business

Oil deal in the air

Venezuela would like Panama to become an energy center supplied with Bolivarian crude.

Panama already signed an agreement for a refinery project with a firm from Qatar.

Venezuela's chargé d'affaires in Panama, Alfredo Guerrero Sosa, said his government is still waiting for a response from Panama's government on the issue of converting Panama to an energy center supplied with Venezuelan oil. "We still do not have anything. We are waiting for the conclusion of talks between President Hugo Chávez and President Martín Torrijos," the diplomat said laconically.

He added that there have been some talks at a technical level on hydrocarbons but no official word on the main issue. "Following the meeting in Guatemala, I understand there were some discussions in this regard. We hope that this will revive the project...Venezuela has been ready since last year."

Last October, Panama's viceministro de Comercio, Manuel José Paredes, reported that Venezuelan and Colombian technicians had visited the country to study a transcaribbean pipeline, but five months earlier, Panama had signed an agreement with Oxy of Qatar to start the second phase of a refinery project in Charco Azul, Puerto Armuelles.