Dilma puts Obama in his place

[rabs]

Scanning the Brazilian, post-Obama visit blogs, found this interestig tidbit that the media circus traveling with Obama would have had no idea of it happening. Obama went looking for Brazil's oil, and Dilma brushed him off.

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Dilma enquadra Obama: só petróleo, não!

Dilma to Obama -- (You want) only petroleum -- (the answer) is NO.

23/03/2011 - 00:27 | Enviado por: lmazzini

A coluna desta quarta-feira

Na conversa reservada de 50 minutos que ambos tiveram no domingo, no Palácio do Planalto, a presidente Dilma Rousseff e o colega americano Barack Obama conversaram muito sobre a Petrobras, as atuais explorações de óleo do país e, óbvio, sobre o pré-sal. Representante do maior consumidor mundial de petróleo e derivados, Obama ratificou o interesse em negócios futuros no setor. Mas Dilma foi taxativa: “Não queremos apenas exportar óleo cru, mas agregar valor a ele”. O recado foi claro. Os EUA terão de ceder, paulatinamente, em seu duro protecionismo aos produtos brasileiros.

---------------- translation eu (me) --------------

In the private, 50-minute conversation on Sunday at the Planalto Palace (in Brasilia), President Dilma Rousseff and her American colleague Barack Obama talked at length about Petrobras, the current exploration for oil (in Brazil) and, obviously, about the pre-salt. (see below)

Representing the world's largest consumer of petroleum and its derivities, Obama ratified (U.S.) interest in future business in that sector.

But Dilma was precise. "We do not want to only export crude oil, but to add value to it."

The message was clear. The United States will have to cede, slowly, in its hardline protection against Brazilian products.

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What is the pre-salt region and who is exploring and drilling there?


The pre-salt region is located approximately 170 miles off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean. The region likely ranges from Espírito Santo to Santa Catarina State, measuring 497 miles in length and 124 miles in width. The region is named “pre-salt” because the oil is held beneath deep and ultra-deep waters, around 3,000 meters of sand and rock, and an additional layer of salt that, in places, reaches thicknesses of over 2,000 meters, making extraction challenging.

Brazil is developing the technology to drill and recover oil from this region, but as more is discovered about the sheer size of this find it is becoming clear that foreign companies will also play a role in exploration, drilling, the development infrastructure, capital and human resources to fully realize the potential of this region. Indeed, foreign companies have already begun to play an important role by assisting in the drilling. Many of the world’s leading oil companies currently have a presence in the region with others are projected to begin drilling in 2009.

Why have pre-salt site auctions been suspended?

When the pre-salt discoveries were first made, international companies moved quickly to investigate. However, more research and exploration soon revealed the magnitude of the find was much larger than previously thought, and the Brazilian government decided to suspend pre-salt site auctions until a comprehensive strategy to manage and regulate these resources is in place. In other words, as those discoveries proved larger than originally expected, the Brazilian Government realized it was important to develop a comprehensive strategy in order to fully develop these new reserves and, at the same time, guarantee that such windfall wealth would serve as much as possible to the welfare of the Brazilian people. Such suspension first occurred when the government withdrew 41 pre-salt sites from the auctions in the 9th Bid Round in 2007.

[Judi Lynn]

1. President Obama mentioned Brazil's oil in a speech before he even went there.

Stuck in my mind as I wondered if it was had a double meaning designed to serve also as a threat to a country they now use for oil a lot.

Sounds as if she's definitely focused on her tasks already.

Thank you for including information about the incredibly deep level oil. Hadn't heard anything about it, actually.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Invisible rec. It was pre-unrec'd. n/t

[Bacchus39]

3. sounds like she wants a free trade agreement n/t

s

[Peace Patriot]

4. Thanks for this info, rabs! Very interesting!

Lula da Silva said that the Bush Junta reconstitution of the U.S. 4th Fleet in the Caribbean posed "a threat" to this new Brazilian oil find. Everybody knows that the Pentagon buildup in the Caribbean/Central America and in Colombia is a threat to Venezuela (the biggest oil reserve on earth--bigger than Saudi Arabia's, according to the USGS). Lula then proposed a common defense, in the context of UNASUR.

Also, the goal of Brazil's new big oil find benefiting the people of Brazil--and not just fatcat monster oil companies and uber-rich investors--derived from monthly and every-three-months meetings between Hugo Chavez and Lula da Silva, who developed common goals and strategies over several years time. These included Latin American countries pulling together to resist U.S. assaults on their sovereignty (f.i., failed U.S.-backed coup attempts in Venezuela in '02 and Bolivia in '08, and one Lula and others tried but failed to stop in Honduras in '09).

They developed a common vision of "raising all boats"--equalizing wealth, whether within their countries or in the region. The Chavez government had pioneered the re-negotiation of oil contracts with the oil giants to demand much better terms for Venezuela's social programs, and was also pioneering a dramatic change for the better in the rich/poor discrepancy within Venezuela. Evo Morales and others were taking a cue from the Chavez government on ensuring that the country's resources benefits the people who live there. Lula followed suit with Brazil's big oil find, called off the auctions and redid the terms.

The mention of this in the OP kind of downplays it, but it is key to understanding why Washington hates Chavez so much. Here it is:

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When the pre-salt discoveries were first made, international companies moved quickly to investigate. However, more research and exploration soon revealed the magnitude of the find was much larger than previously thought, and the Brazilian government decided to suspend pre-salt site auctions until a comprehensive strategy to manage and regulate these resources is in place. In other words, as those discoveries proved larger than originally expected, the Brazilian Government realized it was important to develop a comprehensive strategy in order to fully develop these new reserves and, at the same time, guarantee that such windfall wealth would serve as much as possible to the welfare of the Brazilian people. Such suspension first occurred when the government withdrew 41 pre-salt sites from the auctions in the 9th Bid Round in 2007. --from the OP

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This was NOT being downplayed in the halls and dungeons of power in Washington DC. It is likely the primary reason that Hugo Chavez is so hated by the multinational corporations and war profiteers who rule over us, and by their political lackeys in our government, and the echo chamber press: Hugo Chavez's influence on others and his pro-active measures to stop the drain of wealth out of Latin America to the U.S. and the "first world." His collaboration with Lula da Silva and his accord with other leaders like Nestor Kirchner in Argentina was the top targeted item in Washington. They ordered these leaders to "isolate Chavez" (circa 2006). Kirchner's response was, "But he's my brother!" And that about says it all.

In short, Chavez empowered them all. His boldness--backed of course by the people who put him in office, the poor majority in Venezuela--set the tone for everyone, in dealing with U.S. bullying and exploitation.

It is still a top agenda item in Washington to divide and conquer Brazil and Venezuela. I doubt very much that Dilma Rousseff will go along with it. But she will be under pressure to.