Chavez in critical condition with three months to live, says Venezuelan doctor

Venezuelan doctor Jose Rafael Marquina, who is based in the US and is known for his accurate prognoses on President Hugo Chavez’s health, told a local Florida radio that the Venezuelan leader Chavez has “between two and three months to live”

Dr Jose Rafael Marquina says he strongly suggested having treatment in the US and not in Cuba because they lack experience in his kind of cancer

“The disease has entered an aggressive stage. He has metastases in the lumbar area, compressing nerves around the lumbar area of his backbone, which may lead to paralysis,” said Marquina, who claims to have access to first-hand sources and information about the president’s health.

“I feel I must say the truth. It was anticipated that Chavez condition would rapidly deteriorate in December. It is very sad news”, added Marquina.

The scientist revealed that during the electoral campaign Chavez was already in a very delicate condition but supported the pain with drugs stronger than morphine. He added that he repeatedly suggested to Chavez to travel to the US since in Cuba ‘they have no experience in these cases”.

Peruvian oncologist and long established in the US, Elmer Huerta coincided with the diagnosis of his peer Marquina saying the cancer was in a ‘terminal phase’ and surgery was only ‘palliative’. He added that as the disease advances the patient could suffer dementia in the coming weeks.

“The fact he is on mechanical respiration and with a sceptic shock gives an idea of how serious the patient’s situation is”, added Huerta.

Currently he is being treated with several antibiotics “but we must wait 72 hours to see if the patient reacts to treatment. This same infectious process leads to a sceptic shock with a 60% mortality rate”, indicated Dr. Marquina.

Chavez announced on national television late Saturday that he was flying to Cuba for new cancer surgery, and named Vice-President and Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro as his possible successor.

Chavez, 58, who has ruled Venezuela for 14 years, underwent three operations for cancer and four courses of chemotherapy in Cuba and Venezuela within a year.

He said that recent tests had revealed malignant cells. Chavez, who was re-elected for another six-year presidential term in October, said the pain he felt were due to strain during the election campaign and radiation therapy treatment, adding that surgery was vital, and an illness like this always carried risk.

Meanwhile in Venezuela there are hopes Chavez can return for his third mandate January 10 taking office ceremony in Caracas and then return immediately to Cuba, which would ensure Nicolas Maduro as his successor and thus avoid calling new elections.

Venezuelans to vote in Chavez's toughest election yet

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (C) holds Simon Bolivar's sword as he attends a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, 06 October 2012

Venezuelans vote Sunday in the toughest election President Hugo Chavez has faced in almost 14 years in power after fresh-faced rival Henrique Capriles electrified the country's opposition.

Chavez, 58, retains a loyal following among the country's poor, who have propelled him to easy victories in past elections, but 40-year-old Capriles has narrowed the gap in opinion polls after an energetic door-to-door national campaign.

Weakened by a bout with cancer, the president stepped up his campaign this week, even dancing in the rain at a Caracas rally Thursday as he pleaded for another six-year term to seal his oil-funded socialist revolution.

Chavez, a fierce US critic, is a highly polarizing figure who survived a coup in 2002 and became popular with the long-neglected poor for using the country's vast oil wealth to fund health and education programs.

Mentored by Cuba's Fidel Castro, Chavez has become the leading voice of Latin America's left, railing against the US "empire" while befriending Iran and Syria. He also has used petro-dollars and cut-rate oil deals to build a network of diplomatic allies around the region.

Facing his biggest election challenge, Chavez has admitted making mistakes, vowing to "become a better president" if re-elected.

The business-friendly, center-left Capriles has hammered Chavez over the country's regular power outages, food shortages and runaway murder rate, which has risen to 50 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

The telegenic former Miranda state governor has vowed to unite the country, accusing Chavez of being "sick with power" and dividing the nation.

Capriles, who describes himself as David fighting Goliath, was picked by the opposition in an unprecedented primary election in February.

Chavez held a 10-point lead in the latest opinion poll, but Capriles has attracted huge crowds at rallies while other surveys have put them in a statistical dead heat.

Around 19 million voters are called to the polls. Some 140,000 troops have been deployed to prevent violence while alcohol sales are banned until Monday.

Election experts say the electronic voting system is fraud-proof, though Chavez charges that the "far right" plans to not recognize his victory if he wins.

While the opposition is better organized than in the past, Chavez counts on a well-oiled campaign operation, with supporters waking up voters with bugles.

Polls open at 6:00 am (1030 GMT) and close at 6:00 pm (2230 GMT), but people will be allowed to vote as long as there are lines.

Capriles pledges support for peace talks in Colombia and distance from Iran

Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles pledged to help Colombia in its peace talks with rebels and distance himself from Iran should he defeat President Hugo Chávez in an increasingly tight race ahead of Sunday's election.

The opposition candidate also wants to talk with Raul Castro over the presence of 40.000 Cuban workers in Venezuela

The government of neighbouring Colombia is due to start talks with FARC guerrillas this month in Oslo to try to end five decades of conflict. Chavez’s government, accused by Bogotá of backing the rebels in the past, supports the talks.

That has led to speculation that an opposition victory in Venezuela on Oct. 7 could damage prospects for peace in Colombia. But Capriles denied that was the case.

“A government led by us would accelerate the Colombia peace process. A progressive government in Venezuela will stop being a refuge for rebels, for armed groups,” he told a news conference in Caracas on Monday.

“We have a government that is an accomplice of the Colombian guerrillas. That will change.”

Capriles, who has mounted the strongest electoral challenge Chávez has faced during his 14 years in power, recently met Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in Bogotá.

The opposition candidate also said that if he won he would demand the freedom of some 30 Venezuelans kidnapped in Colombia, and end any direct contacts with the rebels so as to not confuse the negotiations.

Among the half-a-dozen or so major local pollsters, most put Chávez ahead. But Capriles has been creeping up thanks to an energetic campaign, and two surveys give him a slight edge.

The 40-year-old governor, who would be Venezuela's youngest president, also said he would steer foreign relations away from Chávez's alliances with nations such as Iran and Belarus that the West views with suspicion.

“What do we have in common with Iran apart from producing oil? Or Belarus?” Capriles asked. ”Isn't its president a dictator? You tell me! We honoured (late Libyan leader Muammar) Gaddafi twice. Are those the relations Venezuelans want? No!“

Capriles said he would also try to sit down with Cuban President Raúl Castro to review the presence of more than 40,000 Cuban workers who are in Venezuela in exchange for oil supplies.

”And I've told the Russian ambassador here that we are going to stop buying weapons from Russia,” he added, referring to Chávez's multibillion-dollar arms purchases from Moscow.

President Franco claims Venezuela regime supports terrorist group in Paraguay

Paraguayan president Federico Franco accused the Venezuelan regime of Hugo Chavez of ‘direct and malicious’ involvement in his country’s affairs in support of a ‘terrorist and criminal’ gang, the Popular Army of Paraguay, EPP, which has committed kidnappings, assaults and killings.

Franco made the statements during an interview with journalist Patricia Janiot from CNN in Spanish. He added that he has documents and other evidence to support his accusation of Venezuela interference in support of EPP.

According to the Paraguayan president the Chavez regime organized and developed training programs for members of EPP that have been involved in kidnapping for ransom, killings of police forces, assaults, arson and other criminal actions in Paraguay.

Franco said that some EPP terrorist group members were invited to Venezuela with scholarships for alleged agriculture training programs but once there “were not precisely involved in learning to till the land but rather in the use of weapons and guerrilla tactics”.

“We have evidence and documents to support what I am saying now” added Franco.

Asked what his administration was doing to confront the EPP, Franco said that it is based on two stages: immediate action and the long term.

“The first is to establish industries and agricultural activities to the north of the country with an effective participation of the State, the other, long term to combat the subversives”.

The interview took place at the Time-Warner studios in New York.

President Franco also had a brief encounter with British PM David Cameron in the UN grounds out of the two leaders’ agenda.

The Paraguayan president also met with Bill Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative foundation Monday night.

Sean Penn joins Chavez on campaign

Chavez talks to US actor Penn during an election rally in Valencia.

U.S. actor Sean Penn joined President Hugo Chavez at an election rally in Venezuela on Aug. 5, bringing a dash of Hollywood to the campaign as he rode with him atop a truck past cheering supporters.

Penn is a friend of Chavez, who hopes to win a new six-year term on October 7. The campaign has turned into the toughest fight of the president’s political career.

“Thank you very much for visiting us again, dear friend,” Chavez said after introducing Penn to the big crowd in the central city of Valencia. “We’re all Americans, from the north, the center, the south. Long live the American continent!” Penn waved from the stage, fist-bumped and hugged Chavez, but did not address the rally.

Sean Penn is well-known for his political and social activism. He was a vocal critic of the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush. Last year, Penn worked for the release of two U.S. hikers who were arrested in Iran, flying to Venezuela to ask Chavez to intervene on their behalf with Iran’s leader.

Most polls in South America’s top oil exporter give Chavez a double-digit lead ahead of the vote. He said he is completely cured after three cancer operations in the last year, although few details have been released about the 58-year-old’s condition.

Not without controversy Venezuela becomes Mercosur fifth full member

Following a full day of deliberations in Brasilia between Foreign Affairs ministers, the presidents from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, on Tuesday will formally receive Venezuela as the new full member of Mercosur, as was agreed at the regular mid year summit in Mendoza.

 The incorporation procedure has Uruguay’s Mujica and Astori in opposite positions

The historic event, as it is described by Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, nevertheless has been plagued with controversy since the incorporation was decided on the absence of the fourth original Mercosur full member, Paraguay, suspended from the group until April next year, and contrary to basic consensus rules.

In Brazil the procedure used to implement the incorporation decision has been consistently criticized by opposition leaders, lawmakers and law professors. Likewise in Uruguay where even Vice-president Danilo Astori has openly clashed with President Jose Mujica saying the procedure is illegal and could represent the “kiss of death” for the Mercosur group which took off in 1991 in Paraguay.

Mujica has argued that sometimes the political must prevail over the juridical, and “this was one case”, adding that Venezuela as an energy powerhouse would further strengthen the group, balance inside forces and open other opportunities to expand in the region..

But Mujica will be focusing on other issues in Brasilia: the River Plate canal dredging differences with Argentina for which he is hoping on a bilateral meeting with Cristina Fernandez (despite her refusal to address foreign ministry affairs) and which has exposed a serious confrontation between the neighbouring countries.

The Uruguayan president will also hold talks with the host President Dilma Rousseff hopefully to sign several bilateral agreements referred to infrastructure, energy, ship yards, science and technology, plus attracting investments in new alternative energies such as wind.

The Brazilian Foreign ministry said in a release that with the incorporation of Venezuela, (the main oil producer of South America with 2.3million bpd) Mercosur will represent 83% of South America’s GDP.

Earlier in the day the foreign ministers addressed legal and practical trade issues so that Venezuela adapts to Mercosur nomenclature and the common external tariff plus the list of exceptions (safeguards) she’s entitled to. It was agreed Venezuela would have until 2016 to get all these issues straightened out.

Although the formal presidential summit of incorporation for Venezuela takes place on Tuesday with the attendance of Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez, Uruguay’s Jose Mujica, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and the host Dilma Rousseff, the full annexation will effectively occur on August 12.

On that day a month will have passed since Venezuela deposited its ratification of the Mercosur protocol, as demanded by the group’s rules.

The Village Idiot & Fool Chavez in a veiled threat tells Spain’s Repsol to seek agreement with Argentina

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez advised Repsol to seek a friendly agreement in its dispute with Argentina and noted that the Spanish energy company held important assets in his country.

Repsol faces a long legal battle after the government of President Cristina Fernandez nationalized its Argentine energy unit, YPF, in April. It has sued for 10 billion dollars in compensation and taken steps to file for World Bank arbitration.

Cristina Fernandez, an ally of the socialist Chavez, said Repsol had not invested enough in YPF and had allowed crude production and exploration to decline.

“I would advise them to think about it very carefully. They should look for a friendly agreement with this brother nation of ours, of South America,” Chavez said in a televised speech during a visit to Caracas by Argentina's planning minister Julio De Vido.

Chavez a vocal critic of Washington has nationalized almost all Venezuela's oil industry during his 14 years in office.

“Repsol has big investments here and we want it to continue having them, in an atmosphere of cordiality, understanding and respect for our sovereignty” Chavez said.

Repsol and Italy's ENI signed a major deal last year with Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, to develop the Perla offshore natural gas field, where they have certified more than 15 trillion cubic feet.

Repsol also has an 11% stake in Carabobo Project 1 in Venezuela's extra heavy Orinoco crude belt, where reserves are seen at 31 billion barrels and output at 400.000 barrels per day. The company has said it expects to invest 15 billion dollars in Carabobo.

Earlier this year, Chavez strongly backed Cristina Fernandez's move to take over YPF, saying the rest of South America had a duty to support her as well. In 2007, he nationalized four Orinoco projects, prompting US majors Exxon Mobil Corp and ConocoPhillips to sue for tens of billions of dollars.

Iran builds first oil tanker for Venezuela

Iran has completed construction of the first of four oil tankers to be sold to Venezuela for a total 230 million euros, the official news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday.

The Aframax-category tanker - capable of carrying 113,000 tonnes of oil, the equivalent of 75,000 barrels - was built over the past two years by the Iranian shipbuilding company SADRA, which was put under US sanctions in March because it is owned by Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards.

IRNA said it was put into the water in the southern city of Bushehr.

The other three will be built in coming months as part of the 2007 euro-denominated contract signed with Venezuela. At today's exchange rate, the total contract is worth the equivalent of $278 million.

Iran is suffering US and EU sanctions hampering the export of its oil, its top source of revenue, as part of Western pressure over its disputed nuclear programme.

Its own fleet of around 40 oil tankers, the biggest in the Middle East, is mostly made up of far bigger supertankers bought from foreign shipbuilders and capable of carrying up to two million barrels of oil each. China is to supply two more to the fleet next year.

Iran's tankers, many of which are anchored offshore as floating depots of unsold oil according to the International Energy Agency, are prevented from making their way to Europe because of an EU ban that came into force this month.

Venezuela, whose government shares Tehran's anti-US stance, is one of Iran's most important allies in the world.

Both countries are members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and have deepened economic ties in recent years.