(CW, how do you know so much?) This is significant, isn't it? If there is no Venezualan or Iraqui oil and Saudi Arabia can meet the demand, doesn't that kind of curtail the war on terrorism if it should prove to have Saudi involvement? And it puts Saudi Arabia in an interesting position to influence MidEast policy. (And I'm going to hurl if the administration uses this as a reason to drill ANWR).
This is much less transparant and more confusing than the Balkan plays during the Clinton administration.
Another quote from the LINK above.
***Other bones of contention were the central government's demand that the company hand over $4.4 billion in dividends last year, forcing PDVSA to borrow $500 million to pay the bill; and the oil sales to Cuba, whose leader, Fidel Castro, is Chavez's longtime mentor. · Chavez has insisted that oil sales continue to Cuba, despite an unpaid $97 million bill for past sales. ***