Rodriguez sorry to leave OPEC, but helping Venezuela a higher call

CARACAS - Only after being heavily pressured by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was Ali Rodriguez prepared to step down as Secretary General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and return to Caracas to preside over state-owned oil monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela SA…………. Although the removal of Parra and the previous board is seen as crucial to appease dissident staff, PdVSA's strategy under Rodriguez's presidency won't differ much from Parra's.

Rodriguez's mantra also will be to increase government revenues through hefty taxes, reduce operating and labor costs and comply strictly to oil output policy set by his now former colleagues at OPEC.

"The guidelines are set by the government and the company is owned by the government," Rodriguez said.

"It's crucial that the role of the state and of the company should be made absolutely clear to everyone. PdVSA should extract, produce and export oil and the ministry should set policy," said Rodriguez, who will become the fifth company president in just over three years.

Rodriguez, who's expected to head back to Vienna Tuesday or Wednesday, will begin consultations with ministers on who will be his interim replacement at OPEC headquarters.

Rodriguez suggested that his deputy OPEC's head of research Adnan Shihab-eldin could take over as secretary general for an interim period.

"The president has authorized me to keep the Vienna post as long there is no replacement. But it's better to have one as soon as possible and Shihab-eldin could do it," Rodriguez said. OPEC has an extraordinary ministers meeting June 26.

Rodriguez has served 16 months of his three-year term of office. OPEC sources said finding a replacement for Rodriguez could prove difficult. The choice of secretary general must be unanimous and has in the past been fraught with political maneuvering.***

OPEC Chief To Discuss PdVSA President Post*** Rodriguez has served just 16 months of his three year term of office as OPEC Secretary-General and sources say if he were to resign from this position it would create problems in finding a replacement. The appointment has to be unanimous and sources say Iraq would certainly block the appointment of Rodriguez's current deputy, Adnan Shihab-Eldin, who is a Kuwaiti. According to the OPEC official, finding a replacement Secretary-General could be "a tough test" for the group.***

Adnan Shihab-Eldin - Kuwait

Director of KISR (Kuwaiti Institute for Science and Research) from 1976 to 1986

Mr. Shihab-Eldin studied Electrical Engineering and Nuclear Engineering at the University of California in Berkeley, USA, where he took his Ph.D. From 1970 to 1976 he was Advisor for Nuclear Energy to the Office of the Prime Minister of Kuwait.

From then to 1991 he was Director General and Principal Research Scientist of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research and held various posts in scientific research and development fields in Kuwait. Since 1991 Mr. Shihab - Eldin has been Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Science and Technology for the Arab States.

July 3, 1998 -Mr. Adnan Shihab-Eldin, from Kuwait, Director of the Division for Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Department of Technical Co-operation.

1999- As of 1st of March, Mr. Adnan Shihab-Eldin, current Director of UCO and UNESCO Representative to Egypt, Sudan & Yemen, will be leaving UNESCO to join the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) in Vienna.

2001 - OPEC-Head of Research

?? 2002 - OPEC - interim Secretary General

Interactive OPEC map

I suspect that Castro helps Chavez in return with training of "bolivarian" neighborhood commitees and goon squads and such "ideological" support.

Yes, well that's slave labor - Cubans who's labor is bartered for oil, doesn't cost Castro much.
I imagine the guest host feeds and houses them. Zimbabwe also uses slave doctors and teachers sent there by Castro.

Iran and Castro have a real dandy biochemical study relationship going on.

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