Venezuela ships fuel to war-torn Syria: traders

[Bacchus4.0]

http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-venezuela-ships-fuel-war-torn-syria-traders-145052046.html

CARACAS/GENEVA (Reuters) - The government of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is emerging as a rare supplier of diesel to Syria, potentially undermining Western sanctions and helping the Syrian government fuel its military in the middle of a bloody crackdown on civilian protests.

A cargo of diesel, which can be used to fuel army tanks or as heating fuel, was expected to arrive at Syria's Mediterranean port of Banias this week, according to two traders and shipping data. The cargo could be worth up to $50 million.

Chavez is a vociferous advocate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who face pressure from Western sanctions. Few leaders on the world stage have polarized opinion as sharply as the Venezuelan president.

Chavez, who still defends the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has repeatedly backed Arab leaders who have faced a year-long wave of popular protests, which have already toppled four governments.

[Snake Alchemist]

1. Thank goodness. Now they'll be able to control the riff-raff. nt

[msanthrope]

4. I am waiting for the posts that tell us that this is just a mis-translation. nt

[hack89]

2. There has never been a dictator that Hugo wouldn't embrace. nt

[EFerrari]

9. Obama has him beat in the number of repressive regimes he supports. nt

[Bacchus4.0]

12. any government that is antagonistic towards the US has Chavez' and your support n/t

s

[Judi Lynn]

14. That's a slur, and you know it. You're attempting the ancient right-wing attack on "loyalty"

of those who put principle first.

Since you have time to try to call out this excellent person as an enemy of the state, take the time needed to provide proof needed to explain why your personal attack is justified. The rules which aply to us ordinary posters strictly discourage personal attacks.

[Bacchus4.0]

15. why would anyone even attempt to defend Chavez for supporting Syria is beyond me

anyway, any attack coming from you is pretty meaningless considering you'll make countless posts on the Latin American forum about Colombia prosecuting war criminals, and then shamelessly say on the LBN forum that Colombia doesn't prosecute war criminals.

[Judi Lynn]

19. Nice try.There HAS been prosecution of some massive criminality among politicians & narcotraffickers

in the fairly recent past. My claims concerning no prosecution earlier were ALL claims made by various human rights groups themselves, as well as other entities.

Only in the recent past has ANY prosecution been undertaken with any appearance of seriousness, and it seems to connect directly with the end of Alvaro Uribe's second term, Uribe, Bush friend, whose intelligence agency was spying upon the Colombian Supreme Court, and political opponents, as well as human rights workers, and union people, etc.

Justice didn't stand a chance when Bush's friend was stinking up the president's office.

My posts regarding prosecution of Colombian politicians and paramilitaries have appeared in BOTH forums, as have posts which repeated during Uribe's time that Colombia didn't prosecute persecution of the left, of the indigenous, of human rights workers, etc.

Your attempt to portray me of duplicity, of saying one thing in one forum and the absolute opposite in another is incomprehensible, as any DU'er without an agenda would recognize instantly.

[Bacchus4.0]

21. lets talk about Chavez's support of Syria. You support Chavez don't you?

why are you defending him? explain yourself.


p.s. loved how it was you who proved your own statement on colombia was untrue.

[ieoeja]

23. I'll bite. Here is my defense of Syria.

The current Syrian leader came into office promising to reverse Syria's support of terrorism. By all reports he changed his mind upon concluding that Hezzbolah would throw Syria into a civil war if he withdrew his support. He has been sitting on a powder-keg every since.

Is the rebellion in Syria a genuine uprising of repressed people? Or is Hezbolah taking advantage of the Arab Spring movement to wrest control from an unreliable ally?

And even if it is genuine, won't the terrorist organization be part of the ruling power if the rebels win?

[joshcryer]

31. Yep.

[EFerrari]

39. Brilliant argument you have there.

LOL

[hack89]

18. Ok - so St Hugo is somewhat less evil?

is that what you are getting at?

[Judi Lynn]

13. Oddly, can't recall Chavez "embracing" Islam Karimov, who boils prisoners alive, like George W Bush

[center]



Our sweet Donald, meeting that Iraqii guy



Republican god Reagan, with his bible-thumping Guatemalan genocidal monster, Efraín Ríos Montt,
famous for torturing and slaughtering entire Mayan villages, dismembering citizens, throwing them
into wells, along with babies speared with bayonets, and the wives and daughters, raped then killled.
Reagan wanted it known that Efraín Ríos Montt had merely been given "a bum rap."

[font size=6]ETC.[/font]

[Bacchus4.0]

16. who supports Bush here??? Chavez is the current president of Ven. Obama of the US. n/t

s

[hack89]

17. So he is a touch better then Bush and Reagan? Gee - what a saint!. nt

[msanthrope]

3. Awesome. Maybe Hugo wants another stadium named after him....nt

[UnrepentantLiberal]

5. Can't a dictator help a buddy?

[EFerrari]

10. We don't worship ignorance here as they do on right wing forums

and Chavez is not a dictator by any measure.

[Dreamer Tatum]

29. By any of your measures, you mean. You, along with others, are patently unobjective...

...in your view of Chavez.

[David__77]

35. The right-wing media called him a "dictator" way back when the fascist coup attempt happened.

Oh it was a great day when the Miami-Caracas nexus of evil was smashed and the coup collapsed. How paper thin their claims to "democracy" were!

[christx30]

6. Glad to hear that

the guys gunning down women and children and flattening cities don't need to worry about gassing up. Hugo's hooking them up.
Makes me wonder what he would do in his country if people took to the streets to protest.
And before people say "We would do the same here in the US," look at Occupy ______. There have been some arrests, and some pepper spray used. But scores of people have not been mowed down. The protestors are, at worst, told to leave and evicted from the protest site. They are not killed by the hundreds. So, no. We would not do the same thing here.

[EFerrari]

8. Um, we arm the Egyptian military junta that shoots at protester's eyes on purpose

and that has killed many of them.

Chavez is sending fuel that can be used for many purposes. We send munitions to Egypt.

[Bacchus4.0]

11. I don't know of one popular movement in the "Arab spring" that Chavez has supported. do you? n/t

s

[EFerrari]

20. Even as an OPEC member, Chavez has been less supportive

of the repressive regimes in Egypt, Bahrain and Tunisia than we have been. He didn't bomb Libya and try to sell armed militias as peaceful protesters to the world as we did. He didn't inspire an Islamic uprising in Yemen as we have. Sorry, you're barking up the wrong tree.

[Bacchus4.0]

22. Chavez is completely supportive of repressive regimes.

p.s. lol

[Dreamer Tatum]

28. What I enjoy the most about the American Chavez Defense Squad (Tu Quoque Chapter)

is that Tu Quoque goes both ways: since Hugo is making it easier for Syria to slaughter its own people in an effort
to maintain a repressive regime, and American misdeeds are pointed to in defense of Hugo, then a certain nihilism
has been evinced which, in the mids of the Defense Squad, frees the bad old USA utterly from their critique.

See also: "And you are lynching Negroes."

[joshcryer]

33. "He didn't inspire an Islamic uprising in Yemen as we have." Wow!

I am completely taken aback by this! So now that we backed the Yemeni reforms, we're actually backing an "Islamic uprising!" I'll note, that when the Libya uprising happened, Yemen was often touted as proof that the US wasn't supporting popular protest, but now that Yemen reforms have progressed and the US has come out against the Yemeni President,, it's not "popular protest" it's "Islamic uprising"!

Fucking classic.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

37. That's just ridiculous.

You are enabler numero uno.

[EFerrari]

38. Nope. I am not arming the Egyptian junta. n/t

[UnrepentantLiberal]

40. Two wrongs make a right.

Gotcha.

[EFerrari]

41. You've yet to show any wrong at all.

[Judi Lynn]

7. In its Seventh Year, CITGO-Venezuela Heating Oil Program Helps 400,000 Needy Americans

In its Seventh Year, CITGO-Venezuela Heating Oil Program Helps 400,000 Needy Americans
Published: 12/13/2011

Camden, N.J., Dec. 13, 2011 – CITGO President and CEO Alejandro Granado and Citizens Energy Chairman Joseph P. Kennedy II launched the seventh consecutive year of the CITGO-Venezuela Heating Oil Program today in New Jersey.


The program will help more than 400,000 people this year in 25 U.S. states, including residents of over 250 homeless shelters, members of over 60 Native American tribes, families living in tenant-owned cooperatives and thousands of single-family households.

CITGO President and CEO Alejandro Granado, who was joined by Camden Mayor Dana Redd at the launch. said: “Over the years, the program has become the most important energy assistance program by an oil company. For CITGO, it aligns with the humanitarian and solidarity principles endorsed by the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela through its national oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) that we echo in everything we do.”

“CITGO is very proud to mark the seventh anniversary of our Heating Oil Program. Increasing energy costs continue to affect the quality of life for millions of people and impact community organizations that provide critical social services. As an energy company, we believe it is our obligation to use the strength of our resources to help alleviate the burden for those struggling to pay for home heating costs,” said Granado.

More:
http://venezuela-us.org/2011/12/13/in-its-seventh-year-citgo-venezuela-heating-oil-program-helps-400000-needy-americans/

As Democratic posters here recall, this entire program was initiated AFTER Democratic congressmen and others, including leaders of various U.S. tribes were firmly shown the door after they went to all the U.S. oil companies, to seek discounted rates for their poorest, and needy citizens.

They were blown off without delay and turned out bluntly to face winter after winter with absolutely no help for their poor, struggling people. That's when the decision was made to contact the Venzuelan government which fortunately provided heating oil at sharply discounted prices for the areas where people had the greatest trouble making it through the winters.

[Snake Alchemist]

24. What does this have to do with the OP? nt

[Dreamer Tatum]

25. So the ratio of Americans helped to Syrians murdered is still within tolerance.

Gotcha.

[joshcryer]

26. Ouch.

That definitely burns.

[Dreamer Tatum]

27. That is the only possible explanation for the inclusion of that post. nt

[joshcryer]

32. It was succinctly stated.

Well done.

[christx30]

42. Don't you see?

It's ok for Hugo to help Assad murder 10's or 100's of thousands of Syrians. He gave some heating oil to the US. That makes everything ok.
I heard Joseph Goebbels did nature photography. See? Not such a bad guy after all.

[EX500rider]

30. Hitler used to feed the ducks!! lol n/t

[David__77]

34. Big whoop... normal trade relations...

That's what spotty sanctions regimes lead to - more profits accrue to those that choose not to participate in the sanction regime. Venezuela can put its economic interest first and sell to whomever it pleases. That's the market...

Syria has plenty of trade and support from its neighbors (Iraq, Lebanon) and those more afar (Russia, China, Iran, and some countries in Latin America). There are no legally binding sanctions or resolutions against Syria whatsoever.

[Bad_Ronald]

36. I love these Hugo Chavez threads on DU...

They're one of the reasons why I stopped lurking & finally decided to join DU. Whether you revere Chavez or revile him, these threads are always good for a laugh.