CARACAS, Friday February 23, 2007 | Update
A Venezuelan tanker arrived in Ecuadorian seaport of Balao
(north) carrying 200,000 barrels of diesel, as part of a swap
for crude oil, AFP reported.
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa is heading Friday a ceremony
to mark the occasion.
Tanker Manuela Sáenz is to unload the diesel. Venezuela
is to receive in exchange 300,000 barrels of heavy-crude oil
from Esmeraldas (over the border with Colombia).
Ecuadorian Minister of Energy and Mines Alberto Acosta and
his Venezuelan counterpart Rafael Ramírez are also attending
the ceremony.
The original shipment was estimated at 220,000 barrels, but
Venezuela finally dispatched 200,000 barrels.
This crude oil for diesel swap agreement was initialed by
Correa and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez last
January 16th.
01:11 PM.
Economy.
Domestic inflation rate in Venezuela was 1.7 percent in January, at the same rate as in December 2009, despite currency devaluation at the start of the year decreed by President Hugo Chávez, a senior government source told Reuters on Tuesday.