Venezuela Unites Against
Exxon Hit
Venezuelan oil experts
from different political
positions agreed Monday
to defend President Hugo
Chavez' position faced
with he termed of
economic war led by US
oil company Exxon Mobil.
Alvaro Silva, general
secretary of the
Organization of
Petroleum Exporting
Countries, stated that
the US Company's action
of trying to freeze
funds of the state oil
enterprise, faces a
sovereign decision.
Interviewed on a
Venezolana de Television
program, Silva recalled
that the states have
undoubtedly recognized
the right of exercising
sovereignty on their
natural resources.
He stated that
sovereignty was arranged
during the so-called
"oil opening" of the
last century, which put
that resource in the
hands of foreign firms,
but Venezuela has the
right to recover
sovereignty.
According to oil expert
Hugo Hernandez Raffali,
the US Company's attempt
to freeze $12 billion of
the Venezuelan state
owned oil company PDVSA
is a rash measure.
Hernandez Raffali told a
local TV channel that
Exxon Mobil should ask
the Arbitral Committee
for the canalization of
its demand faced with
the nationalization.
Coincidentally, lawyer
Braulio Jactar, who
criticized other aspects
of Chavez' international
policy, said the Exxon
Mobil case corresponds
to Venezuelan demand
respect to sovereignty
as a people.
Jactar recalled that
Venezuela termed the
contract inked with
Exxon Mobil contrary to
its interests, the case
went to arbitration and
now to a court that is
foreign to that process
has announced a
preventive measure. |
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