Citgo's Status Is Giving Houston the Jitters

By SIMON ROMERO
Published: March 5, 2005

HOUSTON, March 4 - Few places are as jittery as this city when it comes to the future of Citgo Petroleum, the oil refining giant owned by the government of Venezuela and based here.

Popular sentiment in Venezuela is critical of Citgo's rich links to the United States, and the administration of Hugo Chávez has recently signaled its intent to exert greater control over Citgo and perhaps even dismember it.

So, Rafael Ramírez, the president of Venezuela's national oil company, tried to dispel uncertainty in energy markets when asked about the recent turmoil at Citgo, which is the main conduit for Venezuelan oil exports to the United States. Citgo lends its brand to 14,000 independently owned gas stations in this country. It also accounts for almost 15 percent of oil refining output in the United States. <snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/05/business/05citgo.html

The leaders are Ah's and I don't care about them, but not all the residents of the city are like them. I hate to see them have to suffer for the Shrub errors, just as I hated to see the employees of Enron, and it's stockholders have to suffer for the greed of that co.

...has selling a company been a bad thing for anyone?

I have friends there, and would wish no ill upon any city or its residents. Everything that goes around, comes around, and all that.

That being said, I hope Houstonians who currently support bush will begin to recognize the folly of believing in the fool, before it's too late.

The bushbots there worship the ground President 'Internets' walks on.

bushies policies. But like it or not some of us are going to suffer for the next 4 years and beyond. My only comfort is that "God rains on the good and bad alike". What we go through they are also going through.

MSM here in Oz are reporting today that US warships have entered Venezuelan territorial waters today and that Venezuelan armed forces are on "High alert"! I hope the US knows what its doing???? which is often debatable!

Oh, I forgot. How silly of me. Nobody has any rights as long as Bush is in office.

Dear Mr. Bush,

Try the diplomacy button. It's the one under Condi's ass.

Sincerely,

Citizen X

it's one world under bush--usa supreme--no one has any rights but to serve the great and almighty usa

03/03/2005 13:15

Caracas says the presence of these vessels may be part of "unannounced routine manoeuvres" 

While Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez attends to the inauguration ceremony of Uruguay"s leftist leader, Tabare Vazquez, in Montevideo, his Armed Forces are closely watching the unexpected presence of several US battleships near country's western coastline. On Monday, Venezuela's Navy commander, Armando Laguna, made the announcement during an interview on state TV but opted not to accuse Washington directly of any provocation.

Laguna said that the Venezuelan Navy detected several foreign vessels 75 kilometers northeast of the Paraguan? Peninsula in western Venezuela. According to Laguna, the presence of U.S. military ships near Venezuela is part of their "routine manoeuvres", and told people not to be alarmed. What, in fact, concerned Venezuelan officials is that Washington did not announce the manoeuvre as it has traditionally been doing it.

"The situation is within normal and legal parameters. However, these operations were not notified to our government. We detected them and took our precautions to determine their intentions, but they are always performing manoeuvres in the Minor Antilles," Laguna was quoted as saying by alternative Venezuelan media.

The incident came shortly after President Chavez made public intelligence reports about an alleged US plot to kill him. Washington replied allegations were ungrounded, but Chavez ratified them soon after.

Since then, Venezuelan alternative media published that "a wave of rumours of an "imminent U.S. invasion" started circulating through several cities". "Rumours of a new coup, calls to buy food, to "prepare to fight", and questions about President Hugo Chavez's whereabouts, circulated widely via cell phone text messages and email".

Presidents Hugo Chavez and George W. Bush are expected to see each other at the next Summit of the Americas, scheduled for November, in Argentina"s resort of Mar del Plata. Judging by current developments, a bilateral meeting looks more than improbable.

http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/368/15052_Venezuela.html

UPI Intelligence Watch
By John C.K. Daly
International Correspondent

Washington, DC, Mar. 4 (UPI) -- As Venezuela prepares for what it says is an imminent U.S. invasion, the government is making a number of military personnel shifts at the highest level.

Gen. Virgilio Enrique Lameda Hernandez -- who has been commanding the military division at the 19th century presidential Miraflores Palace since September 2004 -- is replacing Maracaibo Garrison commander Maj. Gen. Wilfredo Ramon Silva. Silva himself has only been in Maracaibo for a year and will be transferred to Maj. Gen. Ali Uzcategui Duque's post as head of chiefs of staff and 2nd Army commander-in-chief. Duque is being shifted to head the Venezuelan Armed Forces Unified Command, replacing Gen. Julio Quintero Viloria.

It is not certain what Quintero Viloria's new role will be because he should have been compulsorily retired in 2003, but was granted an extension by President Hugo Chavez Frias. His future and the appointment of the new Milaflores' military commander will be announced when President Chavez Frias returns from Uruguay where he is attending the swearing-in of the Uruguay's new left-wing President Tabare Vazquez.

http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20050304-020930-2896r.htm

trouble for them. I think Houston has a Karma issue.