EL UNIVERSAL

Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and president of state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) Rafael Ramírez appeared before the National Assembly following a summons issued by the committee that investigates oil agreements during a session headed by Deputy Rodrigo Cabezas (MVR).
 
Ramírez arrived together with dozen government followers, presumably Pdvsa workers, who expressed their support to the minister outside of the legislature.
 
The minister started by saying that "the close relationship between oil and politics is well known."
 
The official listed a number of historical events to illustrate his point. While oil drilling began almost 100 years ago, such relationship is getting closer at the present time.
 
"The coup of April 11, 2002 and the oil sabotage beginning January that same year do attest to it. The collapse of the fourth republic and domestic deep crisis are closely related to oil."
 
In the minister's opinion, the opening during the nineties "resulted in a real attack on Venezuelan oil, framed by some international agencies of consuming countries and longstanding multinationals."
 
"They joined the oil meritocracy, oligarchy and its political representatives to plot against the Venezuelan state, causing collapse and subsequent economic and social crisis," he added.
 
According to Ramírez, it was a plot to undermine the foundations of the oil industry. "By means of the oil opening, multinationals intended to deprive the Venezuelan people of the sovereign use of our major resource -oil."
 
"Old Pdvsa was just anti-national."

Translated by Conchita Delgado