Venezuela gives Dominica $10.1M grant

[Say_What]

<clips>

Venezuela gives Dominica $10.1M grant

FEB. 24 10:09 A.M. ET Venezuela has forgiven Dominica's debt to the South American country and granted the tiny cash-strapped Caribbean island millions in development funds, the prime minister said.

The Eastern Caribbean $27 million (US$10.1 million) grant will be used for airport improvements, including building a new terminal and parking lot and to light and lengthen the runway at Melville Hall airport, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said Wednesday in a radio address.

Venezuela also pledged to forgive Dominica's debt of EC$4 million (US$1.5 million), Skerrit said.

In addition, Venezuela has given university scholarships to 20 undergraduates from the former British colony, the prime minister said. Ten of the scholarships will go to members of the Carib Indian tribe.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D88EUS800.htm

[ret5hd]

1. damn those socialists...

being all neighborly and helpful and stuff. where will it end? world peace social justice or something?

[whistle]

2. That is great, but isn't Skerrit being defiant against Big Brother...

...United States by getting help from of all places Cuba, Venesuala and Libya? That is a sure sentence for assassination by the CIA or U.S. military black ops, is it not? Only time will tell I suppose.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

3. EVIL!!!

:)

[Vladimir]

4. Dictator!!!

[Vladimir]

5. Lets note a few things about this aid:

1) Is Dominica ideologically alligned with Chavez? Hardly.

2) Has the aid been linked to restructuring? Nope

3) Is Dominica important stratigically? About as much as my arse.

About the only hint of an ulterior motive I could find, according to the CIA factbook (for what its worth):

(Dominica) joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea

But I find this more than mildly implausible as a motive. No, it looks like "thug/dictator/Stalinist/commie/pick a perjorative" Chavez has decided to write off 11.6 million of debt for humanitarian reasons. Which makes him such a bad bad boy.

The man is a certified saint...

[bemildred]

6. I was thinking it might be about the next OAS president.

The Carribean nations have a lot of votes.

[Vladimir]

7. It just seems like a high price

for the odd vote on one issue or another... the cynic inside me wants to find some ulterior motive, but I can't see it here. Unless other Carribean nations will vote the 'right' way because of the help give to Dominica, and I don't know whether that is plausible or not.

[bemildred]

8. It doesn't have to be one thing or the other.

There can be mix of motives that somehow add up to this
decision or that. I was just reading a story a day or two
ago about the jockying for the OAS post, and the importance
of the Carribean nations in the outcome, so I thought of that.

[Say_What]

9. 13 Caribbean votes in the 34-member OAS

and the southern cone continues to unite--Mercosur, Caricom, Sica meeting in March to deepen the economic and commercial ties between the three.

This must Uncle Sam off to no end... LOL :evilgrin:

[Cocoa]

10. Dick Cheney is screaming in pain right now

what a terrible fate for all that oil money.

[Say_What]

11. China’s Burgeoning Role in Latin America—a Threat to the U.S.?

<clips>

China’s Burgeoning Role in Latin America—a Threat to the U.S.?

• Until recently, Washington has all but ignored that China is making important inroads in the region—China and a number of western hemispheric countries have deepened their cooperation, especially in the areas of trade and development.

• As the world’s second largest and fastest growing major economy, China possesses an insatiable appetite for Latin American natural resources and agricultural products, and is now beginning to realize its full potential as a world power, challenging and, perhaps overshadowing, the United States in a number of economic sectors—China’s quest could rival the U.S.’ need for the same products.

• With $50 billion worth of trade and investments in Latin America, China is promoting its “peaceful rise” policy, while pledging to help Latin American developing countries achieve their own potential.

• U.S. risks losing trade revenue as well as sought-after products to Sino-Latin American cooperation

At its own economic and political peril, Washington can no longer deny that its present chaotic Latin American policy and its strategy of malign neglect toward the region are doing great damage to its hemispheric policy. At the same time, China is making great strides in bolstering its position as a world power. Specifically, Beijing aims to expand trade ties with Latin America in order to sate its growing energy demands. However, China’s ventures into the region may inadvertently signal an assault on Washington’s long term political and economic interests in the hemisphere. The U.S. has far too often treated Latin America as its own “backyard” and will soon feel the repercussions of its policies of abandonment and rhetorical thunder if it does not pay closer attention to the region, which now seems very anxious to look elsewhere for economic benefits and sustainability. With the Free Trade of the Americas agreement on the point of collapse, the Bush administration would do well to sweep clean its present stable of misguided and ill-prepared Latin American policy makers, particularly if it hopes to blunt Beijing’s economic and political offensive.

China Wants Oil, Oil, and More Oil
As China becomes economically more powerful and consumes increasingly larger amounts of energy that befits a burgeoning consumer society, the country’s limited oil reserves will force it to look outside the border for the additional petroleum supplies necessary to run its many industries. Officials estimate that by 2007, China will need to import 50 percent of the oil it will consume.

http://www.coha.org/NEW_PRESS_RELEASES/New_Press_Releases_2005/05.20%20Sino-Latin%20American%20the%20one.htm