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PRESIDENT ORDERS ARMY TO OCCUPY GAS, OIL FACILITIES
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 01 - 05 - 2006


BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT EVO MORALES MONDAY SIGNED A
DECREE TO IMMEDIATELY NATIONALIZE THE COUNTRY'S GAS AND OIL INDUSTRY,
AND ORDERED THE MILITARY TO OCCUPY ENERGY FACILITIES, DPA REPORTED.
MORALES, 46, WHO WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT IN DECEMBER ON HIS PLEDGE
TO NATIONALIZE THE INDUSTRY AND MAKE COCA CROPS LEGAL, MADE THE
ANNOUNCEMENT DURING A MAY 1 SPEECH IN THE ENERGY MANAGEMENT CENTRE OF
SAN ALBERTO, IN THE SOUTHERN PROVINCE OF TARIJA.
WEARING A HARD HAT TYPICAL OF OIL WORKERS, MORALES SAID
INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES WOULD BE GIVEN 180 DAYS TO NEGOTIATE NEW
CONTRACTS. MOST OF THE COUNTRY'S NATURAL GAS DEALS WERE
SEALED IN 1996, WHEN BOLIVIA CONCEDED 40 YEARS OF RIGHTS TO REPSOL OF
SPAIN, PETROBRAS OF BRAZIL, TOTAL OF FRANCE AND BRITISH GAS.
"THIS IS A HISTORIC DAY, WHEN BOLIVIA RETAKES THE ABSOLUTE CONTROL
OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES," MORALES SAID. "THE STATE IS RECOVERING THE
PROPERTY, THE POSSESSION OF AND THE TOTAL AND ABSOLUTE CONTROL OF
THESE RESOURCES."
BOLIVIA HAS THE SECOND LARGEST DEPOSITS OF NATURAL GAS IN LATIN
AMERICA, AFTER VENEZUELA. THE NATIONALIZATION MOVE CLASHES WITH THE
SECESSION EFFORTS OF THE RELATIVELY OIL-RICH REGIONS AROUND SANTA
CRUZ AND COCHABAMBA, WHO ARE TO VOTE IN JULY ON AUTONOMY.
MORALES, WHO PLEDGED IN DECEMBER THAT MULTINATIONALS WOULD NOT BE
CONFISCATED OR EXPROPRIATED, TOLD THE AUDIENCE THAT THE ENTIRE OIL
AND GAS PRODUCTION WOULD BECOME PROPERTY OF BOLIVIA, WHICH WILL
DEFINE "THE CONDITIONS, VOLUMES AND PRICES" FOR THE DOMESTIC AND
EXPORT MARKETS.
HE SAID THE INCOME WOULD SOLVE THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF
THE ANDEAN NATION, ONE OF THE POOREST IN SOUTH AMERICA.
THE NATIONALIZATION MARKS THE THIRD TIME THE STATE TOOK OVER THE
ENERGY SECTOR, STARTING IN 1937 AND AGAIN IN 1969. MORALES CALLED
MONDAY'S DECREE THE THIRD AND DEFINITIVE NATIONALIZATION OF PETROLEUM
AND GAS.
THE VOLATILE ENERGY ISSUE BROUGHT DOWN PREVIOUS GOVERNMENTS,
INCLUDING THAT OF PRESIDENT GONZALO SANCHEZ DE LOZADA, WHO WAS FORCED
TO DROP PARTICIPATION BY CHILE IN BOLIVIA'S GAS INDUSTRY, AND CARLOS
MESA, WHO WAS THE SUBJECT OF INTENSE PROTESTS DEMANDING
NATIONALIZATION.
A FOREWARNING OF MONDAY'S DECREE WAS GIVEN LAST WEEK, WHEN CARLOS
VILLEGAS, BOLIVIA'S PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT MINISTER, SAID IN AN
INTERVIEW IN WASHINGTON THAT OIL COMPANIES WOULD NO LONGER HAVE THE
FREEDOM TO SET PRICES AND EXPORT VOLUMES, BLOOMBERG NEWS SERVICE
REPORTED.
THE GOVERNMENT WAS ALSO TO IMPLEMENT A LAW PASSED LAST YEAR BY
CONGRESS TO BOOST TAXES TO 50 PER CENT OF OIL AND GAS OUTPUT, UP FROM
18 PER CENT TAXES, THE MINISTER INDICATED.
PRICES WOULD BE RAISED FOR NATURAL GAS EXPORTED BY PETROBRAS AND
REPSOL TO BRAZIL AND ARGENTINA, LATIN AMERICA'S LARGEST ECONOMIES,
VILLEGAS SAID.
SHORTLY AFTER HIS ELECTION IN DECEMBER, THE LEFT WING MORALES
DECLARED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD EXERCISE "ITS RIGHT TO STATE
OWNERSHIP OF BOLIVIA'S HYDROCARBONS" THROUGH NEW LEGISLATION AND
RENEGOTIATION OF CONTRACTS WITH INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES. BUT HE
PLEDGED THAT HE WOULD SUPPORT OIL COMPANIES' OWNERSHIP OF ASSETS.
MORALES, THE FIRST PRESIDENT IN BOLIVIAN HISTORY FROM THE
COUNTRY'S INDIO ETHNIC MAJORITY, WON BOLIVIA'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
BY A WIDE MARGIN. INDIOS MAKE UP 70 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION.
MORALES, WHO BECOMES THE FIFTH PRESIDENT SINCE 2002 IN BOLIVIA,
CAMPAIGNED ON A LEFT-WING PLATFORM THAT WOULD ALSO LEGALIZE COCA AND
REDISTRIBUTE WEALTH.


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