 CARACAS, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday threatened "corrective actions" against a subsidiary of Mexican cement maker Cemex amid a wave of nationalizations as part of his self-styled socialist revolution.
| I think Iran's still ahead on the 'Race to Zim-bob-we', but Chavez keeps threatening to overtake them ... |
Venezuela this month ordered the "forced acquisition" of the assets of a Colombian cement maker, and Chavez in April threatened to nationalize the cement sector as part of a campaign to boost the government's role in the economy.| This *might* be a quid pro quo for his sponsors in Iran. I've read (here and there, and of course no links to cite) that Syria in particular controls a lot of the global cement industry. The Hariri family in Lebanon made a lot of its money in cement, and I've always harbored at least a tiny suspicion that his death was at least partially related to his business as well as his politix. |
On Sunday he ordered authorities to carry out an inspection of the property limits of a Venezuelan Cemex facility and evaluate its impact on the environment following a complaint that pollution from the operation was harming local residents. "Companies ... should invest in technology to minimize and eliminate the impact on the environment and people's health," Chavez said during his weekly Sunday broadcast. "Because if not the government will be obligated ... to take corrective actions that I cannot yet describe." |