Oil Wars

According to the Toronto Globe and Mail president Chavez is a man of his word:

Chavez staying true to pledge for U.S. poor

Citgo officials scrambling to fine-tune Venezuelan leader's promise of cheap oil

By ESTANISLAO OZIEWICZ

Friday, September 23, 2005

When Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on the weekend that he was going to open the taps on subsidized heating oil for poor folks in the United States, many assumed it was a drive-by comment aimed at raising the ire of his frequent critics in Washington.

But, as it turns out, Mr. Chavez is a man of his word.

Officials at Citgo Petroleum Corp. -- the Houston-based company that is wholly owned by Venezuela's state-owned energy company -- say they are scrambling to put the fine points on Mr. Chavez's promise to supply some of the poorest neighbourhoods in the United States with cheap heating oil this winter.

"The idea is to work with communities in need, with schools, and we'll have to work through not-for-profit organizations that will serve as intermediaries," public affairs manager Fernando Garay said.

Which provoked the following reaction:

Listen to Hugo, Ralph

LES MacDONALD

If Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (Chavez Staying True To Pledge For U.S. Poor -- Sept. 23) can supply subsidized oil to America's poor, what's stopping Alberta Premier Ralph Klein from doing the same for needy Canadians?

Somehow I don't think this reaction was enitirely unintended on Chavez's part.
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