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Venezuela Signs Oil Technology Agreement
With Cuba
CARACAS, Venezuela, 7 (AP) -- Venezuela
has agreed to share technology with Cuba
for oil exploration, production and refining,
Venezuela's state oil company said Wednesday.
Intevep, the research arm of state-run
Petroleos de Venezuela SA, signed the agreement,
which includes projects to increase Cuban
oil production, improve the quality of its
fuels and optimize its refineries, a company
statement said.
Intevep will work with Cuba's Ceinpet petroleum
research center.
President Hugo Chavez and Cuba's Fidel
Castro are close allies and have struck
a series of agreements. Venezuela currently
ships 98,000 barrels a day of oil to Cuba
under preferential payment terms, and plans
to revamp Cuba's Cienfuegos oil refinery.
India, Cuba and Syria reject US report
on human trafficking
NEW DELHI, 16 (AFP) - India rejected the
US State Department's annual "Trafficking
in Persons Report" which accuses New
Delhi of not doing enough to eliminate "bonded
labor slavery".
"The US has a practice of issuing
global reports on a wide variety of subjects
... Such reports are, by their very nature
based on US viewpoints and preconceptions,"
the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.
"On the subject of trafficking in
persons, as with other areas, we reject
judgemental and prescriptive approach by
a foreign government," the statement
said.
The 290-page report which analysed trafficking
for forced labor, prostitution, military
service and other purposes in about 150
countries, was issued in Washington on Monday.
It blacklists countries that do not take
adequate action to stem human trafficking.
On India, the report said that gauging
the seriousness of trafficking problem had
become difficult due to lack of data from
India.
India and giant neighbour China remain
on the watchlist from previous years and
could be relegated to the lowest-ranked
Tier 3 from a special "Tier 2 watchlist",
if they do not take prompt action, said
John Miller, a senior US advisor on trafficking
issues.
While India had taken some steps to check
sex trafficking, there was "lack of
action" on "bonded labor slavery"
in the vast nation, the report said.
The Indian statement said New Delhi and
Washington had held a dialogue on trafficking
in people and other trans-national challenges.
"The approach of the 2006 report does
not reflect the active cooperation on this
subject between the two countries.
"It certainly is not helpful to furthering
our dialogue in that regard," it added.
In an article in the Times of India on
Tuesday, meanwhile, US ambassador to India
David C. Mulford wrote that India was "taking
action" to curb trafficking.
"The government is also pursuing initiatives
that would establish media awareness campaigns,
coordinate national enforcement of anti-trafficking
laws and expand coordination of government
efforts at the national and state levels,"
he wrote.
In a related story, Cuba and Syria rejected
their inclusion on a US list of countries
that do not do enough to combat human trafficking.
"Of course we are against human trafficking.
It seems to me the United States has too
many lists, publishes all these lists to
mask the failure of its policy in the world,"
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad
told AFP.
Mekdad, on an official visit to Cuba, said
the United States should treat trafficking
"with great respect, with the goal
of solving it, and not stick a finger in
others' sore spots."
His Cuban counterpart Marcos Rodriguez
said it was a sign of arrogance that Washington
"presumes the right to judge other
countries" on issues like terrorism
and human trafficking.
The US State Department released its annual
"Trafficking in Persons Report"
Monday, analyzing the efforts of about 150
countries to combat trafficking for forced
labor, prostitution, military service and
other purposes.
Iran and Syria this year joined Cuba and
a handful of other countries on a US list
of worst offenders which could face sanctions
if they did not take immediate remedial
measures within 90 days.
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