[NYTr] Venezuela and Iran: An "Axis of Unity" Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 16:24:38 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit excerpted from VIO Venezuela Daily News Roundup - Jul 3, 2007 [Cooperation between Venezuela and Iran is expected to see a boost with the construction of two new petrochemicals plants jointly operated by the two countries, according to Reuters. The Associated Press reports today that Venezuela's Energy Minister, Rafael Ramirez, informed an Iranian newspaper of plans to sell oil to that country. Meanwhile, an editorial in Investor's Business Daily deems what has been called a new "axis of unity" between Venezuela and Iran a threat to the U.S. The piece wrongly refers to President Chavez, elected three times by a large majority of voters, a "dictator," and makes unfounded claims about terrorism in Latin America. It also fails to mention that the relationship between Iran and Venezuelan is largely based on business relations initiated decades ago, when both countries were founding members of OPEC.-VIO] Reuters via The Washington Post - Jul 2, 2007 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/02/AR2007070200648.html Iran, Venezuela in "axis of unity" against U.S By Parisa Hafezi ASSALOUYEH, Iran - The presidents of Iran and Venezuela launched construction of a joint petrochemical plant on Monday, strengthening an "axis of unity" between two oil-rich nations staunchly opposed to the United States. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who both often rail against Washington, also signed a series of other deals to expand economic cooperation, ranging from setting up a dairy factory in Venezuela to forming an oil company. "The two countries will united defeat the imperialism of North America," a beaming Chavez told a news conference during an official visit to the Islamic Republic, which the United States has labeled part of an "axis of evil." "When I come to Iran Washington gets upset," he said. The two presidents -- whose countries are members of the OPEC oil producing cartel -- earlier attended the ceremony to start building a methanol facility with an annual capacity of 1.65 million tons on the Islamic Republic's Gulf coast. "Iran and Venezuela -- the axis of unity," read one of many official posters at the site near the port town of Assalouyeh, showing the two leaders hugging each other and shaking hands. Ahmadinejad -- who came to power two years ago pledging to revive the values of the 1979 Islamic revolution -- hailed the event as a step towards boosting "brotherly" ties of the two "revolutionary" nations. Iran is embroiled in a worsening nuclear standoff with Western powers. WESTERN "BARBARIANS" Chavez, who last week pushed two U.S. oil giants out of his country as part of his self-styled socialist revolution, said: "This is the unity of the Persian Gulf and the Caribbean Sea." Iranian officials said a second methanol plant would be set up in Venezuela. Each would cost about $650 million to $700 million and take four years to complete. Methanol is an alcohol which can be used as a solvent or an element in fuel. That would help Iran to access the Latin American market, while Venezuela would get closer to buyers in India and Pakistan. Chavez, who wants to forge an alliance of leftist states to counter U.S. policies, arrived in Tehran on Saturday after visiting Russia and Belarus. In comments certain to please his hosts, who have often called on the United States to leave Iraq, Chavez branded those invading Iran's neighbor as "barbarians," drawing parallels with the European colonization of Latin America centuries ago. "Those who try to convince the world that in Iran there are a bunch of barbarians are barbarians themselves." Iran's hardline Kayhan daily said the two countries were riding on a "global anti-imperialism wave." But both also face economic challenges. Iran sits atop the world's second-largest oil and gas reserves, but U.S.-led efforts to isolate it over its nuclear ambitions are hurting investment in the sector, analysts say. The Islamic state rejects accusations it is seeking to build atom bombs, saying it only aims to generate electricity. Chavez last week forced U.S. oil majors from Venezuela, seizing oilfields from Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips. But economists caution his social spending, mainly paid for by state oil company PDVSA, could run into trouble as Venezuela battles to maintain oil output after the exit of the majors. The opposition complain his anti-Americanism scares off investors. *** AP via The Washington Post - July 3, 2007 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/03/AR2007070300455.html Venezuela to Sell Gasoline to Iran The Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran -- Venezuela has agreed to sell gasoline to Iran, the South American county's energy minister said in comments published Tuesday, a week after the Islamic country imposed a fuel rationing program that has sparked violence. "Yes, Iranians have asked to buy gasoline from us and we have accepted this demand," Rafael Ramirez told the Iranian daily newspaper Shargh. The reformist daily said Ramirez declined to elaborate on the deal. During a visit to Iran this week, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called the two nations "strategic partners." Ramirez accompanied Chavez on the visit. Last week, the Iranian government began rationing fuel, causing angry Iranians to smash shop windows and set fire to dozens of gas stations in the capital Tehran and several other cities. The government says the fuel rationing will free up funding for development projects and make the country "invincible." Iran is one of the world's biggest oil producers, but it doesn't have enough refineries, so it must import more than 50 percent of the gasoline its people use. The rationing is part of a government attempt to reduce about $10 billion it spends each year to import fuel that is then sold to Iranian drivers at far less than its cost, to keep prices low. An increase in gas prices last month and the rationing have fueled Iranian discontent with hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was elected in 2005 on a platform of helping the poor and bringing oil revenues to every family. His failure to do so has sparked widespread criticism. Iranians are accustomed to gasoline at rock bottom prices. After a 25 percent hike in prices was imposed May 21, gas sells at the equivalent of 38 cents a gallon. *** Reuters via The New York Times - July 3, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-iran-venezuela-gasoline.html Venezuela Agrees to Sell Gasoline to Iran: Paper TEHRAN- Venezuela has agreed to sell gasoline to Iran, which last week launched a delayed fuel rationing scheme, Venezuela's energy minister said in remarks published on Tuesday. "Yes, the Iranians have asked to buy gasoline (from us) and we have accepted this request," Rafael Ramirez told the Sharq newspaper in an interview. "I can not give you more information," he said, when asked how much fuel Iran would purchase. The minister accompanied Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on an official visit this week to the Islamic Republic, which despite its huge oil reserves imports 40 percent of its gasoline needs as it has a shortage of domestic refining capacity. In a bid to rein in costly imports at a time of growing international pressure over its nuclear activities, Iran on June 27 introduced gasoline rationing in OPEC's number two producer, which consumes 75 million liters or more a day of fuel. International traders ship about 210,000 barrels per day or 25 cargoes of fuel a month to Iran. Imports mainly come from India, the Netherlands, France and the United Arab Emirates. The United Nations has imposed two rounds of sanctions so far for Tehran's failure to halt work the West says is aimed at building atomic bombs, a charge Iran dismisses saying it only wants to develop a home-grown nuclear power industry. The United States, leading efforts to isolate Iran, has described Tehran's gasoline imports as leverage in the row. On Monday, Chavez and his Iranian counterpart launched construction of a joint petrochemical plant, strengthening an "axis of unity" between two oil-rich nations staunchly opposed to the United States. Chavez and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who both often rail against Washington, signed a series of other deals to expand economic cooperation, ranging from setting up a dairy factory in Venezuela to forming an oil company. *** Investor's Business Daily - July 2, 2007 http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/IBD-0001-17879155.htm Axis Of (New) Evil War On Terror: We have a new "axis" to worry about -- the "Axis of Unity" just formed by Iran and Venezuela. Time to pay attention: Iran is openly fighting us in the Mideast. Now it's getting ready to fight us here, too. We've talked a great deal about Iran's threat. Simply put, we think Iran is at war with us, and has been since its revolution in 1979. We just haven't noticed. Recent events only bolster our conviction. Most alarmingly, Iran's mullahs have become so emboldened by our inaction they're going from making mere threats to actively killing our soldiers in Iraq. So far, we've done little about it. According to U.S. Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner, Iran has begun using Hezbollah in Lebanon as a surrogate to help Shiite terrorists in Iraq kill U.S. troops. The U.S. military, Bergner says, now has hard evidence Iran was behind an attack in Karbala last January that killed five Americans. This, by the way, is an overt act of war by a hostile government. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard also has opened three training camps near Tehran where groups of upwards of 60 Iraqis are trained in the finer arts of terrorism -- kidnapping, bomb making, torture, murder. Truth is, Iran has become a major geopolitical malignancy. Its nuclear program is accelerating, according to Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran still remains the world's leading supporter of terrorism. Yet after Tehran rejected out of hand the EU's recent laughable proposal for a kindergarten-style "time out" on Iran's nuclear program, the U.N. Security Council basically just threw up its hands. For now, it says, it will do nothing about Iran's noncompliance with international nuclear agreements. It's off the agenda entirely. Unchallenged, Iran now wants not only to establish nuclear dominance over the Mideast, but to challenge the U.S. directly. Sound unbelievable? Over the weekend, Venezuela's dictator Hugo Chavez traveled to Tehran to sign a wide-ranging trade, investment and arms deal. Iran-supported Hezbollah guerrillas already have set up shop in South America's jungles to train terrorists and to build a base of operations from which to attack the U.S. In January, Iran's radical leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad toured Latin America seeking support from the region's anti-American regimes. He found it. Just this month, he entertained Nicaragua's Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega -- a sure sign of mischief. Now he is making deals with Chavez. This has been going on for some time. As far back as 2002, the U.S. State Department warned Congress that al-Qaida and Hezbollah were both active in Latin America, aiding extremists and sowing terror. We've done nothing. As we've said, these ties give Iran direct access to our hemisphere -- access it can use to disrupt U.S. energy trade or, worse, infiltrate terrorists into the U.S. through our pathetically porous borders. That's just what Iran will do if we don't stop it either through tougher economic sanctions, covert action, military strikes on its sensitive infrastructure or some combination of the three. We no longer can wait. * ================================================================ .NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems . Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us . .339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org .List Archives: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ .Subscribe: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr ================================================================