CARACAS.- Given the dimension of the new oil deal between Venezuela and USAeconomists, politicians and human rights NGOs urged both administrations to make known with transparency the conditions of the hydrocarbon contract that was cataloged by President Donald Trump as “the largest in world history.”
Requests from politicians, economists and NGOs, between calculations and rejections about the impact of the agreement, filled the networks after the announcement by the US president this Friday.
The contract would involve the management and development of 17 strategic Venezuelan fields by the US, which would be equivalent to 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves “at no cost to the US taxpayer,” according to Trump.
“historic” agreement”
The contract, which was later reported by Rodríguez as “historic” and had the endorsement of the ruling PSUV, projects “a capital investment of more than 100 billion dollars for the development of fields,” as explained by the Minister of Hydrocarbons of Venezuela, Paula Henao, this Saturday.
This would generate “more than 209 billion dollars in taxes throughout the period,” he said on the X network.
The agreement was carried out through the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth for the US, and representatives of the sector for Venezuela.
Oil with transparency
“Venezuelans want the United States as our partner. The country must know the conditions,” said Venezuelan political leader César Pérez Vivas, after questioning the competence of the “usurper regime” to do so.
Along the same lines, the economist Francisco Monaldi asked to know the details of the agreement “to be able to evaluate it properly” in the debate that has been generated.
“But the amount of taxes to be collected announced by the interim government is unusually low, he said and explained that based on the indicated barrels it represents 3.2 dollars.
Economist Asdrúbal Oliveros also assured that the contract, due to its magnitude, cannot be seen as a minor matter and said he has many questions about the implication for the Venezuelan economy.
He indicated that the proposed investments “need years to mature” and require clear and predictable rules, legal security and institutionality that until now have not been guaranteed.
Environmental scope
For its part, the human rights NGO, Provea, pointed out the need for Rodríguez and Trump to clarify the scope of the energy agreement to the country.
He questioned that it had been signed in the midst of state opacity and warned about the environmental impact that must be preserved.
