USA: VENEZUELAN MINISTER DESCRIBES RIVER PROJECT DESIGNED TO OPEN UP SOUTH AMERICAN HINTERLAND

Record ID: 231127

  • Title: USA: VENEZUELAN MINISTER DESCRIBES RIVER PROJECT DESIGNED TO OPEN UP SOUTH AMERICAN HINTERLAND
  • Date: 31st August 1971
  • Summary: 1. CV EXT. TILT DOWN Venezuelan Embassy in Washington 0.08 2. CU "Embassy Information Service" 0.11 3. SV INT. ZOOM IN Maps of areas affected (2 shots) 0.30 4. SCU Dr Curiel Ministry of Public Works speaking 2.06 Initials SGM/0030 SGM/0049 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 15th September 1971 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Washington, USA
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA3RPOE31330PXQD5OHVX68L82E
  • Story Text: The Venezuelan Minister of Public Works, Dr Jose Curiel, spoke in Washington yesterday (Monday) of his Government's plans to initiate a river navigation scheme that could open up "the immense green heartland of South America".

    The scheme is part of the "Conquest of the South" - "La Conquista del Sur" - on which the Venezuelan Government embarked in 1969, through CODESUR, an agency of the Public Works Ministry.

    In this speech, given to diplomats and engineers at Venezuela's Washington Embassy, Dr Curiel stressed that countries in Latin American were seeking to penetrate the continent's hinterland by their own efforts, but Venezuela believed that it was time for a global enterprise involving the developed nations of America and Europe.

    Referring to Venezuela's penetration road schemes in the south, Dr Curiel envisaged multinational projects to convert these roads into major highways and their interconnection with Brazil's Trans-Amazonian Highway. (Film of the Brazilian scheme was serviced today on Visnews Production No. 10056/71).

    This film, shot by Visnews, has a soundtrack of Dr Curiel's speech in Spanish. An English version appears in the commentary overpage.

    SYNOPSIS: In Washington, diplomats and engineers gathered to hear Dr Jose Curiel, Venezuela's Minister of Works, describe a massive river navigation project that would open up what he called "the immense green heartland of South America". The scheme is part of the conquest of the south on which Venezuela embarked two years ago, but in his speech Dr Curiel stressed the need for a global effort involving the developed nations of America and Europe. Roads as well as rivers had their part to play in the grand design:
    Next year, said Dr Curiel, would see the completion of the highway from Ciudad Bolivar to Santa Elena de Uairen in the Guayana region, giving access to Boa Vista in Brazil. Multinational projects should be considered to convert these roads into major highways and to connect them with Brazil's Trans-Amazonian Highway and its branches into Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.

    Where river navigation was concerned, Dr Curiel said the Venezuelan Government was studying various possibilities for uninterrupted travel between the Orinoco delta and the Rio Negro. The scheme was seem as the first stage in a system of navigation making use of the Orinoco, Negro, Amazon, Madeira, Guaipore, paraguay and Plate rivers.

    This navigable river network, combined with the Meta, Caqueta, Napo, Ucayali and Madre de Dios rivers, would ultimately form a continental system, linking Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador with Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Such a project, Dr Curiel told his audience, would effect a radical transformation of South America.
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