Farsa revolucionaria: La Faja es «propiedad compartida»

Por: José Pinto*

Soberania.org

PDVSA NO SE HA DESPLAZADO HACIA UNA PLENA NACIONALIZACIÓN DE LA FAJA, SINO HACIA UN MODELO DE PROPIEDAD COMPARTIDA

Mientras el presidente de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, anunciaba el primero de mayo desde el Complejo Criogénico de Jose -estado Anzoátegui, ahora Complejo José Antonio Anzoátegui-, en una ceremonia transmitida en cadena nacional que "por fin hemos enterrado 10 años de apertura petrolera" al asumir el control de las instalaciones de empresas transnacionales en la Faja Petrolífera del Orinoco -las cuales comenzaron a operar a partir de la apertura petrolera (Caldera II)-, el Embajador de Venezuela en EE.UU., Bernardo Álvarez, aclara de acuerdo a carta publicada en la edición de The Wall Street Journal – Online, el 5 de mayo pasado (carta que transcribimos tal cual en su versión original en inglés), que Venezuela no es una amenaza para EE.UU. y que la adquisición de las reservas petroleras del gobierno venezolano en la faja del Orinoco sólo es un modelo de «propiedad compartida», donde PDVSA manejará el 60 % de las reservas y las compañías privadas el 40 %.

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Tal aclaración del embajador de Venezuela en Washington no nos deja lugar a dudas de que lo ocurrido el primero de mayo pasado realmente no fue una nacionalización como tal, sino un nuevo modelo de negocio de propiedad compartida donde el Estado solo ha revertido el 60 % de la propiedad de tales empresas.

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De manera que los anuncios con bombos y platillos del primero de mayo pasado sobre la nacionalización de la faja sólo han sido una retórica anticapitalista y, en la práctica, una praxis que consolida la vocación neoliberal que caracteriza a este gobierno.

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The Wall Street Journal-Online (WSJ.COM)
'Venezuela Isn't a Threat to the U.S.'
May 5, 2007; Page A7

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I wish to correct your suggestion that the Venezuelan government's purchase of oil reserves along the Orinoco River is an affront to U.S. energy interests ("How Chávez Aims to Weaken U.S.," Leading the News, May 1).

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It is important to note that our state-owned oil company PDVSA, created in 1976, hasn't moved toward full nationalization of the Orinoco Belt reserves but rather a model of shared ownership. PDVSA's purchase of a 60% stake in the reserves doesn't expel private capital, and private companies are being compensated for any purchase.

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Certainly, revenues from oil are increasingly directed toward development in other sectors, such as human capacity building through social programs in health and education. This reflects the current administration's concern with undoing past injustices by reducing poverty. In no way have these policies prevented PDVSA from making the kinds of long-term investments in oil production and exploration that will ensure its continued viability. To do so would be foolish, considering the company is crucial to our own development.

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Toward this end, PDVSA has set aside $60 billion for investment in these areas over the next six years.

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As your article alludes, increased trade between China and Venezuela is indeed a strategic response to the need to diversify our economic exchange and pursue partnerships with strong markets wherever they exist. The U.S. has pursued this relationship with China as well. Venezuela's interest, however, comes from our commitment to economic integration, particularly among Latin American markets, as initiatives like the Bank of the South demonstrate as well as fairer negotiations with other global powers, including the U.S. Rather than recoiling from the international financial scene, Venezuela is consolidating its recent economic gains and fiscal responsibility, as is evident from our recent repayment of loans to the World Bank and the IMF.

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Venezuela isn't a threat to the U.S., nor does it seek to "weaken" the country with which it still conducts the majority of its economic exchange. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the U.S. should take increased trade between Venezuela and China as a compliment.

Bernardo Alvarez
Ambassador of Venezuela to the U.S.
Washington