Venezuela aims for major petrochemical expansion

[norml]

Venezuela aims for major petrochemical expansion, Chavez sees country becoming powerhouse


CARACAS (AP) - Venezuela will sharply increase production of petrochemicals in the next several years to become a world leader in the industry, says President Hugo Chavez.

Chavez's remarks Saturday came as state petrochemical company president Saul Ameliach announced a plan to increase output to 32 million tonnes a year by 2012 from 11.5 million tonnes today.

"Venezuela has what it takes to be a world power in petrochemicals, and we're going to be just that," Chavez said at a swearing-in ceremony for new board members of Corporacion Petroquimica de Venezuela SA, commonly known as Pequiven.

Ameliach announced investments of nearly $5.4 billion US in 22 petrochemical projects, including construction of new plants and upgrades to existing ones. Officials previously had spoken of plans to invest some $3.9 billion US in the next six years.


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http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/headline_news/article.jsp?content=b032615A

[jeff30997]

1. They're linked to 9/11! They have WMDs!!!

Let's invade!

[Peace Patriot]

2. The bottom of the article is perhaps the most interesting part:

After mentioning some of the new products that Venezuela is, or will be, producing--ammonia, urea, fertilizers and plastics, the article goes on to say:

"Chavez also raised the idea of starting a South American petrochemical project with participation by other governments.

"'Why can't we talk about Pequi-sur - the petrochemical company of the south?' Chavez remarked to his energy minister during the speech. 'We're thinking about a strategic alliance in the area of petrochemicals with Brazil, with Bolivia.'

"Chavez also has proposed a network of South American natural gas pipelines and has signed preferential oil deals with friendly governments throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

"He asked Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez to take his proposal of a joint petrochemical complex to the government of his close ally, Bolivian leftist President Evo Morales.

"Chavez said Brazil and other countries also could be invited to play a role, and that businesspeople from countries including Russia, Iran, Qatar and the U.S. had expressed interest in investing in Venezuela's petrochemical projects."

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Regional cooperation in South America, and regional and cross-ocean alliances independent of the US and its global corporate predator financial interests, is the most fascinating thing that is happening in South America--besides, of course, the profound, historic, peaceful, democratic, leftist revolution that has swept South America, in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela and Bolivia, and soon Peru. Leftist governments, of course, are of, by and for the people, and are achieved, first of all, by TRANSPARENT elections. (U.S. voters, take note!). You then get governments that protect their countries and their people from domination by the US/IMF/World Bank financial bullies, that seek self-determination, and that promote regional economic, political and security alliances for the common good.

It's NOT JUST that Chavez is using some of Venezuela's oil resources to help Venezuela's vast poor population. He's a thinker and long term regional planner, with self-determination on his mind. So are the other new South American leaders, such as Evo Morales, the first indigenous Indian president of Bolivia, who was involved in throwing Bechtel out of Bolivia for privatizing the water and jacking up the price of water to the poor, and also opposes the murderous US "war on drugs"; Chile's first woman president, socialist Michele Batchelet, who was tortured by the US-backed dictator Pinochet, and who is seeking peaceful resolution of Chile and Bolivia's long term dispute over Bolivia's coastal access; and Lula da Silva, a former steel worker who is president of Brazil, and led the third world revolt at the World Trade Organization meeting in Cancun a few years ago.

Tough, populist leaders--with big majorities supporting them--who have really thought things through. Chavez, for instance, did this recently: He bought up a third of Argentina's onerous debt to the IMF, thus greatly helping Argentina to get out of hock and set itself on a healthy, independent, self-determined course.

It's amazing what you do with the people behind you, with the good of the people as your goal, in alliance with other good people. We in the U.S. have almost forgotten what this looks like--good government.

There are some problems with Venezuela's development of its natural resources--environmental problems and problems with the rights and wishes of indigenous tribes. However, since Venezuela will soon be bordered with TWO indigenous presidents (Ollanta Humala in Peru, who is ahead in the polls, and Evo Morales, who just won the presidency of Bolivia by the biggest margin ever recorded in their multi-candidate elections), and since Chavez is part indigenous himself (also part black and part Spanish), and since democracy has succeeded, rather spectacularly, in Venezuela and throughout South America, it will be up to the people to make these decisions, rather than up to US global corporate predators and fascist elites--a rather big improvement.

Ten thousand Andes Indians came out of the mountains to invest Evo Morales in a special ceremony prior to his official inauguration. Chavez presented him with Simon Bolivar's sword! They are friends, and I imagine that Morales will influence Chavez on the rights of indigenous tribes and their concerns about the environment--as will Humala.

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"The time of the people has come." --Evo Morales

[Judi Lynn]

3. You mentioned something very important, as always.

Morales, and hopefully Humala will be able to capably work with Hugo Chavez and offer insights he can use concerning the LARGE numbers of indigenous people in the region. (It's very sobering realizing how many indigenous people WERE living in the United States when Colombus got here. The difference in Latin America and the U.S. can be noted in that there are so few left living in this country after the genocide.)

I'll bet they can really make some progress if there's any way possible they can protect themselves against American right-wing attempts to destroy their governments.

(I'd like to add that Argentina's Nestor Kirchner was imprisoned and tortured, too, during the U.S.-fully supported Dirty War which destroyed around 30,000 suspected "leftists," many being thrown alive from planes into the ocean.)

[1932]

5. Chavez has said that Venezuela (and developing nations generally)

need to add value to their natural resources at home.

He has said that Venezuela has one of the largest reserves of aluminum in the world and that it's amazing that they, for example, import every airplane body that is used in their country.

This is the same principle. If they have petrol, then they shouldn't just sell the raw material on to let other people add value. They should be adding value at home.

These are the kinds of things democratic governments do for their countries.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. PDVSA ads are starting to show in the Brazilian media

Specifically, billboards and TV. Very generic institutional ads -- "oil for integration of the peoples." No gas stations yet.