Morales And Chavez Rebuked At EU Summit

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 5-12-2006

[blam]

Morales and Chávez rebuked at EU summit

Friday May 12, 2006
The Guardian (UK)

EU leaders today rounded on Bolivia and Venezuela for challenging free market policies at a summit of European and Latin American leaders in Vienna.

Wolfgang Schuessel, the Austrian chancellor and the event's host, told the two countries open markets were key to promoting economic growth and prosperity.

"There are always two possibilities in life. Either you want to open your markets or you don't want to open your markets - it's your choice," he said. "But the reality is ... open market societies are better in their performance than closed, restricted structures."

Tony Blair has called on the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, and his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chávez, to show responsibility in the use of their energy resources.
Mr Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous leader, has sparked concern in Europe over plans to nationalise his country's natural gas industry, while Mr Chávez is set to impose additional taxes on international oil companies.

"The most important thing is that everyone uses the power they have responsibly, that is what we want to have happen," Mr Blair said.

Referring to the two leftwing leaders, he added: "All of us have a responsibility to the world community to try to manage this sensibly.

"People are worried about energy supply in the future. What countries do in their energy policy ... matters enormously to all of us."

[Nathan Zachary]

I guess we will be hearing from Chavez shortly on how Bush is making the EU pick on him.

[Gordongekko909]

"There are always two possibilities in life. Either you want to open your markets or you don't want to open your markets - it's your choice," he said. "But the reality is ... open market societies are better in their performance than closed, restricted structures."

Captain Jack Sparrow says: "The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can do and what a man can't do."

Chavez can dump this commie bunk and let his people get wealthy, or he can keep his markets closed so that all wealth enters the country through state-owned oil ventures, keeping his subjects dependant on him for their economic survival. He's kind of a jerk for choosing the second option.

[Gordongekko909]

Yeah, because, y'know, the EU does whatever we tell it to. < /sarc >

[Lurker]

Chavez is going to be running a 'profitable' oil industry for about another 10 months or so. Not long after that it will have all the profitability of wheat farm in Mugabe's Zimbabwe.

L

[soccer_maniac]

Where are Chavez's petro-billions going? Living conditions in Caracas are just hoorible

[Lurker]

If Chavez manages to avoid lead poisoning he'll turn Venezuela into a 'workers paradise' along the lines of Castros Cuba or Dear Leaders North Korea.

Anyone who thinks he gives a tinkers damn about the plight of the poor in his country is either stupid or insane.

L

[Cicero]

A rebuke from the EU! that will really put the fear of God into Chavez, especially after the EU forced Iran to end its nuclear weapons program!

Words, words, words. If France, or Belgium, or any of the other EU countries sees an opportunity to trade weapons for oil, they will jump at it, all the while mouthing their usual pieties.

[SuziQ]

I'm glad somebody other than the US did this.

[BunnySlippers]

Mugabe wannabes.

[BunnySlippers]

Sadly, an earthquake will take of that. He ought to be devoting more time to building codes.