Chavez reopens talks after seizing Mexican cement firm
Monday, 25 August 2008
CARACAS, Aug 24, (AFP): President Hugo Chavez said today he agreed to reopen negotiations with Cemex at the urgings of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, after he nationalised the Mexican cement company for resisting his takeover bid.
Chavez said he would resume talks with Cemex as long as its "very arrogant" bosses show some respect.
Cemex, which produces half of Mexico's total cement output, was symbolically seized by Chavez Tuesday, after he rejected the company's reportedly overpriced demand of 1.3 billion dollars for a controlling share of the business.
Since his election in 1998, Chavez, a leftist and populist president, has been on a nationalizing spree that since last year has included foreign oil companies, telecommunications firms, a major iron and steel business, and most recently a bank.
At the opening of a petrochemical plant in western Zulia state, Chavez said Calderon had contacted him Thursday asking that the broken negotiations between Cemex and the Venezuelan government be reopened and a friendly outcome reached in the dispute.
"The government of Mexico asked us to give the (Cemex) businessmen another chance, to see if we can reach an understanding. I immediately told them 'yes,'" Chavez said.
"But the Mexicans of this company have been arrogant, very arrogant, and we demand respect here, buddy!" Chavez said in his speech broadcast by radio and television.
Chavez said he would resume talks with Cemex as long as its "very arrogant" bosses show some respect.
Cemex, which produces half of Mexico's total cement output, was symbolically seized by Chavez Tuesday, after he rejected the company's reportedly overpriced demand of 1.3 billion dollars for a controlling share of the business.
Since his election in 1998, Chavez, a leftist and populist president, has been on a nationalizing spree that since last year has included foreign oil companies, telecommunications firms, a major iron and steel business, and most recently a bank.
At the opening of a petrochemical plant in western Zulia state, Chavez said Calderon had contacted him Thursday asking that the broken negotiations between Cemex and the Venezuelan government be reopened and a friendly outcome reached in the dispute.
"The government of Mexico asked us to give the (Cemex) businessmen another chance, to see if we can reach an understanding. I immediately told them 'yes,'" Chavez said.
"But the Mexicans of this company have been arrogant, very arrogant, and we demand respect here, buddy!" Chavez said in his speech broadcast by radio and television.