 |
04-04-06,9:39am
Caracas, Apr 3 (Prensa Latina) The creation of new companies to replace oil agreements guarantees Venezuela´s sovereignty over its hydrocarbon resources, Energy and Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez stated Monday.
Interviewed on the Venezolana de Television program "En Confianza", Ramirez ratified Friday the constitution of 30 joint companies instead of 32 service agreements signed during the so-called oil opening started last century, which are basically considered covert privatization.
He explained that unlike the old days with the State only getting a cut of 33% per barrel, the new rules give Venezuela 80%.
Only the Italian company ENI-Dacion and French TOTAL did not accept changes and both were out of the possibility to set up as joint companies, said the minister.
He indicated the Venezuelan state has 60 percent of the companys´ shares and the final calculation leaves the country with an 80 percent minimum of each oil barrel.
mh/iff/ml/mf
Chavez: 50 a Barrel for Oil is Fair
London, Apr 3 (Prensa Latina) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said fixing the price of a barrel of oil at 50 dollars is fair, according to statements for the BBC and quoted Monday by Great Britain’s The Guardian daily.
Venezuela has “the world´s largest hydrocarbon reserves,” enough for about 200 years, the president added.
A long-term agreement at that price will allow Caracas to count its crude oil deposits, both heavy and extra-heavy, as part of its official hydrocarbon reserves, thus adding 235 billion barrels to the country´s active supplies.
The price mentioned by Chavez is 15 dollars below the current one, which reached a record high of 70.85 dollars a barrel in August last year, the source read.
Venezuelan Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez told the BBC Caracas plans to ask the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to officially recognize a rise in its reserves.
That way, stocks would amount to 315 billion barrels of oil, thus surpassing those of Saudi Arabia, the world´s current leader with 262 billion barrels.
mh/dig/mem/mf
|
|
