EDGE Spring Presentation 13

EDGE Spring Presentation 13: 

EDGE Spring Presentation 13 Hugo and the Banco Del Sur Continuing Iran Nuclear Discussions Continuing N. Korean Nuclear Discussions Arab League Visits Happenings in Colombia Thailand, Burma, Cambodia… Oil there too Midterm Update Schedule

Hugo Chávez moves into banking: 

Hugo Chávez moves into banking {The Economist} THERE have been few more assiduous customers of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank than Latin American governments. Even as they privately welcomed the economic rationality that comes with loans from the fund and the bank, the region's leaders often blamed them for unpopular but needed measures. So it is not surprising that many Latin Americans revile the two multilateral institutions. They see them as dominated by the United States, and as having imposed the “Washington consensus” of macroeconomic stability at the expense of other priorities. It is that sentiment that Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's leftist president, is trying to tap with his plan for a Banco del Sur (Bank of the South), a development bank funded and run by Latin American countries themselves. If all goes to plan, it will be formally launched next month, and could start operating next year. The preparatory talks involve Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay as well as Venezuela. But there is a big difference between Mr Chávez's vision for the bank and that of others, especially Brazil. This will probably be papered over at a meeting in Rio de Janeiro on May 11th—but it just might develop into an open split between South America's two most powerful countries. …

From Wikipedia: 

From Wikipedia The Bank of the South (Spanish: Banco del Sur) is a monetary fund and lending organization devised by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. The intention of the bank is to lend money to Latin American nations for the construction of social programs and infrastructure. It is scheduled to begin operation by June 2007. The ultimate goal of the Bank of the South is to include every nation within the region of Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina. The program would lend money to any nation involved in the construction of approved programs. The first planned mission for which funds are to be donated is an 8,000-kilometer gas pipeline from Venezuela to Argentina, to run through Brazil and Bolivia. The pipeline would cost a tremendous amount of time and money, and as such the Bank of the South would be required to raise large amounts from all involved nations. The Bank is intended as an alternative to borrowing from the IMF and the World Bank and relies upon the unpopularity of those institutions in Latin America. Hugo Chávez has promised to withdraw from the IMF and encourages other member states to do so as well. It is proposed that all member countries contribute fairly equal shares to the Bank's initial capital (300 to 500 million dollars) so that no member state will control a dominant share. One of the primary obstacles that the Bank will face will be the reconciliation of its stance against American influence and Brazil's close economic and political relationship with the USA. Brazil is one of the largest and most influential economies in Latin America. Current Success: Venezuela, as the originator of the idea, will be involved upon the organization's inception. The other nations of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas - Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador - as well as Argentina, are likely to participate. In April 2007, Brazil promised to donate a large amount of funding as well.

Associated PressVice President Dick Cheney issued a warning to Iran while aboard an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, saying the United States would join allies to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons “and dominating the region.”: 

Associated Press Vice President Dick Cheney issued a warning to Iran while aboard an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, saying the United States would join allies to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons “and dominating the region.” 8:15 a.m. May 11, 2007 ABOARD USS JOHN C. STENNIS – Vice President Dick Cheney issued a warning to Iran while aboard an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf on Friday, saying the United States would join allies to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons “and dominating the region.” With two U.S. carrier groups now in the region, the vice president declared, “We're sending clear messages to friends and adversaries alike. We'll keep the sea lanes open.” Iran exerts considerable control over the narrow passageway that separates the Persian Gulf from the open waters of the Arabian Sea. Roughly a quarter of the world's oil supplies pass through the Straits of Hormuz.

Iran invites Arab experts to inspect nuclear plant (Reuters) 15 May 2007: 

Iran invites Arab experts to inspect nuclear plant (Reuters) 15 May 2007 MUSCAT - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday called on Gulf Arab neighbours to send experts to inspect his country’s nuclear power plant, in an apparent effort to ease fears over Teheran’s nuclear ambitions. The Bushehr facility, being built on Iran’s Gulf coast, has been a source of concern for Gulf Arab states because of its proximity. ”Iran has invited scientists, experts and economists from neighbouring countries to visit the Bushehr facility and observe things closely” Ahmadinejad said at a news conference in the Omani capital. The United States accuses Iran of wanting to produce nuclear weapons and has sought tougher UN sanctions against Teheran. Iran says it wants only to generate electricity to allow more oil exports. Ahmadinejad on Monday threatened “severe” retaliation if the United States attacked his country, which is locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear programme. Tension between the United States and Iran has raised fears of a possible military confrontation that could hit Gulf economies and threaten oil exports. Washington has said it is committed to diplomacy but will not rule out the “military option”. Ahmadinejad said Iran had agreed to talk to the United States about Iraq to help the Iraqi people. The White House said on Sunday that US and Iranian officials would meet in the next few weeks in Baghdad about security in Iraq.

MIDDLE EAST: ARAB LEAGUE CHIEF TO VISIT ITALY: 

MIDDLE EAST: ARAB LEAGUE CHIEF TO VISIT ITALY Rome, 15 May (AKI) - The secretary general of the Arab League Amr Moussa is travelling to Italy Wednesday for a two-day official visit. He is scheduled to meet among others Italian president Giorgio Napolitano, prime minister Romano Prodi and foreign minister Massimo D'Alema. Moussa is also expected to visit Vatican City and hold talks with secretary of state Tarcisio Bertone and Dominique Mamberti, who holds the equivalent of a prime minsiter's role within the church hierarchy. The Middle East peace initiative, Iraq, Lebanon, Darfur and Somalia will be on the agenda of talks with Italian and Vatican officials. The visit to Italy follows a trip to New York last week, where Moussa attended during a General Assembly of the United Nations a conference on 'Civilizations and the challenge for global peace and security' at which he met Security Council members and discussed strategies to re-launch the Middle East peace process. The Arab League's secretary general then travelled to Brussels to take part in a meeting between European foreign ministers and members of the Arab initiative for Middle East peace, members of the Arab League's 'working group' tasked with negotiating with Israel. After leaving Italy on Thursday Moussa will travel to Amman, Jordan, to take part in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum .

N.Korea Financial Dispute To Be Resolved This Week May 14, 2007 09:55 AM: 

N.Korea Financial Dispute To Be Resolved This Week May 14, 2007 09:55 AM TOKYO, May 14 (Bernama) -- A financial dispute over which North Korea has refused to meet its nuclear disarmament obligations under the six-party talks, will likely be resolved this week, veteran Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Taku Yamasaki said Sunday. Speaking on a TV Asahi programme, he said Pyongyang will implement the initial denuclearization steps as promised once the financial issue is cleared. "I think it will be resolved this week," Kyodo News quoted Yamasaki as saying. North Korea is refusing to take the initial steps spelled out in a six-way deal struck in February and to return to the talks until it can confirm the release of the approximately US$25 million (US$1=RM3.41) in North Korea-related funds frozen at the Macao-based Banco Delta Asia SARL. After a U.S.-North Korea agreement in March, Macao monetary authorities unblocked the frozen funds last month, but the recovery of the funds by North Korea has been stalled. In the Feb 13 deal reached by the six parties, North Korea should have shut down and sealed its key nuclear reactor and accepted International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors by April 14 in exchange for energy aid. Pyongyang has repeatedly said it will take those steps after confirming the transfer of the funds. The six-party talks -- which also involve China, South Korea, Japan and Russia -- went into recess in March and were expected to resume in mid-April, but have been delayed by the financial dispute.

Colombia Orders Arrests of LegislatorsNY Times: 

Colombia Orders Arrests of Legislators NY Times BOGOTÁ, Colombia, May 14 (Reuters) — The Colombian authorities on Monday ordered the arrest of five lawmakers and 15 former politicians and businessmen on charges of colluding with paramilitary death squads in a growing scandal entangling allies of President Álvaro Uribe. Eight lawmakers have already been jailed on charges that they cooperated with paramilitary bosses who carried out massacres, killings and kidnappings in the name of combating guerrillas until they reached a 2003 peace deal with Mr. Uribe. The authorities said the names of five current congressmen and the others appeared on a document signed with paramilitary leaders in 2001 at the Santa Fe de Ralito militia stronghold after the commanders took control of swaths of countryside. The attorney general’s office said the others included former mayors, governors and local cattle ranchers.

Colombia's Supreme Court orders arrest of five more congressmen Peoples’ Daily Online: 

Colombia's Supreme Court orders arrest of five more congressmen Peoples’ Daily Online Colombia's Supreme Court of Justice on Monday ordered the arrest of five more congressmen alleged to have links with Colombia's United Self-defense (AUC) extreme right paramilitary group. The five legislators are accused of acquiescing to criminals when they signed an agreement with the paramilitaries to"reestablish" the country. The Ralito Agreement between paramilitaries and legislators was formalized in June 2001 by 30 politicians, including 11 congressmen and 10 leaders of the now demobilized AUC. Since November last year, the CSJ's Penal Court in Bogota has imprisoned eight legislators, including Alvaro Araujo Castro, who was arrested in February. In a recent interview, Colombia's Vice President Francisco Santos said "30 or 40" congressmen implicated in this scandal may be imprisoned. Source: Xinhua

Slide10: 

Gran Tierra Energy Inc. has successfully drilled, logged and cased a new field wildcat well in the Chaza Block, Putumayo Basin, in southern Colombia.  Significant hydrocarbon shows were encountered and a testing program is currently being planned. Gran Tierra Energy holds a 50% working interest and is Operator of this block. Partner, Solana Resources Limited, holds a 50% working interest. The Chaza Block is subject to the most recent Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos (ANH) contract terms, with attractive fiscal terms including a sliding scale royalty commencing at 8% and no back-in rights by the state company Ecopetrol. Gran Tierra reported that its Costayaco-1 well reached a total measured depth of 8,570 feet on May 10, 2007. The well encountered reservoir quality sandstones with oil and gas shows in four zones. Initial log interpretations indicate potential oil pay in the Kg Sand Unit of the Rumiyaco Formation, the U Sandstone Unit of the Villeta Formation, the T Sandstone Unit of the Villeta Formation and in the Caballos Formation. These are the same four zones currently undergoing drill stem tests in Gran Tierra's recent Juanambu-1 oil discovery in the adjacent Guayuyaco Block, and are proven producing reservoirs in fields in the adjacent Santana and Guayuyaco Blocks operated by Gran Tierra Energy. Gran Tierra completes drilling Costayaco-1 exploration well in Colombia by: OilOnline Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Colombia's Oil Sector An Overview American Friends Service CommitteeColombia's known oil reserves amount to 2.6 billion barrels in the current seven basins : 

Colombia's Oil Sector An Overview American Friends Service Committee Colombia's known oil reserves amount to 2.6 billion barrels in the current seven basins …. In May 2001, the National Energy Report presented by Vice-President Dick Cheney and the National Energy Policy Development Group noted that "Colombia has become an important supplier of oil to the United States[17]." Former U.S. ambassador to Colombia, Anne Patterson, recently stated that oil security has become a priority for the United States in Colombia, and that the Caño Limon - Coveñas pipeline is only one of 300 critical "infrastructure points" that the United States wanted to protect in Colombia, given the country's potential to export more oil[18]. In a recent report, RAND, a conservative policy think-tank, has confirmed that Colombia is a strategically important country for the United States, because, among many aspects, it has "some of the largest untapped petroleum reserves in the Western Hemisphere[19]." In October 2002, STRATFOR, a private agency dedicated to risk analysis, warned of dangers posed by guerrillas in the face of increasing U.S. military involvement in Colombia. STRATFOR also stated that a priority for the Bush administration was to "protect key Colombian oil assets and to secure large rural areas believed rich in oil reserves so that U.S. energy companies can initiate large-scale exploration safely and quickly[20]."

The Peoples’ Share in Oil revenue?: 

The Peoples’ Share in Oil revenue? Excess pricing as Colombia pumps its oil will be well over $15/barrel at world prices of $60+/barrel The population is about 45 milion today; at least 40 million of those are in poverty. Pumping the remaining oil in the next 10 years will earn excess of $15 x 2.6 billion = $39 Billion Over four times that would go to the oil sector Investing the $39 Billion in the 40 million poor would give $3,900 per family of four. Or about $1,000/yr for ten years. International debt of $37 billion could be paid and/or reduced through debt for Nature swap.

Debt swap heralds protection for Colombia's biological riches: 

Debt swap heralds protection for Colombia's biological riches Colombia is one of the five most biologically abundant nations on Earth, harboring one of every 10 species of animals and plants. Its spectacular diversity ranges from the rare Orinoco crocodile to the Victoria Amazonica, a giant water lily large enough to support the weight of a child. This extraordinary reservoir of life is also among the most threatened. Two biodiversity hotspots—the Tropical Andes and Chocó-Darién-Western Ecuador—stretch across the Colombian landscape. Safeguarding this rich environment was the driving force behind a recent debt-for-nature swap involving the United States, Colombia, and three conservation groups—CI, the World Wildlife Fund, and The Nature Conservancy. Authorized by the US Tropical Forest Conservation Act, debt-for-nature swaps allow foreign countries to reduce their US debt burden by agreeing to make local currency investments in conservation. “We are going to lose our natural heritage if we don’t dedicate ourselves to protecting it,” said Fabio Arjona, the director of Conservation International in Colombia. “This debt swap is a perfect example of how the conservation community needs to work hand-in-hand with government to protect our biological riches.”

Slide14: 

Half of the $10 million will go into a fund to support local groups operating in the targeted areas. The remaining $5 million will be added to a planned trust that will strengthen the financial sustainability of the nation’s protected areas. Colombia hopes the trust will enable the government to eventually leverage an additional $40 million for park protection.

The European immigrants were primarily Spanish colonists, but many other Europeans (Italian, German, French, Swiss and in smaller numbers Belgian, Lithuanian, Dutch, English and Croatian communities) immigrated during the Second World War (1930-1945) and the Cold War (1945-1990).: 

The European immigrants were primarily Spanish colonists, but many other Europeans (Italian, German, French, Swiss and in smaller numbers Belgian, Lithuanian, Dutch, English and Croatian communities) immigrated during the Second World War (1930-1945) and the Cold War (1945-1990). Other smaller immigrant populations include Asians and Middle Easterners, particularly Arabs, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Southeast Asians (esp. Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam war), Armenians arrived in large numbers after WWI, and east Indians or Pakistanis settled in Colombia. The Africans were brought as slaves, mostly to the coastal lowlands, beginning early in the sixteenth century, and continuing into the nineteenth century. After abolition, a national ideology of mestizaje encouraged the mixing of the indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities into a single mestizo ethnic identity [1]. Colombian culture, cuisine, music and social life are from the polyglot ethnic and racial balance. One famous Colombian emigrant, pop music singer Shakira is herself of Italian and Lebanese Arab ancestry.

Charges could get Thaksin back to Thailand : 

Charges could get Thaksin back to Thailand BANGKOK: The Thai junta's top anti-corruption body has recommended criminal charges against former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a move that could get him back to Thailand for the first time since his ouster.    Lawyers for Thaksin, in exile since September after the military pushed him from power in what it said was a drive to root out corruption, said the billionaire former leader would return to fight in court if the case goes ahead.    The Assets Examination Committee, which the junta established after it seized power, ruled that Thaksin and his wife Pojaman should face charges over what it said was an illegal land deal in 2003. "If the Attoney General's Office files the case with court and the court orders the defendant to stand trial, then Thaksin will voluntarily return to Thailand," the former prime minister's lawyer Noppadon Pattama said.    Thaksin had been a widely popular leader who was credited with bringing economic stability back to Thailand in the wake of the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis.    But public anger erupted after his family managed to avoid paying taxes on an almost two billion dollar sale of telecoms giant Shin Corp, which Thaksin himself founded, to a Singapore firm last year.

Former World Leaders Urge Burma to Free Aung San Suu Kyi: 

Former World Leaders Urge Burma to Free Aung San Suu Kyi More than 50 former world leaders, including three former U.S. presidents, have called on Burma to free pro-democracy leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. In a letter to Burma's military leader, General Than Shwe, the signatories appealed for Aung San Suu Kyi's release before her most recent term of house arrest ends on May 27. The letter was released Monday by the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights. It pointed out that the United Nations, the European Union and many other groups from around the world have also demanded Aung San Suu Kyi's release. Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition National League of Democracy made a similar appeal Monday. The party won a landslide victory in 1990 elections, but the military never allowed it to take power. The Nobel laureate has spent most of the past 17 years under house arrest. Her latest period of detention came after an attack on her convoy by a pro-government mob in May 2003. She was charged with inciting unrest. Former U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton signed the letter. Other signatories include former British Prime Ministers John Major and Margaret Thatcher and former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Total of 230+ million Barrels with a population of 12 million: 

Total of 230+ million Barrels with a population of 12 million May 14, 2007 at 11:00 pm · Filed under VOA Top Stories, VOA, VOA Environment Revenues from large deposits of oil and gas discovered in Cambodia's territorial waters are expected to start flowing by the year 2010. The government says the funds will be used to pay for much-needed infrastructure projects and to cut borrowing. But as Rory Byrne reports from Phnom Penh, some critics are warning that oil money could fuel corruption and undermine economic development rather than benefit the country. The exact amount of oil and gas lying off Cambodia's southern coast is still being assessed, but it is substantial. Last month, a Chinese exploration company announced it has found about 230 million barrels of oil plus half a trillion cubic feet of natural gas in just one of Cambodia's six exploration blocks. Other Asian companies and the U.S. oil giant Chevron are also exploring.

Will oil wealth keep Cambodia afloat, or drown it?: 

Will oil wealth keep Cambodia afloat, or drown it? SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia: Still clawing its way out of the ruins of its brutal past, Cambodia has come face to face with an extraordinary new future: It has struck oil. Two years ago, the U.S. oil giant Chevron said it had found potentially huge deposits off the southern shore. Further exploratory drilling is being analyzed now. The size and quality of the deposits are still not publicly known. But together with other likely deposits in nearby areas and with mineral finds being explored onshore, experts say Cambodia could soon become a resource-rich nation. Onshore, mining companies have found deposits of a variety of minerals, primarily bauxite and gold, that could add to the country's new riches. The rush of foreign countries whose oil companies have staked claims includes China, which has become the country's biggest commercial investor, its biggest aid donor and its hungriest consumer of raw materials, pushing ahead with major hydropower and road building projects. The Chinese have made optimistic statements about the oil field they control, although the basis for these statements is not clear.

Slide20: 

              BORN ON THURSDAY 14 MAY 1953, IN PHNOM PENH, HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS                                         PRINCE  NORODOM SIHAMONI IS THE SON OF HIS MAJESTY NORODOM SIHANOUK, KING OF CAMBODIA AND OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN NORODOM    MONINEATH SIHANOUK OF CAMBODIA. 1959-1962            :       PRIMARY SCHOOLING AT THE NORODOM SCHOOL AND THEN AT THE                                         DESCARTES HIGH SCHOOL IN PHNOM PENH (CAMBODIA).   1962-1967            :       PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLING AT  PRAGUE'S HIGH SCHOOL                                         (CZECHOSLOVAKIA).   1967-1971            :       DANCE, MUSIC AND THEATRE COURSES AT THE NATIONAL CONSERVATORY OF PRAGUE. 1970                       :       HIGH SCHOOL CERTIFICATE –PRAGUE (WITH "VERY GOOD"  MARKS). 1971                       :       FIRST PRICE COURSE OF CLASSICAL DANCE OF THE   NATIONAL  CONSERVATORY OF PRAGUE. 1971-1975            :       HIGHER DANCE, MUSIC AND THEATRE COURSES, ACADEMY OF MUSICAL ART OF PRAGUE. 1975                       :       GRADUATED FROM THE ACADEMY OF MUSICAL ART OF PRAGUE. 1975                       :       AUTHOR OF A THESIS ON THE CONCEPTION AND ADMINISTRATION OF ARTISTIC SCHOOLS IN CAMBODIA. 1975 – 1976         :       HIGHER STUDIES OF CINEMATOGRAPHY IN THE D.P.R. OF KOREA. SINCE 1981         :       PROFESSOR OF CLASSICAL DANCE AND ARTISTIC PEDAGOGY AT THE MARIUS PETIPA CONSERVATORY, THE GABRIEL FAURE   CONSERVATORY AND THE W.A. MOZART CONSERVATORY OF THE CITY OF PARIS. SINCE 1984         :       PRESIDENT OF THE KHMER DANCE ASSOCIATION IN FRANCE AND DIRECTOR GENERAL AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE BALLET                                        GROUP “DEVA”. SINCE 1990         :       DIRECTOR GENERAL AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE KHMER  CINEMATOGRAPHIC SOCIETY "KHEMARA PICTURES".  1992                       :       CHOSEN UNANIMOUSLY BY THE MEMBERS OF THE SUPREME  NATIONAL UNCIL OF CAMBODIA TO BE PERMANENT                                         REPRESENTATIVE OF  CAMBODIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS. 30 AUGUST 1993               :       APPOINTED AMBASSADOR OF THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA TO UNESCO. 1ST FEBRUARY 1994       :       ELEVATED BY H.M. THE KING TO THE RANK OF SDECH KROM KHUN (GREAT PRINCE).  LANGUAGES                       :       KHMER, FLUENT IN FRENCH AND CZECH, GOOD ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN.  DECORATIONS                 :       GRAND CROSS OF THE ROYAL ORDER OF MONISARAPHON (CAMBODIA) .

Samdech Hun Sen Prime Minister of Cambodia: 

Samdech Hun Sen Prime Minister of Cambodia (iii) Education Achievements, Titles, Awards and Medals For his great efforts and contributions to national reconciliation, peace, and the socio-economic development of Cambodia, Hun Sen is awarded the title of "Samdech" by His Majesty the King Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk. He has a B.A. in Politics from the Cambodian Tertiary Education, a Ph.D. in Political Science from the National Political Academy in Hanoi (1991), and two Honorary Doctorates -- a Ph. D. in Politics from the Southern California University for Professional Studies, USA (1995), and a Ph.D. of Law from IOWA Wesleyan College, USA (1996). On December 02, 1996 the World Peace Academy presented Samdech Hun Sen with the World Peace Award. As the sixth person, and the first in South Asia, to attain this honorable award, the Academy conferred three titles on Samdech Hun Sen -- 1) the Human Cultural Asset, 2) the Roving Ambassador for Peace, and 3) the World Peace Congressman. On April 10, 2001 in Seoul, the Awarding Committee of Graduate School of Dankook University in South Korea bestowed the Honorary Doctorate in Political Sciences upon Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen in recognition of contributions to the recovery of peace and stability in Cambodia, the improvement of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and the Republic of Korea, and his efforts towards East-Asian cooperation.

Schedule for Mid term updates: 

Schedule for Mid term updates Thursday, May 17 Mexican Economic Growth , Barragan Colombia Economic Future, Miller Japan Economic Development, Martin Tuesday, May 22 International Cartels, Sae-Wong India economic emergence, Olson MAGREB Rural Economic Investment, Bekka Thursday, May 24 China Rural Economic Development, Butler $100 Laptop in rural Development, Riley Romania in the EU, Sava Tuesday, May 29 ASEAN Development, SaeChin OPEC Oil and Cash flow India culture and Poverty, Thakur Thursday, May 31 Tuesday, June 5 Thursday, June 7