Chavez, Manning to talk energy

Prime Minister Patrick Manning confirmed yesterday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had accepted his invitation to come to Trinidad and Tobago for bilateral talks. The Prime Minister declined to say more, saying: “Things are being worked out.”

The visit is carded for Friday, but no one knows the exact time that Chavez, who travels in his Presidential plane, will arrive at Piarco. Two Ministers, probably of Foreign Affairs and of Energy  will accompany Chavez. Sources said yesterday that the visit was planned in just about “two to three days.” It is understood that Manning issued the invitation last Thursday. Venezuelan Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, Hector Azocar, said yesterday that the visit was neither an official or a state visit. Rather it was a “working visit,” aimed at promoting “cooperation and understanding between close neighbours.” Azocar said that the new diplomatic thrust, is one whereby the head of state — as opposed to ministers and/or diplomats — visits a country. He said Chavez had recently visited Brazil, Columbia and Cuba and was due to go to Paraguay and Urugray on similar missions. Government sources described the visit as “highly sensitive” because one of the main issues for discussion would be how to mine the oil and gas reserves on either side of the dividing maritime line between the two countries. Sources said since the economic life blood of both countries depends on oil and gas, the talks on how to share their reserves are of vital significance.

Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago had an agreement in 1990 which established the maritime borders and dealt with joint energy reserves. However, in the meeting bewteen Chavez and Manning a clear  policy on how to share these reserves, where there resources and the borders overlap, will be fine tuned, according to TT sources. Azocar confirmed that a key element in the discussion would be joint venture cooperation on energy policy with specific reference to the Deltana Platforma. The Venezuela state energy company, PDVSA, only recently awarded the acreage in the Deltana Platforma area to BG/Chevron Texaco and bpTT. By PDVSA’s own estimates this area could hold as much as 38 tcf (trillion cubic feet) of gas, which may, end up being produced through Trinidad. For Chavez the visit to Trinidad and Tobago comes at a time  of economic difficulties in Venezuela, after a prolonged battle with the country’s Opposition. Massive political  protests brought not only the closure of several oil companies — and the importation of oil from Trinidad — but a decline in general business activity, forcing the Government to take several measures, including the imposition of restrictions on foreign exchange. In fact schools in Trinidad which accomodate Venezuelan students report a drastic  decrease in enrollment because of these foreign exchange controls.

In May 2002, National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee stressed the need for closer security ties between the two countries, especially when it came to battling the illegal drug trade. Sources said that during Friday’s visit both leaders will also discuss threats to the national security of both countries caused by arms trafficking. It is expected though that Government, which is  optimistic that Venezuela will support TT’s bid to be the headquarters for the Free Trade Area of the Americas Secretariat, will raise that issue with the Venezuelan president. Chavez had visited Tobago in July 2000 when he attended the Caricom Heads of Government meeting. Then he invited all Caribbean countries to a grand celebration in Venezuela in the year 2000 with a mission of forming one super political union. Chavez said then that it was the dream of Simon Bolivar, liberator of Venezuela and he felt that after 200 years the time was right for it to be done. He had asked Caricom Heads to go to Caracas on July 24, 2000, the birthday of Bolivar, to launch the event. Venezuela was the only country which has a full diplomatic presence in all Caricom countries and was the first to sign a one-way free trade agreement with Caricom.