough ... from you, Yankees," he said during a televised rally, using an expletive... |
From the AP |
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Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee
Joined: 25 May 2003
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| Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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If the US had any self respect the US wouldn't buy oil from the F**k.
Raise the gas tax now. Tax imported oil now. |
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Gopher
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:09 pm Post subject: |
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Highly irregular. H. Chavez has apparently broken relations with the American govt via television, bypassing all official diplomatic channels. That or he is just desperate for more drama and attention which shows him and his picture at places such as CNN.com. Who truly knows what goes on in the deep depths of that guy's brain.
Where do Venezuelan-American relations stand today...?
| State.gov wrote: |
U.S.-VENEZUELAN RELATIONS
U.S.-Venezuelan relations have been tense in recent years. President Hugo Ch�vez has continuously defined himself in opposition to the United States, using incendiary rhetoric to insult President Bush and senior administration officials. For example, in his September 2006 speech to the UN General Assembly, President Ch�vez called President Bush "the Devil" and other offensive names. The United States continues to seek constructive engagement with the Venezuelan Government, focusing on areas of technical cooperation. Major U.S. interests in Venezuela include promotion of U.S. exports and protection of U.S. investment, preservation of Venezuela's constitutional democracy, closer counter-narcotics cooperation, more vigorous efforts on counterterrorism, and continued access to petroleum.
U.S.-Venezuelan commercial ties are deep. The United States is Venezuela's most important trading partner, representing about 22% of imports and approximately 60% of Venezuelan exports. In turn, Venezuela is the United States' third-largest export market in Latin America, purchasing U.S. machinery, transportation equipment, agricultural commodities, and auto parts. Venezuela's opening of its petroleum sector to foreign investment in 1996 created extensive trade and investment opportunities for U.S. companies. As a result, Venezuela is one of the top four suppliers of foreign oil to the United States. The Department of State is committed to promoting the interests of U.S. companies in overseas markets. For contact information and a list of government publications, please go to the end of this document.
Venezuela is a minor source country for opium poppy and coca but a major transit country for cocaine and heroin. Money laundering and judicial corruption are major concerns. In 2004 and early 2005, counternarcotics cooperation between the U.S. and Venezuela deteriorated significantly. In March 2005, the Venezuelan National Guard removed its highly experienced members from the U.S.-supported Prosecutor's Drug Task Force. In August 2005, the Government of Venezuela accused the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of espionage and terminated cooperation with the DEA pending negotiation of a new cooperation agreement, which had gone unsigned as of October 2006. President Bush decertified Venezuela on counternarcotics cooperation in 2005, 2006, and 2007.
In June 2006, Venezuela was listed at Tier 3 status in the State Department's Report on Trafficking in Persons. Tier 3 status indicates a perceived lack of effort to combat human trafficking.
In May 2006, the Secretary of State certified that Venezuela was not fully cooperating with U.S. counter-terrorism efforts. As of October 1, 2006, the United States Government has prohibited arms sales and services to Venezuela.
Approximately 23,000 U.S. citizens living in Venezuela have registered with the U.S. embassy, an estimated three-quarters of them residing in the Caracas area. An estimated 12,000 U.S. tourists visit Venezuela annually. About 500 U.S. companies are represented in the country. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 9:26 am Post subject: |
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http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/09/latin_america_heats_up_is_ther.php
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Latin America Heats Up: Is There a Policy?
By Douglas Farah
The news that both Bolivia and Venezuela, whose presidents are staunch allies and friends, have chosen to expel the respective U.S. ambassadors is the most visible evidence of the frayed relations the United States now has with much of Latin America.
As my colleague Andrew Cochran wrote the United States then immediately took the step of designating the three most visible Venezuelan officials whose ties to the FARC were clearly established.
What is amazing is that, until this blow-up, U.S. officials in different departments of the government, have been minimizing the well-documented alliance, as well as other issues discussed below, that have made Latin America a far different place than it was five years ago.
Unfortunately, with the exception of Colombia policy, there has been virtually no policy toward Latin America, and the festering issues there have been left to fester.
As a friend said after recently sitting through a 50-minute briefing by a senior government official on security issues facing Latin America without once mentioning Venezuela, Iran or Russia, the presentation was a true "tour de force."
This was because the official managed to never mention any of the burning issues, instead painting a relatively upbeat picture of the regions as a free trade, democratic region in the full flower of health.
Much of the evidence against the three designated Venezuelans: Hugo Armando Carvajal (head of military intelligence); Henry de Jesus Rangel (director of intelligence); and Ramon Emilio Rodriguez Chacin (former minister of defense and interior) comes from the computer of Raul Reyes, the FARC's deputy commander killed in Ecuador by Colombian forces on March 1.
The Reyes documents (which I have analyzed in this NEFA Foundation paper clearly outline the role of the three in protecting the FARC, meeting regularly with FARC leadership and discussing weapons shipments with the rebels.
The FARC moves its some 250 kilos of cocaine, largely Europe-bound, through Venezuela, and internal FARC documents show that the shipments are often escorted by Venezuelan military or intelligence officials to the ports from which they are embarked, in order to insure the drugs' safe transit. |
I don't understand why Chavez did this now. I generally regard him to be a childish little fart and wonder if the Saudi slap he got had anything to do with it:
http://www.247wallst.com/2008/09/the-death-of-op.html
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Saudi Arabia walked out on OPEC yesterday. It said it would not honor the cartel's production cut. It was tired of rants from Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and the well-dressed oil minister from Iran.
As the world's largest crude exporter, the kingdom in the desert took its ball and went home.
As the Saudis left the building the message was shockingly clear. According to The New York Times, �Saudi Arabia will meet the market�s demand,� a senior OPEC delegate said. �We will see what the market requires and we will not leave a customer without oil." |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 9:48 am Post subject: |
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I think I'm right re: the OPEC cause.
http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=787552
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CARACAS/WASHINGTON -- The United States imposed sanctions on aides to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday in retaliation for his expulsion of the U.S. ambassador, escalating a crisis that raises the specter of a possible oil supply cutoff.
The diplomatic moves and Chavez's threat to cut off oil shipments to the United States sent the OPEC nation's debt prices tumbling and plunged relations between the superpower and one of its top energy suppliers to their lowest point in years.
Mr. Chavez warned on Thursday that if he stops selling oil to the United States, world crude prices would immediately double to above $200 a barrel.
The socialist leader leads a growing bloc of left-wing leaders in Latin America and has diversified Venezuela's oil customers in recent years, particularly increasing supply to China.
He said his decision to expel the U.S. ambassador on Thursday in an expletive-laden tirade against "Yankees," was made to support Bolivia's leftist president who is facing violent protests against his government that he blames on interference by Washington.
Washington struck back on Friday with sanctions against two Chavez aides, including Venezuela's former Interior Minister Ramon Rodriguez, for allegedly aiding Marxist guerrillas in Colombia.
It is also possible Mr. Chavez knew sanctions were coming against his officials and wanted to take the offensive. Mr. Rodriguez resigned unexpectedly last week, and Chavez often uses a strategy that his best form of defense is attack when he is assailed.
Washington was also preparing on Friday to eject Venezuela's top diplomat in the United States, a U.S. official said, although Mr. Chavez tried to preempt that move by telling him to pack his bags and come home a day earlier.
Venezuela has some of the largest oil reserves outside the Middle East and despite Mr. Chavez's frequent clashes with the U.S. government, he has maintained oil supplies and never before expelled a U.S. ambassador.
Violent anti-government protests have killed eight people in Bolivia, ruled by Chavez's close ally, President Evo Morales.
Bolivia and the United States expelled their respective ambassadors earlier this week after Mr. Morales accused Washington of supporting the opposition.
Venezuelan bond yield spreads over U.S. Treasures -- widely seen as a gauge of investor risk perception -- soared 41 basis points to 765 basis points on Friday.
Mr. Chavez said he would not restore normal relations with the United States at least until U.S. President George W. Bush leaves the White House in January.
"When there is a new government in the United States, we will send a new ambassador, a government that respects the people of Latin American," he said.
Lehman Brothers' Gianfranco Bertozzi, who analyses how political risk in Venezuela affects the country's debt prices, told investors the market was over-reacting because there had been no concrete oil-related measures.
"This expulsion is really only until the next administration, the election for which is 53 days away, and in the meantime oil is still flowing -- although markets seems agitated by the risk of escalation," he wrote from New York.
Mr. Chavez was briefly ousted in a 2002 coup that was initially welcomed by Washington. Even after the coup, Mr. Chavez did not go so far as to expel the U.S. ambassador.
But tensions between the United States and Venezuela are escalating quickly. Mr. Chavez allowed two Russian long-range bombers to land in Venezuela this week and released evidence of an alleged plot to kill him that he says was supported by Washington.
He also reduced U.S. commercial airline flights to Venezuela and warned he would support "armed movements" to back Bolivia's Morales in the event of a coup against him.
Mr. Chavez calls the United States an evil empire and has aligned with Russia. Moscow is sending warships for joint naval exercises with Venezuela's military in the Caribbean in November, reviving tensions not seen in the region since the end of the Cold War. |
Hugo has been spending like mad in Latin America to shore up support for his "revolution. His economy is literally falling apart and depends deeply on the government gravy train to keep it going. He NEEDS high oil prices for survival. He demanded OPEC cut prices and got slapped like the little fart he is. Now he is trying to create a regional crises to raise oil prices. |
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Gopher
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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The American govt responds...
| State.gov wrote: |
At a meeting yesterday, Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca informed Ambassador Philip Goldberg that President Morales had ordered him declared persona non grata (PNG). This unwarranted action followed the Bolivian Government's failure on September 9 to address security threats to U.S. counternarcotics operations in the Chapare, which caused the withdrawal of DEA personnel.
President Morales publicly justified his decision with a series of allegations against Ambassador Goldberg. These allegations are baseless.
President Morales' action is a grave error that has seriously damaged the bilateral relationship. The United States is the largest single country provider of development assistance to Bolivia, is Bolivia's largest export market, and is the major provider of counternarcotics assistance. Our relationship has deep, historical roots, and benefits the peoples of both our countries. We regret that President Morales has chosen this course. It will prejudice the interests of both countries, undermine the ongoing fight against drug-trafficking, and will have serious regional implications. |
| State.gov wrote: |
We regret the actions of both President Hugo Chavez and President Evo Morales to expel our ambassadors in Venezuela and Bolivia. This reflects the weakness and desperation of these leaders as they face serious internal challenges and an inability to communicate effectively internationally in order to build international support.
The charges leveled against our fine ambassadors by the leaders of Bolivia and Venezuela are false -- and the leaders of those countries know it. The only meaningful conspiracy in the region is the common commitment of democratic countries to enhance opportunities for their citizens. The only overthrow we seek is that of poverty.
As is well known in the region, we continue to focus on our larger positive agenda for the hemisphere, which we call a social justice agenda for the hemisphere. The values that we and our democratic friends favor are carrying the day in the hemisphere. Governments from center-left to center-right are implementing pragmatic policies designed to help their citizens prosper in a globalized economy. These policies are favored by the vast majority of people in the hemisphere. No country has ever improved the well-being of its citizens by antagonizing neighbors and refraining from fruitful integration with the world's democracies.
Those who shout the loudest are not making the real news in the Americas. The real story of our time is the quiet, evolutionary change promoted by pragmatic governments and their constituencies who want to improve the lives of their citizens. Those changes will not occur over night, and we still have work to be done. But we are on the right path, and will continue to work with our democratic partners to better the lives of our citizens. |
Very erratic and strange. Hugo Chavez seems destined to crash and burn. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE51B31220090212?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true
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CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denounced a new plot against him just days before a referendum on allowing him to seek re-election, although many voters are likely to be skeptical.
Chavez, who once led a failed coup and was briefly ousted himself in a coup after he been voted into office, frequently tells of plots to oust him in the OPEC nation, without producing much evidence, before a national vote.
The Cuba ally invariably says the plot is directed from the United States and backed by the opposition. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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samcheokguy
Joined: 02 Nov 2008
Location: Samcheok G-do
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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| I love earth. People who should have done stand-up go into politics, and then we get left with idiots like that not-funny Cook dude. |
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blade
Joined: 30 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Gopher wrote: |
Very erratic and strange. Hugo Chavez seems destined to crash and burn. |
You might be right but then again....
http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/20522
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| Over the decade, the government's total public debt has fallen from 30.7 to 14.3 percent of GDP. The foreign public debt has fallen even more, from 25.6 to 9.8 percent of GDP. |
Maybe the US could take a leaf from Chavez's book?  |
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Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee
Joined: 25 May 2003
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 5:33 pm Post subject: |
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Oil Prices were high from 2003 until 2008. If they continue to be low Chavez is bye bye.
Of course the US can thank itself for the fact that oil prices were as high as they were.
If the US is it is more cause of that than anything else.
When you see the US has done next to nothing about oil security you can see that the US has no self respect and lacks the will to win. |
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blade
Joined: 30 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 5:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee wrote: |
Oil Prices were high from 2003 until 2008. If they continue to be low Chavez is bye bye.
Of course the US can thank itself for the fact that oil prices were as high as they were.
If the US is it is more cause of that than anything else.
When you see the US has done next to nothing about oil security you can see that the US has no self respect and lacks the will to win. |
0010100101010101111100011100110001101010101010101010101010101010101010101010
Am I speaking your language? |
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Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee
Joined: 25 May 2003
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Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee
Joined: 25 May 2003
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:13 am Post subject: Re: Oh that Hugo |
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| Pluto wrote: |
What a guy!
| Quote: |
CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez ordered the U.S. ambassador to leave Venezuela in 72 hours and said he was immediately withdrawing his ambassador from Washington.
ADVERTISEMENT
Chavez said Thursday night that U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy is no longer welcome, just as his close ally Bolivia expelled the American envoy from La Paz a day earlier.
"They're trying to do here what they were doing in Bolivia," Chavez said, accusing Washington of trying to oust him.
"That's enough ... from you, Yankees," he said during a televised rally, using an expletive... |
From the AP |
I thought if Bush was gone everything would be okay. I don't understand. |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:43 am Post subject: Re: Oh that Hugo |
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| Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee wrote: |
I thought if Bush was gone everything would be okay. I don't understand. |
Of course we know that since Obama has a measure of popularity in the world at the moment, Hugo has to shift gears and blame the "Yankees" as a monolithic entity. He knows the Great Unwashed and those whose livelihood is intertwined with his own will lap up that stuff.
His political life depends on maintaining his image as a homie standing up to a US gov't hell-bent on his destruction. What else could he do?
Hugo and Co. is facing some serious trouble, not just from an opposition candidate winning the mayoral race in Caracas recently (a serious blow to his party), but from developments such as these:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29045769/
Chavez needs sustained high oil prices to maintain his programs. It will be interesting to see if the Feb. 15th referendum passes. |
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