Joint Statement on Venezuela Negotiations
MEDIA NOTE
OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON
OCTOBER 17, 2023
Israel has the right to defend itself
1) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said President Biden would visit Israel, at the invitation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. as a gesture of “solidarity” in the current scenario to express support .in light of Hamas attacks,
“He is coming here at a critical time for Israel, for the region, and for the world,” said Blinken in the Middle East. He highlighted Biden’s efforts after the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) left over 1,400 dead in Israeli territory, including about thirty US nationals.
“Israel has the right and, indeed, the duty to defend its people from Hamas and other terrorists and to prevent future attacks. The president will hear from Israel what it needs to defend its people as we continue to work with Congress to meet those needs.”
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2) Reports In Washington DC state the Democratic government would review its sanctions if Maduro were to introduce reforms. The Washington Post said the two parties had reached a deal whereby Washington would ease sanctions related to Venezuela’s oil industry in exchange for Caracas allowing international observation in the 2024 presidential elections. Such agreement was expected to be announced after a meeting in Barbados between the Venezuelan regime and the opposition, which will aim at resuming political dialogue, frozen for 11 months.
Measures against Venezuela, toughened under President Donald Trump, included economic constraints against Venezuelan officials, including Maduro’s son “Nicolasito” in addition to restrictions on US operations of Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the main source of foreign currency for Caracas. Biden kept most of these sanctions unchanged but last November he authorized Chevron to resume oil extraction operations in Venezuela, with limitations.
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Venezuela
Oct 19th 2023 | THE ECONOMIST’
US lifts sanctions with conditions.
Nicolás Maduro’s government must hold its side of the bargain
Autocratic president Nicolás Maduro managed to stay in power by undermining democratic politics. Few held out much hope when, on October 17th, members of his government and the opposition flew to Barbados to strike a deal in order to set out how free and fair presidential elections could be held in 2024.
Such cynicism seemed well founded. Overseen by Norway’s government, the deal was entitled a “partial agreement”. It initially appeared to be underwhelming, albeit with some concessions. The document finally cleared the path for the opposition to hold its primary elections, scheduled for October 22nd. The opposition will be allowed to choose its candidate “according to its internal rules.” An approximate date was agreed for presidential elections to be held in the second half of 2024.
Return of oil services
HOUSTON, Oct 20 (Reuters) –
SLB, formerly Schlumberger, the largest oil service firm worldwide, is planning a quick return to Venezuela’s oilfields, following the broad relaxing of U.S. sanctions on the petroleum industry. The U.S. on Wednesday lifted most restrictions for six months to produce, sell and export oil and gas, allowing the petrostate to cash invoices again. The move temporarily suspended a large portion of sanctions imposed since 2019 on the OPEC founder’s energy sector.
SLB CEO Olivier Le Peuch told investors,” We will be responding and, as fast as we can, mobilizing resources and equipment that are there to respond and participate in this reopening,”
SLB is among the very few oil service companies with drilling rigs and specialized equipment in Venezuela, which could speed up any new contract with state-run oil company PDVSA or its joint ventures. SLB, along with Baker Hughes, Halliburton and Weatherford had been granted licenses that allowed them to maintain limited presence in Venezuela but restricted their activities, especially with PDVSA, which remains under some U.S. sanctions.
With only one active drilling rig versus more than 80 in 2014, Venezuela is not expected to be able to increase output significantly in the coming six months. Specialized oil equipment, however, is needed urgently.
U.S. oil major Chevron Corp planned a drilling campaign for 2024 to expand joint output in Venezuela to some 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) from current 140,000 bpd, which will require at least two specialized drilling rigs. . Chevron said the company is a “constructive presence in Venezuela” and remains committed to the integrity of its joint ventures, staff and programs in the country.
Le Peuch cautioned it was too soon to say how much SLB could achieve in short order. “But its potential is upside if you’ve got (facilities in place). Indeed that’s great.”
Adrian Lara, Latin America Upstream Oil and Gas analyst for Wood Mackenzie said
“This new easing of sanctions can certainly be considered a positive move towards the recovery of the Venezuelan oil and gas sector,. However, it does not guarantee a rapid or permanent recovery of production, given the required investment needed to deal with current infrastructure repairs and bottlenecks.”
Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar and Marianna Parraga in Houston and Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru;
Editing by David Gregorio and Marguerita Choy
US Suspends Sanctions on Oil, Gas, Gold Sectors
..in response to democratic developments, US Treasury says
US wants Maduro to allow all candidates to run in election
By Eric Martin, Fabiola Zerpa, and Patricia Laya Bloomberg
19 October 2023
The US suspended sanctions on Venezuelan oil, gas and gold production after four years and lifted some restrictions on bond trading, expressing confidence that strongman President Nicolas Maduro is ready to take on all challengers in an open election.
In a gesture of goodwill after Maduro’s government entered talks with some members of the opposition, the US Treasury Department said it issued a six-month license authorizing transactions involving the oil and gas sector in Venezuela.
It authorized dealings with Minerven, the Venezuelan state-owned gold mining company and lifted a ban on secondary trading of some Venezuelan sovereign bonds and debt and equity issued by the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA.
US relieves Venezuela sanctions
By Matt Spetalnick and Marianna Parraga
WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters)
The Biden administration on Wednesday broadly eased sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector in response to a deal reached between the government and opposition parties for the 2024 election – the most extensive rollback of Trump-era restrictions on Caracas. A new general license issued by the U.S. Treasury Department authorized OPEC founder Venezuela to produce and export oil to its chosen markets for the next six months without limitation.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed President Nicolas Maduro’s electoral concessions but said Washington has given him until the end of November to begin lifting bans on opposition presidential candidates and releasing political prisoners and “wrongfully detained” Americans.
A senior State Department official threatened to reverse sanctions relief measures unless Maduro takes such action.
The U.S. action follows months of negotiations in which Washington had pressed Caracas for concrete actions toward democratic elections in return for lifting some – but not all – of the crushing sanctions imposed under former U.S. President Donald Trump.
It also represents a significant step in the increased engagement of President Biden’s administration with Maduro on issues ranging from energy to migration, a shift from Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against the socialist government.
Venezuela ruling party official Jorge Rodriguez, who leads the government negotiating team at talks with the opposition, said on state television that the sanctions relief affected all oil activities.
“The possibility of any person or company coming to Venezuela to invest is totally open,” he said.
Maduro’s government and the opposition reached an agreement in Barbados on Tuesday on electoral guarantees for an internationally monitored vote to be held in the second half of 2024. The deal stopped short of Maduro agreeing to reinstate opposition candidates who had been barred from public office.
Blinken said that the U.S. was acting “consistent with our longstanding commitment to provide U.S. sanctions relief in response to concrete steps toward competitive elections and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
The announcements alleviated some of the toughest sanctions that Venezuela has faced but it left in place a number of other restrictions.
Even so, the U.S. measures could reopen Venezuela’s doors to dozens of oil companies with frozen or reduced operations in Venezuela.
The U.S. imposed harsh sanctions to punish Maduro’s government following his 2018 re-election, which Western governments rejected as a sham. Since 2019, U.S. sanctions have banned SOC PDVSA from exporting to its chosen markets.
TROUBLED VENEZUELAN OIL SECTOR
The changes announced on Wednesday include the issuance of a six-month general license allowing the production, sale and export of Venezuela’s crude and gas, without limitations on customers or destinations and another general license authorizing dealings with Minerven – the state-owned gold mining company.
The U.S. Treasury Department said however, that it was prepared to revoke those authorizations at any time if representatives of Maduro fail to follow through on their commitments in the deal with the opposition.
The Treasury removed the secondary trading ban on certain Venezuelan sovereign bonds and PDVSA debt and equity, though a ban on trading in the primary Venezuelan bond market remains in place.
The U.S. has been seeking ways to boost global flows of oil to alleviate high prices caused by sanctions on Russia and OPEC+ decisions to reduce output. The chances Venezuela’s exports could offset those cuts are slim absent a big increase in investment in its crippled oil sector, industry experts said.
Two decades of mismanagement and insufficient investment, coupled with U.S. oil sanctions since 2019, are expected to stymie PDVSA’s ability to make a quick comeback to cash-paying oil markets and offer its crude at fair prices. Talks between the government and the opposition, meant to provide a way out of Venezuela’s long-running political and economic crisis, were held on Tuesday for the first time in nearly a year. They agreed to further meetings at an unspecified date.
The deal they announced said each side can choose its 2024 candidate according to its internal rules but did not reverse bans on some opposition figures – including Oct. 22 primary frontrunner Maria Corina Machado – that prevent them from holding office.
Opposition sources said they have not given up on trying to get those bans lifted.
Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; additional reporting by Marianna Parraga, Mayela Armas, Vivian Sequera, Deisy Buitrago, David Alire
Editing by Josie Kao, Lisa Shumaker and Grant McCool
US mitigates sanctions
Supporters of the Venezuelan regime last month marched against economic sanctions imposed by the United States
By George Wright
BBC
The United States will lift Sanctions on Venezuela’s oil, gas and gold sectors. after the government and opposition agreed to have next year’s election monitored by international observers. Other sanctions imposed over the suppression of protests and erosion of democracy remain in place.
Washington cautioned that the relaxation could be reversed if the electoral pact collapses. The next election has been scheduled for the second half of next year.
A new general license issued by the US Treasury Department authorised Venezuela, which had been under hefty sanctions since 2019, to produce and export oil to its chosen markets for the next six months.
No time limit has been specified regarding the gold sector.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Venezuela that they must “define a specific timeline and process for the expedited reinstatement of all candidates” by the end of November. “All who want to run for president should be allowed the opportunity,” he said, while demanding the release of “all wrongfully detained US nationals and Venezuelan political prisoners”.
The agreement between the Venezuelan government and opposition, signed in Barbados on Tuesday, contains 12 points, which include promises to give all candidates access to public and private media, and to guarantee their free and safe movement throughout the country. The parties agreed to update the voter registries, both inside and outside the country, to ensure that millions of Venezuelans who emigrated can exercise their right to vote.
The opposition and the government disagree on whether the deal allows for the exclusion of opposition frontrunner María Corina Machado who is running in the primary to choose a candidate to run against President Maduro
The administration of Donald Trump imposed harsh sanctions on Venezuela to punish President Nicolás Maduro’s government following his 2018 re-election, which the US has described as “illegitimate“.
Engagement between the two countries improved under President Joe Biden.
The US has a vested interest in abating the crisis in Venezuela as the dire state of the economy has driven over seven million Venezuelans to emigrate, with many heading to the US and neighbouring states.
Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves and a scaling back of US sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry would benefit both countries economically.
Biden softens sanctions on Venezuela
The move was linked to a deal announced Tuesday in which President Nicolás Maduro agreed to enact voting reforms ahead of a planned 2024 election there. | Matias Delacroix/AP
By BEN LEFEBVRE 10/18/2023
The Biden administration said Wednesday it will ease sanctions against companies that trade in oil produced in Venezuelan or invest in the country’s oil industry in response to its new agreement to allow free elections next year.
The move reverses years of U.S. policy aimed at unseating President Nicolás Maduro — and even before the administration announced it late Wednesday, Republicans were accusing Biden of once again coddling unfriendly oil-producing countries.
While the move could help increase the flow of Venezuelan oil into the global crude market, it is not expected to do much to bring down prices that have remained stubbornly high amid turmoil in Europe and the Middle East.
The Treasury Department said the sanctions on exports of crude oil and refined petroleum exports, as well as gold, will be lifted for six months, an expiration date designed to allow the penalties to snap back in place if Maduro reneges on his promise to let independent candidates run in next year’s presidential election and to allow election experts and the international media to monitor it.
Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, followed suit: “With Israel under attack, Biden is desperate for anything to mask the consequences of his reckless policies. His latest gimmick is to ease sanctions on Nicolas Maduro’s brutal regime in Venezuela. America should never beg for oil from socialist dictators or terrorists,” said Barrasso, who is also the ranking Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said he was submitting a bill that would prohibit the importation of crude oil and other fossil fuels Venezuela — and from Iran, though Biden has never proposed to lift the long-standing U.S. ban on fuel purchases from that country. The U.S. refining industry used to be a large importer of Venezuelan crude, at one point spending billions of dollars to update its machinery to be able to better process the heavy oil.
Cramer said, “The idea of importing oil from our adversaries is a complete slap in the face of working Americans. We should be using and supporting American energy, and any reliance on our adversaries for something as critical as energy is an obvious threat to our national security.”
The U.S. began imposing sanctions on Venezuela in 2008, a year after the government of then-President Hugo Chavez began expropriating oil assets of companies including Exxon Mobil. The Trump administration placed economic sanctions on Venezuela in 2017, and then tightened them on PDVSA, its state-owned oil company, in 2019 in a bid to push Maduro out of office. Although Venezuela holds one of the world’s largest crude reserves, decades of underinvestment and mismanagement at PDVSA resulted in a rusted drilling infrastructure that is pumping less than a third of the 3 million barrels a day it had been at producing its peak in the early 2000s.
“The United States will provide limited sanctions relief primarily in the oil and gas sector in response to this important development. Our ultimate goal with sanctions is to bring positive change in behavior. The United States government retains the authority to amend or revoke all authorizations should Maduro and his representatives fail to follow through on their commitments.”
Even before seeing how well Maduro adheres to his promise of free elections, reaching any agreement at all with the country’s opposition was a solid feat, Latin American scholar Diego Abente-Brun said .
“This is a very important step forward,” said Abente-Brun, director of the Latin American and Hemispheric Studies Program at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Relations. “I am very optimistic. One has to be prudent and cautious — we still have a way to go — but this is a very auspicious beginning.”
News of sanctions relief left Republicans fuming. Lifting the financial penalties is “beyond absurd,” Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who criticized the administration for restoring a ban on oil production in some of Alaska’s wilderness, said ,
“They’re easing up on the worst regimes in the world, giving them the revenues to stay in power and spread terror and corruption, while kneecapping environmentally responsible development in Alaska,”
U.S. Lifts Broad Sanctions Against Venezuela for Six Months
Shift comes after Venezuelan regime, opposition reach deal that could lead to presidential elections in 2024
By Kejal Vyas and Patricia Garip
Oct. 19, 2023
The Biden administration late Wednesday announced the removal of a broad array of sanctions against Venezuela’s oil and gas sector in response to a deal between President Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian government and his political opponents that could lead to a presidential election next year.
The U.S. Treasury Department suspended for six months measures against Venezuela that had prohibited financial transactions in the country’s energy sector and gold mining industry. The measure also ended a ban on trading Venezuelan government bonds.
U.S. lifts sanctions on Venezuelan oil and gold after Maduro deal with opposition
BY ANTONIO MARIA DELGADO AND MICHAEL WILNER
OCTOBER 18, 2023
Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro agreed this week to hold free elections next year where he would compete against the very same opposition. The United States partially lifted sanctions against the Nicolas Maduro government on Wednesday, following a deal the socialist regime reached with the Venezuelan opposition setting a roadmap for holding freer presidential elections next year.
In an announcement made by the State Department and Department of Treasury, the US administration said it would grant a six-month general license temporarily authorizing transactions involving the oil and gas sector in Venezuela, and a second general license authorizing operations of state-run Minerven, a previously sanctioned gold mining enterprise that had been trading in the black market. In addition, the US lifted a trading ban on certain Venezuelan sovereign bonds and debt and equity belonging to the state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, PDVSA.
The U.S. government said that it is ready to reinstate the sanctions if at any point the Venezuelan regime fails to fulfill its commitments, and that it expects concrete actions taken by the Maduro government by the end of November, including authorizing all opposition candidates to run in upcoming elections who choose to do so and “beginning of the release” of all Venezuelan political prisoners and U.S. citizens detained in the country.
“Failure to abide by the terms of this arrangement will lead the United States to reverse steps we have taken,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said ..
“The United States stands with the Venezuelan people and actors who want a democratic future.” In making the announcement, the Treasury Department said that it assesses that these measures “would have the positive effect of displacing nefarious players in this market, and with negligible financial benefit to the Venezuelan regime.”
State Department officials also noted that other sanctions and restrictions on Venezuela remain in place, and that the relief announced on Tuesday could be amended or revoked if Maduro and his representatives “fail to follow through on their commitments.” “In accordance with our longstanding policy, as a result of this agreement, the United States will provide limited sanctions relief, primarily in the oil and gas sector in response to this important development,” a U.S. official said Wednesday.
“Our ultimate goal of sanctions is to bring about a positive change in behavior.”
The announcement came the day after representatives from the Maduro regime and the opposition signed two separate accords paving the way for a presidential election that would be supervised by the European Union, the United Nations and other international observers next year. The agreements, signed in Barbados, contained pledges to implement a number of electoral reforms, long demanded by the opposition, including the audit of the voters’ registry, long suspected to include hundreds of thousands of deceased and non-existent voters. The revision would also seek to include voters now residing outside the country.
The deal recognized that the opposition has the right to choose its own candidates but stopped short of lifting an existing ban on certain opposition leaders, including the top official at Vente Venezuela party, Maria Corina Machado, who is expected to easily win the opposition’s primary vote this Sunday. Many observers interpreted the absence of a direct reference to lifting the ban in the accords as a sign that the regime may not be willing to allow Machado to compete against Maduro in the presidential elections in the second half of next year.
The administration understood any candidate would be free to run, and would receive security protections, when asked about Machado’s prospects. “The partial agreement signed yesterday clearly states that the promotion of a way forward for all candidates to be able to run, and be authorized, is part of that process This is something that we consider vital to the process, and we also very clearly stated that this is essential for Venezuelans to have a choice – a democratic choice.”
“The agreement that he signed says that there will be a path to authorize all candidates, and the clear understanding in the context of the negotiations has been that the Maduro authorities will act expeditiously to authorize all candidates. And that’s certainly our understanding of the way forward.”
US administration officials also said that they expect Maduro to release the remaining U.S. prisoners in Venezuelan custody that they believe are being wrongfully detained by the government in Caracas.
“We conveyed our expectation clearly that that will be a key part of the implementation of this process,” a State Department official said.
María Corina Machado wins Venezuela opposition primary
October 26, 2023
Associated Press REGINA GARCIA CANO
María Corina Machado was declared winner of an opposition-organized primary to choose a presidential candidate
CARACAS — Venezuelan government critic María Corina Machado was declared the winner of an opposition-organized primary to choose a presidential candidate, in polling last weekend, denounced by the self-proclaimed socialist government as illegitimate. The voting Sunday organized by the National Primary Commission drew over 2.4 million voters in Venezuela and abroad and was aimed at choosing a candidate to run against Nicolás Maduro next year.
Despite some assurances by Maduro’s regime that the opposition would be allowed to choose a candidate, it has cast heavy doubt on any outcome of the weekend primary. Prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into primary organizers on charges including identity fraud and usurping authority, and the government maintains a ban on Machado running for office.
Still, the primary commission declared Machado, a former lawmaker, the winner in an event before opposition leaders and other candidates she defeated at the ballot box. Results released by the commission showed participation of more than 2.4 million voters, of whom roughly 93% supported Machado.
Venezuelans to vote in presidential primaries
GREVIC ALVARADO
The Venezuelan opposition party will select a candidate to face president Nicolás Maduro in the 2024 presidential elections on Sunday. Venezuelans around the world, including 1,060 in TT, can cast their ballots on the National Primary Commission’s (CNP ) digital platform.
Sofía Figueroa-León, president of the local electoral committee for TT, said there would be a polling centre at the headquarters of the Langdons Language Institute on Montrose Road, Chaguanas.
“We have everything ready to successfully carry out these historic elections. It will be the first time we vote in a primary election abroad and the first time a Venezuelan election is held outside of Port of Spain.”
The polling centre was moved to Chaguanas allow easy access from all parts of Trinidad. The centre will have three tables and is expected to be open from 7 am-5 pm
“The thousands of Venezuelans in TT are distributed throughout the country. Chaguanas is a central point for everyone.”.
Venezuelans registered to vote would be required to present their identification cards or passports in order to vote. The opposition electoral ballot is made up of thirteen pre-candidates: Delsa Solórzano, Tamara Adrián, Gloria Pinho, María Corina Machado, Andrés Caleca, Andrés Velásquez, Capriles Radonski, Carlos Prosperi, César Almeida, César Pérez Vivas, Freddy Superlano, Luis Farías and Roberto Enríquez.
However, in recent days, Radonski, Superlano and Enriquez withdrew from the election. Venezuelans outside their home country, can vote at 87 voting centres in 80 cities in 30 countries across the world.
Figueroa-León said, “We invite the Venezuelan community to participate. It is a right to choose our candidates and political leaders for the future of our nation.”
Deal between regime and opposition welcomed
October 18th 2023
The agreement signed Tuesday in Barbados between the Venezuelan government of President Nicolás Maduro and the main opposition leaders was welcomed by the European Union, the USA, Brazil, Argentina and other players on the world stage.
Pursuant to the new arrangement, those who were disenfranchised as well as opposition political parties will have a “route” to recover their rights while international observers will be invited to the 2024 presidential elections scheduled for the second half of the year.
Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez on behalf of Maduro’s regime and Gerardo Blyde representing the opposition Unitary Platform and their teams took only a few hours to pen the document. Blyde highlighted that Barbados was the first step and the result of a long road of 2 years of negotiations that began in Mexico and will continue until the liberation of the 300 political prisoners and other topics can be discussed.
“Today we signed an important agreement. We took a solid step that paves the way for us to recover our confidence in the vote. The agreement includes “guarantees for the internal selection process of our candidates to be respected and very especially, relevant today’s date, before the event of the primaries called for October 22.”
It also includes “a route for the disenfranchised and the political parties to recover their rights with celerity”. It establishes the qualified electoral observation of the European Union, the Carter Center, and the panel of experts of the United Nations, as well as other organizations.
Maduro’s government pledged to establish an electoral schedule for the presidential elections in the second semester of 2024 and to update the Electoral Registry to include Venezuelans abroad. The deal also provides for the access of all candidates to the media, in addition to the full respect for freedom of expression in national and international news outlets, for which a verification and follow-up mechanism is established.
“It is one more step on the road”, stressed Blyde, “An important one, where all Venezuelans who aspire and want a change must contribute with the materialization of the agreement that is being signed today”. He indicated that the negotiation process is not paralyzed. “It will continue within the framework of the memorandum of understanding they signed in Mexico two years ago. It is the route to achieve the welfare of the Venezuelan people. An inclusive democracy and a culture of tolerance and political coexistence.“
He thanked the Kingdom of Norway for facilitating the dialogue process and all the allied countries that supported and accompanied him. Norwegian mediator Dag Nylander congratulated Jorge Rodríguez and Gerardo Blyde for their commitment to bringing the negotiation to a successful conclusion.
A joint statement issued Tuesday by the United States, the European Union, Canada, and the United Kingdom, which was signed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken; EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell; Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly; and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly read,
”We welcome the Venezuelan-led political agreement reached today in Barbados. This agreement represents a necessary step in the continuation of an inclusive dialogue process and the restoration of democracy in Venezuela. We support a peaceful negotiated outcome leading to fair and competitive elections and a return to economic stability and security. With these agreements, Venezuela takes one more step on the road to put an end to the criminal unilateral coercive measures adopted against our people, and the recovery of the welfare state achieved by the Bolivarian revolution.”
According to the Planalto Palace, Brazil finds that the deal opens ”the way, furthermore, for the progressive lifting of the sanctions imposed on Venezuela and which have penalized the population of the country.“
The government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also expressed its satisfaction with the agreement to promote political rights and electoral guarantees which will open the way for the progressive lifting of sanctions imposed on the country. Special advisor to the Brazilian presidency and former Foreign Minister Celso Amorim represented Brazil at Tuesday’s ceremony in Barbados.
”The lifting of sanctions is fundamental for social peace in Venezuela and in the entire region. Therefore, we see in a very positive way all that process that we accompany and to which President Lula’s attitudes contributed,“ Amorim said.
Argentina’s Foreign Ministry expressed the South American country’s ”satisfaction“ with the agreement, ”which is a step forward in the resumption of negotiations in Venezuela between the government and the opposition.” Buenos Aires’ Ambassador to Barbados Ciro Ciliberto was present at Tuesday’s announcements.
Loran gas for Trinidad
Minister of Energy Stuart Young revealed that negotiations are underway to supply gas to Trinidad and Tobago from the Loran sector of the cross-border Loran/Manatee gas field shared with Venezuela.
Speaking during his contribution to the budget 2024 debate, Young said unitisation between TT and Venezuela would deliver 7.3 tcf of natural gas.
“When we saw the result of US sanctions, we negotiated and got President Maduro to allow us to produce the Manatee field. That provides a future for TT. It is only natural that Loran will follow. In my recent discussions with the Venezuelans, in particular President Maduro and vice-president Delcy Rodriguez, they are considering Loran gas coming to TT.”
The Loran-Manatee gas field, on the continental shelf of the Atlantic Ocean, was originally supposed to be developed through an agreement with Venezuela which allowed TT to produce gas from the field. However, in 2020 the Prime Minister announced that TT would develop its field independently amid US sanctions.
Young visited the US eight times to secure the second OFAC licence granted to Venezuela for production in history. In contrast, he said the opposition wrote to the US Government to place sanctions on himself and Dr Rowley.
“I am using this opportunity to ask: Where is president Guaido now? It was the PNM Government that stood firm on the principles of the UN charter of non-intervention, and that is why there is this potential that is now in black and white.”
Young also addressed concerns over the alleged secrecy behind the Dragon Gas deal, saying the rest of the world is also competing for Venezuelan gas. Non-disclosure agreements stopped the government from publicising the deal but the government maintained the relationship to ensure that TT was a priority.
“TT is not the only place interested in Venezuela. When I visited PDVSA headquarters, as I walked out of the board room in the middle of negotiations there were multinational companies meeting with them…
“As happens with all commercial and energy sector agreements, there are terms of agreements. If TT is negotiating and the EU is negotiating and other companies negotiating, Venezuela would not want each party to know the terms of the deal.”
Maduro Reignites Venezuela-Guyana Border Dispute
By Matthew Smith – Oct 08, 2023
- Venezuela claims rights over the Essequibo region in Guyana where Exxon discovered significant oil fieldts.
- Guyana sought intervention from the International Court of Justice since 2018, to resolve the territorial dispute.
- The military imbalance and Venezuela’s alliances with Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah put Guyana in a vulnerable position amidst rising tensions.
- Tensions over a long-running border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana are flaring once again.
The decades-long squabble originates from Venezuela’s claim over the Essequibo, a sparsely populated, resource-rich jungle region of western Guyana, which comprises nearly two-thirds of the former British colony’s territory.
Maduro’s intmidation follows on from Exxon, making a swathe of stunning world-class oil discoveries in Guyana’s territorial waters. Venezuela’s territorial claim includes the waters off the coast of the Essequibo, which contains 46 petroleum discoveries. The latest attempt by a desperate Maduro regime to gain access to urgently required resources distracts Venezuelans from the dire economic condition.
The dispute over the Essequibo dates back to 1830, when Venezuela separated from Gran Colombia to become an independent sovereign state. In 1835, the British Empire sent German-born explorer Robert Herman Schomburgk to map Guyana and demark a border with Venezuela. The border drawn by Schomburgk sparked protests from Venezuela, with Caracas claiming Britain was encroaching on Venezuelan territory. It is this event that ignited the border dispute, which has remained unresolved to the satisfaction of both parties . Various attempts at arbitration, including the 1899 Arbitral Award, 1966 Geneva Agreement, 1970 Port of Spain Protocol and 1990 Good Offices agreement, have all failed to resolve the dispute satisfactorily.
Maduro’s latest round of saber-rattling began after Guyana launched its first-ever oil auction with 14 offshore blocks on offer, with 8 bids received, including from energy supermajors Exxon and TotalEnergies.
Venezuela’s foreign ministry, issued a statement this month saying, “Guyana’s arrogant and hostile position, denying dialogue and diplomacy, is the biggest obstacle to reaching a solution,”.
The ministry went on to assert, “(Guyana) once again shows itself as a subordinate government, hostage of the transnational ExxonMobil, which prohibits it from resuming sovereign dialogue with Venezuela.
“We alert the international community of U.S. intentions to create, in our peace zone of Latin America and the Caribbean, a military base in the Republic of Guyana, to turn that country into the spearhead of an aggression operation against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which would put the peace and stability of the entire region at risk. The people and the government of Venezuela united in defense of the homeland, will not give in [to] or be intimidated by pressure, blackmail, or threats when it comes to defending the sacred homeland”
Guyana’s government refuses to participate in meetings proposed by Maduro, and rightfully so, having referred the matter to the International Court of Justice for resolution.
The ICJ has been managing the territorial dispute at Guyana’s request since 2018, with the court affirming in a 2020 judgment that it had jurisdiction over the matter. Then, in an April 2023 ruling, the court found the preliminary objections raised by Venezuela in a June 2022 submission, essentially challenging the ICJ’s jurisdiction over the dispute to be admissible. Since then, there have been no further material statements regarding the matter issued by the court.
Guyana has been a recipient of refugees fleeing Venezuela because of the crisis precipitated by endemic corruption and the autocratic Maduro’s regime’s extreme mismanagement of the economy and financially crucial oil industry.
It is estimated that of over 7 million Venezuelans who fled their country since 2015, around 100,000 settled in Guyana, which is around eight percent of Guyana’s population. This is sparking fears that such a massive influx of Venezuelan refugees into the former British colony of less than 1 million has the potential to trigger civil dissent and other problems, especially if Maduro intensifies his threats.
Guyana is also in the unenviable position of potentially being unable to repulse any military invasion of Essequibo by Venezuela. In comparison to Venezuela’s military, which is ranked third in South America behind Colombia and Brazil, Guyana’s defense force is limited in size and equipment.
While Venezuela possesses modern tanks, artillery and aircraft as well as a sizable water navy Guyana has very little modern war-fighting equipment and roughly a twentieth of its adversary’s personnel. More concerning is that there are Russian and Iranian military advisers deployed in Venezuela who are embedded within various units.
U.S. designated terror group Hezbollah also has a significant presence in Venezuela, where it is a key backer of the autocratic Maduro regime. Iran has long used Hezbollah as a proxy for its wars in the Middle East, including, most lately, in Syria. The support of those powers provides Caracas with access to further modern military equipment and trained manpower, which could be used to overpower Guyana’s defense force.
This makes it essential that regional countries such as the U.S. and Brazil act as guarantors of Guyana’s territorial integrity in the face of an increasingly belligerent totalitarian Venezuela.
Colombia
Camilo Ciruzzi Oct. 5, 2023
GeoPark, Hocol find hydrocarbons onshore
GeoPark Ltd. and Ecopetrol subsidiary Hocol, encountered hydrocarbons in a second oil well drilled in Llanos basin in central Colombia.
The well, Toritos 1, is part of Block Llanos 123, in the Meta department, where GeoPark serves as operator in the 50-50 partnership. The well, drilled in rural Cabuyaro municipality, reached total depth in September. Hydrocarbons were found in the Barco (Guadalupe) and Gachetá formations, the companies said in a joint release.
The companies have initiated the testing phase, and the well is producing about 1,400 b/d of heavy crude oil with an API gravity of 14 degrees from the Barco (Guadalupe) formation. The discovery follows an August discovery in the Saltador 1 well, which produces about 765 b/d of oil. In total, production from Block Llanos 123 exceeds 2,100 b/d of oil, the companies said.
GeoPark and Hocol expect to obtain permits to begin drilling the Bisbita Centro 1 exploration well before year end
Panama
AES and Seaspan ink Panama LNG bunkering pact
By
LNG Prime Staff October 10, 2023
Costa Norte LNG terminal gets upgrade
US energy firm AES is joining forces with Canada’s Seaspan to provide LNG as fuel for vessels from the Costa Norte LNG terminal in Panama. The two firms signed a memorandum of understanding last week, according to a statement by Seaspan.
This collaboration is mainly aimed at providing LNG bunkering services to shipping vessels crossing the Panama Canal, as well as exploring options to provide this and similar services in regional markets within the area of influence of the AES-owned LNG terminal in Colón, Panama.
In 2021, AES became the sole owner of Panama’s first LNG import terminal in Colon, following the sale of Inversiones Bahia’s stake in the complex that includes a power plant.
AES also recently agreed to sell a 10 percent stake in the facility to Grupo Linda.
The project came online in 2018 and the terminal’s 180,000-cbm LNG tank reached commercial operations in 2019 allowing Panama to become a regional LNG distribution hub.
Currently, AES is expanding the LNG terminal with a new ship loading facility, while Seaspan will provide a small-scale bunkering vessels.
This will allow the commercialization of LNG as marine fuel from the second half of 2024, according to Seaspan.
The ship loading facility will enable the terminal to provide cool down services, temporary storage and reloading, and refueling for bunkering and regional distribution.
Seapan said the Costa Norte terminal will enable the delivery of stored LNG to be used both for LNG supply, as marine fuel for the growing fleet transiting the Panama Canal, and for emerging markets in neighboring countries.
China’s Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering is building three 7,600-cbm LNG bunkering vessels for Seaspan.
The vessels will have 112.8 meters in length, 18.6 meters in width, 5 meters in draft, and a design speed of 13 knots.
CIMC SOE will deliver the first two ships in 2024 and the third in 2025.
Seaspan ULC is a group of Canadian companies that are primarily involved in coastal marine, transportation, bunker fueling, ship repair, and shipbuilding services on the West Coast of North America.Colón is the capital of Colón Province, in Panama. It sits on the Caribbean coast, at the entrance to the Panama Canal
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Guyana greenlights oil drilling in waters claimed by Venezuela
27/10/2023
Guyana on Thursday announced a “significant” new oil discovery in an area claimed by neighbouring Venezuela and said it had awarded bids to eight companies, foreign and local, to drill for crude in its waters.
The new find, as well as some of the drilling concessions, are in a disputed area whose possible annexation Venezuela is putting to a national referendum. Guyana, much smaller than its neighbor, has the world’s highest reserves of crude per capita.
US mega major ExxonMobil made the discovery of an estimated “20 meters of hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir” and about another “81 meters of additional hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone. The new reservoir would undergo a “comprehensive appraisal process,” Guyana’s natural resources ministry said .
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo told media that drilling bids had been awarded to companies including ExxonMobil, French multinational TotalEnergies and local company SISPRO Inc. “We now have to meet the parties to which the blocks have been awarded to have a negotiation on the contracting, that is to move towards the completion of the award.”
Guyana boasts oil reserves of at least 11 billion barrels, more per capita than Brunei, Kuwait or the United Arab Emirates. ExxonMobil, with partners Hess and CNOOC, made 46 discoveries offshore Guyana since 2015, and four so far this year. The oil is in the 160,000-square-kilometre (62,000-square-mile) Essequibo region, administered by Guyana, that Venezuela has for decades argued should fall within its borders. The Essequibo region makes up more than two-thirds of Guyana and is home to 125,000 of its 800,000 residents.
Disputed territory
A former Dutch and British colony, Guyana says its border with Venezuela was fixed by an arbitration tribunal in 1899.
Venezuela says the Essequibo river to the east of the region forms a natural frontier recognized at the time of independence from Spain. The dispute, which is before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, intensified after ExxonMobil’s first oil discovery there eight years ago.
In the latest volley, Venezuela announced it will hold a referendum on December 3 on whether or not to annex the area. Guyana called the plebiscite illegal, with backing from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the Organization of American States (OAS).
Caricom said the planned referendum “has no validity, bearing or standing in international law” adding it “earnestly hopes that Venezuela is not raising the prospect of using force or military means.”
Guyana denounced the deployment of 200 Venezuelan soldiers in the border region, which Caracas said was to combat illegal mining. The referendum will also ask Venezuelans to express themselves on whether Caracas should continue to recognize the ICJ or not.
Guyana, Venezuela border
President Irfaan Ali wants Venezuela to know that Guyana will not tolerate “unlawful and unfounded claims to more than two-thirds” of it.
Ali said Venezuela is trying to undermine Guyana’s territorial integrity, and warned the move has the potential to incite violence and threaten peace in the region. His government had taken “careful note” of five questions issued by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, to be asked in the December 3 national referendum.
Among those is one that “brazenly seeks the approval of the Venezuelan people of the creation of a new Venezuelan State consisting of Guyana’s Essequibo region, which would be incorporated into the national territory of Venezuela, and the granting of Venezuelan citizenship to the population.”
Ali said that is “nothing less” than an annexation of Guyana’s territory and it is in “blatant violation of the most fundamental rules of the UN Charter, the OAS Charter and general international law. Such a seizure of Guyana’s territory would constitute the international crime of aggression. The Government of Guyana categorically rejects any attempt to undermine the territorial integrity of the sovereign State of Guyana.”
Ali said the idea that Essequibo region should be “created” into a state with Venezuela is abhorrent. Further, the government rejects the internationally unlawful act to put forward the ‘granting of citizenship and Venezuelan identity cards in accordance with the Geneva Agreement and international law. It is by way of the Geneva Agreement and the principles of international law that the question of the validity of the Arbitral Award of 1899 has been put before the International Court of Justice. That Court has ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear this case. Guyana has repeatedly encouraged Venezuela to participate in the case.”
He said no government or person has the right in international law to seize, annex or take territory of another country.
“The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana calls the attention of the international community to the actions being carried out by the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela which have the potential to incite violence and to threaten the peace and security of the State of Guyana and by extension the Caribbean region.”
In a direct response to Ali, the Venezuelan government said Ali’s comments were offensive, “loaded with profound contempt for the Venezuelan people, its Bolivarian history and its right to express itself in a democratic manner, on matters of special national importance.
“Guyana’s statements, once again, are being drafted by the law firm employed by Exxon Mobil, a company that has corrupted the Latin American and Caribbean values of this nation and has bought off the Guyanese political class, dragging them into erratic actions, contrary to the public international law, with the objectives of appropriating energy resources that do not belong to it and attempting to threaten the peace and stability of Venezuela.
“Contrary to this nefarious anti-sovereign practice, the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in full exercise of its powers, has decided to consult the people of Venezuela, the main lines of legal, diplomatic and political actions, in order to enforce the legitimate rights over the territory of Guyana Essequibo.”
Ali’s refusal to have diplomatic dialogue “threatens a dangerous escalation of a conflict of great dimensions, promoted by the US Southern Command.
“Venezuela…insists on urging the Guyanese government to desist from its actions, both unilateral and subordinate to transnational capital and to seriously assume direct negotiations that will allow for a practical and mutually acceptable agreement between the parties, to resolve the territorial controversy, as was agreed to with the UK of Great Britain just before the birth of Guyana as an independent nation.”
The five questions :
1) Do you agree to reject by all means, in accordance with the law, the line fraudulently imposed by the Paris Arbitration Award of 1899, which seeks to deprive us of our Guyana Essequibo?
2.) Do you support the Geneva Agreement of 1966 as the only valid legal instrument to reach a practical and satisfactory solution for Venezuela and Guyana regarding the controversy over the territory of Guyana Essequibo?
3) Do you agree with Venezuela’s historical position of not recognising the Jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice to resolve the territorial controversy over Guyana Essequibo?
4) Do you agree to oppose, by all legal means, Guyana’s claim to unilaterally dispose of a sea pending delimitation, illegally and in violation of international law?
5) Do you agree with the creation of the Guyana Essequibo state and the development of an accelerated plan for comprehensive care for the current and future population of that territory that includes, among others, the granting of citizenship and a Venezuelan identity card, in accordance with the Geneva Agreement and International Law, consequently incorporating said state on the map of Venezuelan territory?
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, June 12, 2023.
Venezuela seeks talks with Caricom
27 October 2023, by Denis Chabrol
Venezuela has urged the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to arrange talks with Guyana on settling the territorial controversy over the Essequibo Region peacefully outside the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“The position of the Caribbean Community must be to promote and facilitate a direct dialogue between the parties, which will return Guyana to the path of respect for Public International Law, by promoting a peaceful and diplomatic route to address the territorial
controversy,” the Venezuelan government said in reaction to CARICOM’s statement earlier this week.
President Irfaan Ali has already dismissed calls by Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro to hold talks but the Guyanese leader said he would be relying on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which Guyana has asked to settle the controversy over the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award of the land boundary between the two countries.
While CARICOM and the international community have been stressing that the ICJ’s final decision would ensure a resolution that is peaceful, equitable and in accordance with international law, Venezuela on Thursday reiterated that it had no faith in the World Court.
“Venezuela’s historical position for several decades has been that the International Court of Justice will never reach an equitable solution, as contemplated in the 1966 Geneva Agreement, which makes it the only valid instrument to achieve a solution,” according to Venezuela’s statement.
CARICOM’s warning that one of the questions of the December 3 referendum would amount to the takeover of Guyana’s Essequibo County in clear violation of international law did not elicit a specific response from Venezuela.
At the same time, Venezuela said it was holding the “popular consultation on this matter, within the framework of its constitutional powers.”
Concerning its specific claim to the Essequibo County, Venezuela said that dating back to Guyana’s independence in 1966 it had always maintained that it only recognises Guyana from the eastern bank of the Essequibo River.
Venezuela restated its accusation that Guyana has violated the 1966 Geneva Agreement that Guyana by engaging in commercial activities in the territorial sea contiguous to the Essequibo County though the maritime boundary has not yet been delimited, “a practice that without place undoubtedly constitutes a violation of international law.”
Guyana’s National Assembly or Parliament is expected to unanimously approve a motion against Venezuela’s intensified aggression. Government and the opposition here this week also agreed to embark on a public education and awareness programme about Guyana’s ownership of Essequibo.
President Ali and Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton earlier this week noted that between 1900 and 1905, Venezuela participated in a joint demarcation of the boundary, in strict adherence to the letter of the 1899 Arbitral Award, and emphatically refused to countenance even minor technical modifications of the boundary line described in the Award.
Venezuela proceeded to formally ratify the demarcated boundary in its domestic law and thereafter published official maps, which depicted the boundary following the line described in the 1899 Award.
In July 1931, Venezuela concluded a boundary agreement with Brazil that expressly confirmed the tri-junction point of the boundaries of British Guiana, Venezuela and Brazil as described in the 1899 Award. For more than sixty years, Venezuela gave full effect to that Award, and never raised a concern as to its validity and binding legal effects.