U.S. mulls sanctions on Venezuela over drug move (Reuters)

[Up2Late]

(I don't know that much about this issue, but it sounds like the Congress passed another BS law regarding Venezuela "Cooperating" with the U.S. or face the consequences too. Do they not realize that if Venezuela suddenly decided to embargo the Oil we buy from them, it would hurt us a lot more than it would hurt them?)

U.S. mulls sanctions on Venezuela over drug move

Mon Aug 8, 2005 08:29 PM ET

By Saul Hudson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is considering punishing Venezuela with sanctions for breaking off work with U.S. anti-drug agents in the world's top cocaine-exporting region, the State Department said on Monday. In a new blow to fraying ties between the United States and a key oil supplier, President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday he had suspended cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration because it was unnecessary and accused the U.S. agency of spying on his government.

"The fears are baseless," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters. "I think it's pretty clear to us that the motivation for this is not the accusation itself ... The motivation is an effort to detract from the government's increasingly deficient record of cooperation." Chavez said Venezuela would continue to work with international organizations to combat drug trafficking.

Next month, the State Department must by law judge if Venezuela has failed to cooperate in the drug war, a decision that could trigger a range of sanctions including blocking cheap credit for businesses and counternarcotics aid. Chavez' suspension decision "would obviously have an impact on deliberations concerning our annual decision-making process, "Ereli said.

Even before Sunday's decision, the top U.S. diplomat for Latin America, Roger Noriega, had suggested to Congress it would be difficult this year to certify Venezuela as cooperating in the drug war. Venezuela, which Washington has sanctioned for failing to combat human trafficking, would then be blacklisted along with countries such as Myanmar.

<http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=9310458&src=rss/politicsNews>
(more at link above)

[getmeouttahere]

1. Support Venezuela....

fuck you, BushCo! I'm so beyond tired of this shit.

www.handsoffvenezuela.org

[bridgit]

2. it's never about drugs, it's always about oil...

http://www.energybulletin.net/4150.html

[leesa]

22. It's about both. They sell drugs to make money for their adventures.

[Darranar]

3. "the government's increasingly deficient record of cooperation"...

That is the issue - Chavez's refusal to cooperate with American imperialism - not his refusal to cooperate with anti-drug programs.

[nosmokes]

4. viva chavez!

what an arrogant ego mad asshole we have in the WH. i have no doubt that some sort of plan is in the works for venezuela. he's been pumpin radio propaganda in there for weeks now, there's a military base in paraquay and now we're gonna slap sanctions on 'em. fuck you senor bushole.

[Miss Chybil]

5. Do you think they'll ever notice their attempts at diplomacy are faliling

miserably - all over the globe?

[TankLV]

14. You mean the "do it our way or else" type of "diplomacy"?

I don't think THEY even comprehend the concept.

No, in fact, I'm dead sure POSITIVE they don't.

[MasonJar]

6. And just why should Chavez care? He and his people have oil

that we have been siphoning off for peanuts. We are the ones who had better curb our tongues. I assume we need that oil.

[Up2Late]

17. Yeah, I think they supply something like 20% of our Oil

Tell me that wouldn't send the economy into a deep hole if they ever got fed up with our crap and embargoed us. VENEZUELA is right up there with SAUDI ARABIA.

Did this guy drink his way through the "Arab Oil Embargo" too?

<http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html>

(sorry for this looking a bit jammed up, but lists like this don't display right.)

Total Imports of Petroleum (Top 15 Countries)

(Thousand Barrels per Day)

Country May-05 Apr-05 YTD 2005 May-04 Jan - May 2004


1. CANADA 2,188 2,190 2,123 2,087 2,121
   
   
2. MEXICO 1,826 1,632 1,640 1,751 1,654
   
   
3. VENEZUELA 1,574 1,567 1,582 1,603 1,588
   
   
4. SAUDI ARABIA 1,526 1,494 1,573 1,519 1,417
   
   
5. NIGERIA 1,214 1,243 1,134 1,270 1,167
   
   
6. IRAQ 588 542 536 674 664
   
   
7. ALGERIA 449 467 431 495 445
   
   
8. VIRGIN ISLANDS 367 358 327 328 303
   
   
9. ANGOLA 353 365 446 405 329
   
   
10. UNITED KINGDOM 345 394 361 439 397
    
    
11. RUSSIA 325 645 445 194 209
    
    
12. ECUADOR 238 261 294 271 213
    
    
13. NORWAY 229 250 226 298 260
    
    
14. KUWAIT 219 164 196 278 234
    
    
15. NETHERLANDS 178 113 109 95 109
    

[VegasWolf]

7. Bush is fucked again. What is he going to do, stop buying oil from them?

[goforit]

8. The Bushes are so pathetic. They are the drug dealers. LOL!!!

They are so behind the times.

Everyone knows whats up???

[Rainscents]

9. Looks like to me, WH wants to create problems deliberately with

Venezuela, so they could sanction them. They know, this will cause huge spike in oil price... These baster will stop at nothing! :argh:

[Up2Late]

19. I was thinking the same thing.

And I bet the crude oil price doesn't even go up that much, but the "At the Pump" Gasoline will. :mad:

[teknomanzer]

10. Drug use in America...

is an American responsibility... God only knows if we had a smarter solution to the drug problem we wouldn't have to tell other goverments how to run their affairs in this matter. But then again this move probably isn't about the drugs. We are just hoping to destabilize the Chavez government to some right wing puppet can take control.

[Up2Late]

20. Yup, the * Cabal hate the fact that a Left-wing Government controls

some of "our" oil.

Next thing you know, Chavez starts building Schools and Roads and then, the next thing you know, ALL the countries in Central and South America want Schools and Roads and Jobs... :crazy:

Then, Who's gonna pick the Tomatoes and Oranges!?! :shrug: :sarcasm:

[KellyW]

11. I saw video of Chavez meeting with Castro about 2 weeks ago

and I thought, this isn't good, Bush will see it, and order-up another coup.

[Up2Late]

21. Don't kid yourself, I'm sure that have one in the planning stages

I just hope it's not the new "Product" they are going to "roll out" in September"

[IndianaGreen]

12. Fuck the US government!

DEA provided logistical assistance to the CIA coup against Chavez a couple of years ago. No rational nation on this Earth should allow on its soil any US troops, agents, spooks, or any other creepy crawler with "U.S." stamped on its back.

Viva Chavez! Death to Imperialism! Down with Bush!

[TankLV]

13. And so it begins...

But of course, the whore media don't see any parallels or want to even look at that theme.

Iraq war script part II.

No - it should be part III.

Iran is part II.

[natrat]

15. doesn't the bush crime family controll the cocaine flow?

[bearfan454]

16. hell yes. Poppy bush has a little mafia he put together when he was

head of the Cia. Remember when the CIA plane crashed in the 80's and it was full of cocaine ?

[nolabels]

18. Like what are they going to do anyway?

:sarcasm: Make em stop exporting OIL to the US or something :sarcasm:

[OKthatsIT]

23. Oh come on.! These Bush thugs ARE the drug probem

Leave Chavez alone...

STOP building bases in Paraguay! Negroponte is constructing a base on the Boivian border which can move 16,000 troops, into the region, a day.

[bemildred]

24. Venezuela mulls telling Noriega "blow me". nt

[Up2Late]

25. Good one!