Bolivia's President Evo Morales Nationalizes Gas

[Guest guest]

" DitziSis " <mk2967

Tue, 2 May 2006 06:28:53 -0700 (PDT)

[DitzisDumpster] Bolivia's President Evo Morales Nationalizes Gas

 

 

Bolivia gas under state control

 

Bolivia's President Evo Morales has signed a decree placing his

country's energy industry under state control.

 

In a May Day speech, he said foreign energy firms must agree to

channel all their sales through the Bolivian state, or else leave the

country. He set the firms a six-month deadline, but the military and

state energy officials have already started taking control of the oil

fields. Brazil and Spain have both expressed concern at the move.

 

The main foreign oil firms operating in Bolivia are Brazil's

Petrobras, the Spanish-Argentine company Repsol YPF, British companies

British Gas and British Petroleum, France's Total, and the US Exxon

Mobil Corporation.

 

The Brazilian government called the moves unfriendly and said their

operations in Bolivia were under review. The Spanish Foreign

Ministry expressed its deep concern and said it hoped there would be

authentic negotiations and dialogue, while Exxon Mobil said it was

monitoring the situation very closely.

 

Bolivia has South America's second largest natural gas reserves. But

the country has suffered years of political crises over how to develop

and profit from the industry.

 

High energy prices

 

Speaking at an oilfield in the south of the country, Bolivia's

left-wing president called it an " historic day " . " The pillage of our

natural resources by foreign companies is over, " he declared.

The time has come, the awaited day, a historic day in which Bolivia

retakes absolute control of our natural resources

 

Evo Morales Bolivian President

 

He said the companies had six months to re-negotiate their

contracts and urged them to " respect the dignity of Bolivians " .

 

Foreign companies would receive 18% of oil and gas revenues during the

transition period, reports said. Vice President Alvaro Garcia said

the military and officials from the state energy firm YPFB moved to

take control of 53 energy installations - including gas fields,

pipelines and refineries - immediately after the decree was signed.

 

There was no immediate word from the foreign energy companies

themselves. The firms will get less favourable terms but current

high global energy prices may be an incentive to see if they can work

with Mr Morales, the BBC's Americas editor Simon Watts says.

 

Friendly meetings

 

Mr Morales swept to victory as Bolivia's first indigenous president in

January elections after vowing to " recover " the country's natural

resources by renationalising them. However, he has shown signs of

pragmatism since coming to office, and has held friendly meetings with

several oil bosses.

 

On a visit to Brazil in January he said renationalising the industry

would not mean expelling foreign companies or expropriating foreign

property. " Foreign companies have every right to recover investments

and make profits, but profits should be balanced, " he told a press

conference at the time. Petrobras is one of Bolivia's largest

foreign investors, controlling 14% of the country's gas reserves.

 

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/4963348.stm

 

* * * * *

Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed

for educational purposes, without profit and as such we believe

constitutes a 'Fair Use' as provided for in Sec.107 of the US

Copyright Law and complies with the Good Faith Fair Use Defense [17

USC 504©(2). For more information go to:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

 

* * * * *

" This is not the world we want for ourselves or our children. With

fire in our bellies and love in our hearts, we women are rising up -

across borders - to unite and demand an end to the bloodshed and the

destruction. " CODE PINK

 

 

* * * * W A R N I N G * * * *

As the result of the abuse of power as manifested by George W. Bush

and with the collusion of and others - this email may be subject

to collection and/or other wire tapping/internet illegalities

currently being conducted by the National Security Agency and others.

And, to any agent(s) reading this, I would suggest it is never too

late to change careers and would refer you to:

http://prorev.com/spookletter.htm

 

* * * * *

 

" Any cause that improves the status of just one woman improves the

status of the whole world. " tpb

 

 

" To be nobody-but-myself in a world which is doing its best, night and

day, to make me everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle

which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting. " -e.e.

cummings-

 

 

 

We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on

the Mount. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We

know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing that

we know about living.

-- General Omar Bradley