Venezuela partners with Petropars, OFAC designated Iranian company

Published in Gaceta Oficial no. 39.577, on Monday 20 December 2010 (page 2 & 3), Hugo Chavez's lame duck congress announced the creation of a partnership ("empresa mixta"), with Petropars UK Limited, a London-based entity that is wholly-owned by Petropars Ltd [board]. Petropars UK Limited, and its parent company, are part of a list of sanctioned U.S. Department of the Treasury designated companies, determined to be controlled by the government of Iran. The designation is the first from the United States in implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929, and builds upon actions mandated by the Security Council.

Seyyed Mehdi Mir Moezi, Gholamreza Manouchehri, and Nematollah Alirezaei are the names associated with Petropars UK Limited, whose records in Companies House show a Statement of Capital, dated 25 March 2010, of £100,000. In addition, records show the company as being dormant. In spite of this, Venezuela's congress has published creation of a partnership, between Venezuela's Corporation of Petroleum and Petropars Limited UK, whereby the latter is granted 25-years rights to exploration, production, transportation, and storage of petroleum, of a 353.15 square kilometre concession, located in Dobokubi oil field. (Note: Setty wrongly claims in the article linked that potential issues will be sorted by international arbitration, when in fact, clause 12 of agreement establishes Venezuela "legislación de la República" as jurisdiction).

OFAC shows record of Petropars in Venezuela as PETROPARS LTD. (a.k.a. PETROPARS LIMITED; a.k.a. "PPL"), Calle La Guairita, Centro Profesional Eurobuilding, Piso 8, Oficina 8E, Chuao, Caracas 1060.

Hugo Chavez appoints FARC supporter as Venezuela Army Chief

El Mundo reports this morning that Hugo Chavez has appointed Henry Rangel Silva (pictured) as chief of strategic and operational command of Venezuela's army. Rangel Silva was designated in 2008, by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), for materially assisting the narcotics trafficking activities of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a narco-terrorist organization.

Regarding the decision, Chavez is quoted as having said that Rangel Silva "merited" the promotion, and that he was "his captain" when the Venezuelan caudillo was briefly ousted in April 2002.

Let us see how long will it take to international media, and indeed authorities, to pick up on the appointment to such a position of a collaborator of Colombian narco-terrorists.