Rebels Blow Up Pipelines in Mexico, Disrupting Service
 
Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2007 07:30:03 -0500 (CDT)

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/world/americas/11pipelines.html?_r=2&ref=americas&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

The New York Times

September 11, 2007
Rebels Blow Up Pipelines in Mexico, Disrupting Service
By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 10  For the third time in three months, saboteurs blew
up several pipelines belonging to Mexicos state oil monopoly, disrupting
service to dozens of factories and briefly rattling financial markets,
officials said, but not killing anyone.

The oil company, Petrsleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, issued a statement saying
that someone had deliberately detonated bombs at six points along four
natural gas pipelines and one oil pipeline in the eastern state of
Veracruz early Monday morning.

Later in the day, The Associated Press reported that the state police in
Veracruz had evidence implicating the Popular Revolutionary Army, a small
guerrilla movement formed in the 1990s, in the attacks. The report could
not be immediately confirmed.

In July, the same guerrilla group claimed responsibility for similar
attacks on two major gas pipelines supplying the cities of Queritaro,
Salamanca and Guanajuato. Carried out on July 5 and July 10, those attacks
shut down the flow of gas to dozens of factories for more than 48 hours.
At the time, the rebel group promised in a communiqui a campaign against
the interests of the oligarchy and of this illegitimate government.

President Felipe Caldersn, on a state visit to India, condemned the
violence, saying it had no place in a democracy. My government repudiates
energetically all acts of violence and those who practice or propose
them, he said. He added, Those who attack the property of Mexicans hurt
the poorest.

The six explosions sent flames and plumes of smoke into the sky just
before dawn. At least 21,000 people were evacuated from their homes as a
precaution, Pemex officials said.

The news of the blasts briefly caused the price of natural gas futures to
spike in markets around the world, but prices dropped in later trading.

Jeszs Reyes Heroles, the head of Pemex, said the blasts would mean
hundreds of millions of dollars in lost production. He said it would take
four or five days from the time the gas fires burned out to repair the
pipelines. He said about nine states and the capital, Mexico City, would
be affected. It is a big blow, he said. You cant store natural gas or
transport it by truck.

The sabotage of the gas pipelines punctuated a turbulent political season
in Mexico, where it has become clear that the wounds of last years hotly
contested presidential race still have not healed.

Leftist politicians, who do not regard Mr. Caldersns razor-thin win as
legitimate, recently used parliamentary rules to keep him from giving his
annual address to Congress, and they boycotted a ceremony during which he
delivered his address in writing.

In the meantime, Andris Manuel Lspez Obrador, a leftist firebrand and a
former mayor of Mexico City who lost to Mr. Caldersn, continues to insist
he is the legitimate president. He argues that the election was riddled
with fraud and dirty campaigning, orchestrated by big business, the huge
teachers union and the former president, Vicente Fox.

Mr. Lspez Obrador and his followers have promised to invade the historic
central square of the capital on the night of Sept. 15, where
traditionally the president rings a bell to mark Mexicos revolution
against Spain.

At the same time, opposition congressional leaders, angry about the
outcome of the election last year, are pushing forward legislation that
would strictly control campaign advertising and limit negative ads.

In addition, the legislation would force out of office the president of
the Federal Election Institute, Luis Carlos Ugalde, whom leftists accuse
of helping throw the election to Mr. Caldersn. Mr. Ugalde vigorously
denies the accusation.

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company