Chavez Says 'Empire's' Navy Doesn't Intimidate Him
Could it be that Washington is trying to intimidate Venezuela with large-scale naval maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea? According to this article from Venezuela's Cadena Global, President Hugo Chavez said, 'We aren't afraid of the Paper Empire!,' and 'We are preparing ourselves' for America's attempt to 'enslave us.'
Translated By Paula van de Werken
May 7, 2006
Venezuela
- Cadena Global - Original Article (Spanish)
Aircraft Carrier USS George Washington,
Now Taking Part in Naval
Exercises That Venezuela
Says are Meant to Intimidate It. (above).
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During his Sunday "Hello President [Alo Presidente]" program,
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez maintained that the purpose of the American
military presence in the Caribbean is to "intimidate" his Government,
and he warned that the "Bolivarian Revolution isn't afraid of the Empire."
Chavez also announced that he would push forward a legal reform to increase taxes
paid for the extraction of oil.
Hugo Chavez: Just
Because You're Paranoid,
Doesn't Mean
They're Not
Out to Get You ...
-----------------------------
"There
are 6,000 sailors in the Caribbean and I don't know how many aircraft carriers
and submarines. Just because they sail around the Caribbean with fleets they feel
like putting there, they aren't going to threaten us, they aren't going to
frighten us, we aren't afraid of the Paper Empire!" Chavez declared.
The
Venezuelan ruler argued that the presence of the United States Ambassador to
Caracas, William Brownfield, "onboard and outfitted by the fleet," shows that "those military maneuvers
taking place right here under our noses, are meant to threaten us."
Brownfield
has rejected claims that his country's military maneuvers in the Caribbean, as
part of "Operation Partnership of the Americas," are meant to
intimidate Venezuela.
Taking
part in the United States maneuvers, beside the aircraft carriers, are over a
hundred combat aircraft, a cruiser, a destroyer, a frigate with missiles and
6,500 sailors, according
to various sources.
The
American maneuvers, which began in April and will continue through May, are taking place in international waters and
also within the waters of Curacao, Aruba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, San Cristobel
and Nevis, among other Caribbean nations.
Chavez
insistently denounced the presumed intention of Washington "to invade"
Venezuela to take over its reserves of over 3.15 billion barrels of oil (according
to official figures). The White House denies the allegation.
"If the United States thinks it can come here and enslave us,
there will be nothing left for us to do than go to the mountains and to the
neighborhoods and resist the aggression. We are preparing ourselves,"
the Chief of State reiterated during his Sunday program.
Chavez
accuses the Government of the United States of "Imperialism" and of "meddling"
in Venezuela's internal affairs, while Washington calls the President of
Venezuela "authoritarian" and a promoter of "anti-American"
sentiment.
NEW
TAX ON OIL EXTRACTION
Map and Graphic of the Orinoco Belt and Venezuela's Energy Resources.
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During
the program, Chavez announced he would push forward a legal reform to increase tax
payments for oil extraction.
"We
are going to create a new oil tax, called the tax on extraction. Companies are
earning a lot of money from the oil that they are taking from Venezuela," Chavez
said, in regard to the international oil company partnerships operating in the
country.
Despite
the announcement by Chavez that oil companies which produce heavy crude in the
Orinoco Belt will pay taxes of 50%, rather than the present rate which is closer
to 34%, he didn't precisely specify the new tax rate.
British
company British Petroleum Plc, American
Exxon-Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhilips, France's Total SA and
Norwegian Statoil, operate in the Orinoco Faja Belt.
Executives
of the state-run company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) said a short while
ago that Venezuela wants to convert four heavy crude operations into "mixed
enterprises."
Chavez
said that in 2007 the new tax would generate close to $1 billion in new revenue,
without going into further details.
Spanish Version Below
Chávez:
EEUU quiere "amedrentar" con maniobras en el Caribe
El
presidente venezolano, Hugo Chávez, sostuvo este domingo durante su programa "Aló
Presidente" que la presencia militar estadounidense en el Caribe pretende "amedrentar"
a su Gobierno, y advirtió que la "revolución bolivariana no le tiene miedo
al imperio". Chávez anunció impulsará una reforma legal para aumentar el
pago de impuestos a la extracción petrolera
"Ahí
están en el Caribe 6.000 marines y no sé cuántos portaaviones y submarinos. "Que
se paseen por el Caribe con las flotas que les dé la gana, no nos van a
amenazar, no nos van a asustar, no le tenemos miedo al imperio de papel!",
afirmó Chávez.
El mandatario
venezolano, argumentó que la presencia del embajador de EEUU en Caracas,
William Brownfield, "montado en la flota y equipado", demuestra que "esas
maniobras militares aquí mismo, en nuestra cara, tienen el fin de amenazarnos".
Brownfield
ha desechado que las maniobras militares de su país en el Caribe, enmarcadas en
la llamada operación "Confraternidad con las Américas", tengan como
objetivo intimidar a Venezuela.
Según
diversas fuentes, además de portaaviones, en la maniobra de EEUU participan más
de un centenar de aeronaves de combate, un crucero, un destructor, una fragata
con misiles y 6.500 marines.
Las
maniobras estadounidenses, que comenzaron en abril y se extenderán durante
mayo, tienen lugar en aguas internacionales y también bajo la jurisdicción de
Curazao, Aruba, Jamaica, Trinidad y Tobago, San Cristóbal y Nevis, entre otras
naciones caribeñas.
Chávez
denuncia con insistencia las presuntas intenciones de Washington de "invadir"
a Venezuela para apoderarse de sus reservas petroleras, de más de 315.000 millones
de barriles, según datos oficiales, algo que la Casa Blanca niega.
"Si
a los EEUU se les ocurre venir aquí a tratar de esclavizarnos no nos quedaría
más que irnos a las montañas, a los barrios, a resistir la agresión, y nos
estamos preparando", reiteró el jefe de Estado en su programa dominical.
Chávez
acusa al Gobierno de EEUU de "imperialista" y de "intervenir"
en los asuntos internos venezolanos, al tiempo que Washington califica al
gobernante de Venezuela de "autoritario" y promotor de un sentimiento
"antiamericano".
Nuevo impuesto a extracción petrolera
Durante
el programa Chávez anunció impulsará una reforma legal para aumentar el pago de
impuestos a la extracción petrolera.
"Vamos
a crear un nuevo impuesto petrolero, llamado impuesto a la extracción. Están
ganando mucho dinero las empresas que están sacando petróleo en Venezuela,''
dijo Chávez respecto a las empresas internacionales con operación en el país.
Pese a
que Chávez anunció que las empresas que explotan crudo pesado en la Faja Petrolífera
del Orinoco pagarán impuestos por 50%, en lugar de una tasa cercana a 34%, no
precisó con exactitud la tasa del nuevo impuesto.
En la
Faja Petrolífera operan la empresa británica BP Plc, las estadounidenses Exxon
Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. y ConocoPhillips, además de la francesa Total SA y
la noruega Statoil.
Ejecutivos
de la empresa estatal Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) señalaron hace poco
que Venezuela desea que accedan a transformar cuatro explotaciones de crudo
pesado en "empresas mixtas''.
Chávez
dijo que en 2007 ingresarán cerca de 1.000 millones de dólares generados por el
nuevo impuesto, sin precisar detalles adicionales.