Cardinal Rodríguez Warns Against Petrocaribe Ties
Tuesday, 03 January 2012 00:00
Honduras Weekly
Honduras' Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez yesterday cautioned the Honduran government to carefully analyze any proposal to re-join Petrocaribe SA. During the past year, the Lobo administration has been mulling over possible membership in the Venezuela-led petroleum consortium as a way to obtain more favorable pricing for Venezuelan oil and more flexible payment terms. But there is concern in Honduras that a return to Petrocaribe may draw the country into a closer relationship with the socialist government of President Hugo Chávez and eventually lead it to re-enter the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) regional political alliance, also led by Venezuela. It was Honduras' original entry into ALBA on August 25, 2008, under the government of President Manuel Zelaya that is believed to have sparked the eventual overthrow of Mr. Zelaya on June 28, 2009. According to Cardinal Rodríguez, "The incorporation of Honduras in ALBA is inevitable if negotiations with Petrocaribe are reactivated."
Several influential business leaders in Honduras have been pushing for Petrocaribe membership, including the president of the National Industrials Association (ANDI), Adolfo Facussé, and the president of the Honduran Industry and Construction Board (Chico), Alejandro Álvarez, who stress that membership in ALBA is not a prerequisite for joining Petrocaribe. Former Foreign Minsiter, Carlos López Contreras, has also come out in favor of a relationship with Petrocaribe, referring to it as simply another source of financing. (1/3/12)
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