Bolivia Nationalizes Natural Gas Fields

Bolivian president nationalizes nat-gas industry ::
Morales orders foreign energy giants to send supplies to state company

LA PAZ, Bolivia (MSNBC) 1 hour ago — Bolivian President Evo Morales signed a decree to nationalize the hydrocarbons sector, requiring that foreign-owned energy companies turn over their natural gas fields to the state immediately and sign new operating contracts within 180 days.

The leftist leader also ordered the military to occupy fields nationwide. Bolivia has the second-largest natural gas reserves in South America after Venezuela, and the question of how the country should manage these riches has been at the heart of several popular revolts in the last three years.

"The time has come, the awaited day, a historic day in which Bolivia retakes absolute control of our natural resources."

“We want to ask (the Armed Forces) that starting now, they occupy all the energy fields in Bolivia along with battalions of engineers,” Morales said after signing the decree at the San Alberto field, operated by Brazil’s state-owned Petrobras in the southeastern province of Tarija.

BBC News – Bolivia’s President Evo Morales has signed a decree
placing his country’s energy industry under state control

● Bolivia Signs Trade Pact with Cuba and Venezuela
● Evo Morales Wins Presidential Election

"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY

9 Comments

Oui on May 1, 2006 at 5:06 pm

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev Meets with U.S. President George Bush

On April 28, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with US President George Bush in White House. The meeting held in warm and friendly atmosphere focused on US-Azerbaijan bilateral relationship, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project, peaceful solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, joint fight against international terrorism and other regional and international developments.

After the meeting, the two presidents made following statements for the press …

● Human Rights and Azerbaijan

“But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.”

▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY

BostonJoe on May 1, 2006 at 5:27 pm

but I see a plane crash in Evo’s near future. No wait. That’s been done to death. Perhaps a natural gas explosion. There. That would be poetic.

ignorant bystander on May 1, 2006 at 5:52 pm

I was just wondering how close to a bomb Bolivia is. You know, they could probably install half a million centrifuges in a matter of days.
- Oui on May 1, 2006 at 6:05 pm
  
  .
  
  Venezuela Seeks Nuclear Technology
  
  WASHINGTON D.C. (WaTimes) Oct. 17, 2005 — A Bush administration official monitoring Latin America said the entreaties have included communications with Iran, with whom Venezuela maintains increasingly close ties. Washington has branded Iran a state sponsor of terrorism and accuses it of pursuing nuclear weapons through its atomic industry.
  
  “But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.”
  
  ▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
  - AP on May 5, 2006 at 5:10 pm
    
    But it would be so much easier to take him out. We can’t afford another war, you understand.
    
    We should all keep watch of this.

cruz del sur on May 2, 2006 at 8:53 pm

Just in case?

Natasha Chart on May 5, 2006 at 12:17 am

Now that there’s two of them doing it, gives ’em a little cover, might embolden others while Bush is busy. We can hope. What could be a better step in the ‘development’ of these third world nations than to take back the ownership of their public resources from the occupying kleptocrats?

jcb679 on May 5, 2006 at 8:02 pm

there have been concerns expressed about many of Morales’ cabinet appointments.

In particular, James Petras’ article in Counterpunch, “Inside Evo Morales’s Cabinet”, is particularly sobering:

http://www.counterpunch.org/petras02042006.html

Major trade union federations, the biggest neighborhood social movements (in the combative city of El Alto) and rural landless movements are expressing consternation and hostility over several of newly elected President Morales’ cabinet appointments and their initial policy priorities, which go counter to the campaign promises of candidate Morales.

One of the worst predictors of most governments’ policies is their campaign rhetoric. This is especially the case of presidential candidates moving from the left toward the center. Much more reliable indicators of the actual policies of a newly elected regime come in the form of the Cabinet ministers appointed to key ministries.

President Morales has named sixteen Cabinet ministers, of which 7 have been called into question by the mass movements which brought Morales to the presidency. While overseas commentators and publicists praise the presence of several “Indians” and four women in the Cabinet, the popular movements in Bolivia are dismayed by the policies and past trajectories of nearly half of the new ministers. Salvador Ric Riera, a conservative Santa Cruz businessman and reputed multi-millionaire, accused by the local trade union leaders of money laundering and other shady activities, has been appointed Minister of Public Works and Services. In all previous regimes, Public Works was one of the most notorious for its corruption, especially in allocating public highway construction contracts. Given the importance that Morales has given to fighting corruption, most activists were appalled by the appointment of Riera, who was a last-minute financial contributor to Morales’ campaign. His appointment is seen as a concession to a section of the Santa Cruz oligarchy.

The key Ministry of Mines was handed to Walter Villarroel who defected from the rightwing UCS to jump on the Morales bandwagon. His appointment was denounced by mining leader Cesar Lugo because of Villarroel’s previous stint in government in which he helped to dismantle the Bolivian Mining Corporation (COMOBOL) and for privatizing one of the biggest iron mines in the world. He has also been attacked for supporting previous neo-liberal President Carlos Mesa and promoting private co-operatives rather than strengthening state enterprises under worker control.

The article continues to describe serious reservations by Morales’ supporters of several other key appointments, including

Other minesterial appointments were widely welcomed, including the Minister for Hydrocarbons who promised to promote the nationalization of gas and petroleum, and who has obviously followed through.

Observing who is appointed to what ministries is a wise strategy for evaluating the political intent of new governments.

AP on May 5, 2006 at 9:55 pm

Hmmm…keeping his enemies close?

No wonder we were withholding judgment of him. A few right-wing cabinet members meant he couldn’t be all bad, huh? There’s someone they could buy off…ahem, work with.

Just my speculation, of course, since I don’t know enough about Bolivia other than it’s one of the poorest countries in Latin American, with one of its largest natural gas reserves.

American interest, aplenty.

Oui on May 1, 2006 at 5:06 pm

.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev Meets with U.S. President George Bush

On April 28, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with US President George Bush in White House. The meeting held in warm and friendly atmosphere focused on US-Azerbaijan bilateral relationship, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project, peaceful solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, joint fight against international terrorism and other regional and international developments.

After the meeting, the two presidents made following statements for the press …

● Human Rights and Azerbaijan

“But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.”

▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
BostonJoe on May 1, 2006 at 5:27 pm

but I see a plane crash in Evo’s near future. No wait. That’s been done to death. Perhaps a natural gas explosion. There. That would be poetic.
- ignorant bystander on May 1, 2006 at 5:52 pm
  
  I was just wondering how close to a bomb Bolivia is. You know, they could probably install half a million centrifuges in a matter of days.
  - Oui on May 1, 2006 at 6:05 pm
    
    .
    
    Venezuela Seeks Nuclear Technology
    
    WASHINGTON D.C. (WaTimes) Oct. 17, 2005 — A Bush administration official monitoring Latin America said the entreaties have included communications with Iran, with whom Venezuela maintains increasingly close ties. Washington has branded Iran a state sponsor of terrorism and accuses it of pursuing nuclear weapons through its atomic industry.
    
    “But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.”
    
    ▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
    - AP on May 5, 2006 at 5:10 pm
      
      But it would be so much easier to take him out. We can’t afford another war, you understand.
      
      We should all keep watch of this.
cruz del sur on May 2, 2006 at 8:53 pm

Just in case?
Natasha Chart on May 5, 2006 at 12:17 am

Now that there’s two of them doing it, gives ’em a little cover, might embolden others while Bush is busy. We can hope. What could be a better step in the ‘development’ of these third world nations than to take back the ownership of their public resources from the occupying kleptocrats?
jcb679 on May 5, 2006 at 8:02 pm
there have been concerns expressed about many of Morales’ cabinet appointments.

In particular, James Petras’ article in Counterpunch, “Inside Evo Morales’s Cabinet”, is particularly sobering:

http://www.counterpunch.org/petras02042006.html

Major trade union federations, the biggest neighborhood social movements (in the combative city of El Alto) and rural landless movements are expressing consternation and hostility over several of newly elected President Morales’ cabinet appointments and their initial policy priorities, which go counter to the campaign promises of candidate Morales.

One of the worst predictors of most governments’ policies is their campaign rhetoric. This is especially the case of presidential candidates moving from the left toward the center. Much more reliable indicators of the actual policies of a newly elected regime come in the form of the Cabinet ministers appointed to key ministries.

President Morales has named sixteen Cabinet ministers, of which 7 have been called into question by the mass movements which brought Morales to the presidency. While overseas commentators and publicists praise the presence of several “Indians” and four women in the Cabinet, the popular movements in Bolivia are dismayed by the policies and past trajectories of nearly half of the new ministers. Salvador Ric Riera, a conservative Santa Cruz businessman and reputed multi-millionaire, accused by the local trade union leaders of money laundering and other shady activities, has been appointed Minister of Public Works and Services. In all previous regimes, Public Works was one of the most notorious for its corruption, especially in allocating public highway construction contracts. Given the importance that Morales has given to fighting corruption, most activists were appalled by the appointment of Riera, who was a last-minute financial contributor to Morales’ campaign. His appointment is seen as a concession to a section of the Santa Cruz oligarchy.

The key Ministry of Mines was handed to Walter Villarroel who defected from the rightwing UCS to jump on the Morales bandwagon. His appointment was denounced by mining leader Cesar Lugo because of Villarroel’s previous stint in government in which he helped to dismantle the Bolivian Mining Corporation (COMOBOL) and for privatizing one of the biggest iron mines in the world. He has also been attacked for supporting previous neo-liberal President Carlos Mesa and promoting private co-operatives rather than strengthening state enterprises under worker control.

The article continues to describe serious reservations by Morales’ supporters of several other key appointments, including
Other minesterial appointments were widely welcomed, including the Minister for Hydrocarbons who promised to promote the nationalization of gas and petroleum, and who has obviously followed through.

Observing who is appointed to what ministries is a wise strategy for evaluating the political intent of new governments.
- AP on May 5, 2006 at 9:55 pm
  
  Hmmm…keeping his enemies close?
  
  No wonder we were withholding judgment of him. A few right-wing cabinet members meant he couldn’t be all bad, huh? There’s someone they could buy off…ahem, work with.
  
  Just my speculation, of course, since I don’t know enough about Bolivia other than it’s one of the poorest countries in Latin American, with one of its largest natural gas reserves.
  
  American interest, aplenty.

Bolivia Nationalizes Natural Gas Fields

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