US ECONOMICS

U.S. Department of State. February 6, 2018. Western Hemisphere: Joint Press Availability With Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. Press Availability. Rex W. Tillerson, Secretary of State. Bogota, Colombia

VIDEO: https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2018/02/278032.htm

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, welcome. Welcome to the press room at the Palace of Narino. We would like to greet all the TV viewers following our program and over the streaming through our different means. After the meeting between the President of the Republic of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos Calderon and the U.S. Secretary of State Mr. Rex Tillerson, we will now hear the joint statement to the media.
So Mr. President, good evening; the floor is all yours.

PRESIDENT SANTOS: (Via interpreter) Good evening. We have just had a very fruitful and productive meeting with the Secretary of State of the U.S., Mr. Rex Tillerson. Once again, Secretary Tillerson, you and your team, welcome, welcome to Colombia. Your presence in our country as well as all the meetings I’ve had with President Trump and Vice President Pence are very revealing of the importance of the strategic alliance we share, and it also takes place at a historic moment for Colombia. Colombia, as you have seen firsthand, is making progress in the construction of peace, and this is a very complex process, a process that takes time. And even though we stand before many challenges, the fruits are – is something that we are seeing now.

Last year, the year 2017, was the quietest year in our recent history. Thousands of lives have been saved, thanks to putting an end to the conflict. We have the lowest homicide rate in the last four decades. Colombian countryside that has been another victim of violence is now pushing economic growth and state agencies, as well as the military and police forces of Colombia continue strengthening their presence throughout the national territory.

We also are reacting to all forms of violence and threat that are not alien to any transition towards peace after such a long and cruel conflict. Throughout the process we have had the firm and decided support of the United States – a bipartisan support, a very effective support, free of interruptions. And that is why we are so grateful. We truly appreciate the support of President Trump’s administration at this crucial time in our history as a nation.

At the meeting with U.S. Secretary Tillerson, we looked at different items on our binational agenda, and I also explained the work we’ve been doing in areas of interest to both countries. We discussed the global problem of illegal drugs, an issue regarding which we agree with you, Secretary Tillerson, our countries have shared responsibility. There is no supply without demand, nor demand without supply.

As part of the candid, open dialogue between us, we detailed the different actions undertaken in this front as well as the achievements made between last year, 2017. And so far this year we have forcefully eradicated 54,000 hectares, which is more than the goal we had set, and by the end of this year we hope to have cleared 150,000 hectares.

As far as voluntary substitution is concerned, for the very first time we have a greater likelihood of being successful, and that has led us to sign agreements with 124,000 families that say that they have over 105,000 hectares of illegal crops. This is almost 30,000 of these families today are currently substituting their illegal crops.

We have also had record seizures, and the war on drugs has taught us that this is where we can be most effective. For example, during the eight years of my administration we have seized over 1,800 metric tons of cocaine – an unprecedented number; much, much higher than what was seized in the preceding eight years. Last year we seized 416 tons – another record number for a single year.

The joint work between our two countries is leaving very positive results. Last year alone our armed services, with U.S. support, conducted over 460 activities in areas such as criminal investigation, against kidnapping, counternarcotics, and combatting organized transnational crime. U.S. support to our efforts to become a country free of landmines after having been the most mined country in the world after Afghanistan, this has been very important. We have cleared 185 municipalities that are now mine-free.

And our joint work includes legal assistance, judicial support, and combatting corruption. Together we have provided assistance to Central America in the area of security, and Colombia has trained over 15,000 police officers from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama, and Dominican Republic.

During the meeting, I also explained to Secretary Tillerson our concern over the very serious situation that the people of Venezuela are going through. The harsh crisis in our neighboring country, the result of the failed revolution that is being defended by President Maduro, has had very serious repercussions, not just in Colombia but throughout the region. And the very serious humanitarian situation that the dictatorial government ceases to admit. We now have the summoning of presidential elections, elections that, in our view, would not be – are not valid because they offer no guarantees whatsoever, none, and will not offer any guarantees. Maduro would never, never accept participating in free, clean elections because he knows he will lose. And under those conditions it will be impossible for Colombia.

And I believe that this is true for many democratic countries, such as the Lima Group countries, to recognize any electoral result. It is therefore urgent to restore democracy in Venezuela because only citizens, the citizens that are suffering the hardship and consequence of this dictatorship. And once again, I repeat that Colombia is ready to continue providing humanitarian assistance to our Venezuelan brothers and sisters.

And I am very pleased, Secretary Tillerson, to ratify that in spite of all the challenges we face, our bilateral agenda goes far beyond combatting illegal drugs and promoting security. Our tie – our trade ties are very strong. Thanks to the coming into effect of the Free Trade Agreement, U.S. investment in Colombia has exceeded three – 2.3 billion U.S. dollars. Over 230 U.S. companies are currently installed in our country – are currently established in our country, and we’re happy to see that a growing number of Colombian products are entering the U.S. market.

As of November of last year, Colombia exported to the U.S. 3000 – 3.7 billion U.S. dollars in non-mine or energy resources. And we want more and more U.S. companies doing business with Colombia and investing in our country. The private sector has a key role to play in promoting trade and investment, and that is why we value the U.S.-Colombia Business Council role that brings together 40 of the most important CEOs of both our countries’ companies.

On the other hand, the high level of dialogue have yielded wonderful results in the area of cooperation in energy, in education, in rural development, science, and technology. Colombia is starting to use its full potential. We still have a long road to go; however, we have seen some very important headway in combatting poverty, infrastructure development, and economic growth.

The world is discovering our country. Last year, we received almost six million visitors. Over 470,000 of them came from the United States. And we want to continue advancing along the road of development, and hence the importance of our joining the OECD, and that’s why we would like to thank you, Secretary Tillerson, if you can help us complete our accession to the OECD.

U.S. and Colombia share the values of democracy and liberties that our forefathers have left us in both our countries, as well as the interest in consolidating a region that is in – that will thrive evermore. We have a very broad and diverse agenda, and we hope to continue working with you, with President Trump’s administration, to deepen further our great relationship, a relationship more so than allies and partners; we are also friends.

Once again, Secretary Tillerson, thank you, thank you for visiting our country and for the ongoing decided support of the United States for the future of Colombia. Once again, welcome, sir, to our country.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, first allow me to thank you, President Santos, for the kind welcome I’ve received in Colombia and for the opportunity for us to have such a meaningful meeting and exchange on views on a number of import issues. And it’s truly a pleasure to be in Colombia to visit you today.

The United States knows in Colombia we have first and foremost a partner who shares our democratic values and also a partner that is very capable as well. And I am grateful for this opportunity to say a few words about our priorities and things that we talked about today that are important in the bilateral relationship.

We did discuss our concerns about the surge in coca cultivation and cocaine production in Colombia, but the president also gave me a very good report of the steps that are being taken, the progress that’s being made, and he just spoke to much of that. And we are quite encouraged by what we hear, and we will continue to work with Colombia to support these efforts where we can be of assistance as well. This is a shared challenge for both of our nations as well to work together to undermine the transcriminal organizations that create the networks that are devastating for citizens in Colombia, and they’re devastating to the American people as well. And so we look forward to continuing that cooperation.

As you highlighted, we have had many, many years of joint law enforcement efforts and have very strong laws in Colombia that help us deal with those who are apprehended as well. And we thank you for that. The U.S. Government does continue to support Colombian police and military forces, having trained over 13,000 law enforcement here in the hemisphere as well. And we appreciate what Colombia has done for Central America as well, as you’ve mentioned too.

Colombia has been a key player in the hemisphere’s efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela, and the president spoke extensively about that, and we had a very extensive exchange on how we can work together, along with others in the region, through the Lima Group, ultimately through the OAS, to restore democracy in Venezuela. And this is our only objective, is to see Venezuela return to its constitution, return its duly-elected assembly, and to hold free and fair elections and give the Venezuelan people the right for their voices to be heard in elections.

We are all heartbroken by what we see happening in Venezuela, such a great a country, and we are also heartbroken to see the impact it’s having on Colombia. And we appreciate Colombia’s efforts to deal with the situation of so many Venezuelans seeking refuge here in Colombia as the situation in Venezuela continues to deteriorate. We will continue to work as partners in seeking a solution to that tragedy that we’re all watching unfold in Venezuela.

I also want to note our appreciation for Colombia’s full support on our concerns about the nuclear weapons programs of North Korea and the DPRK. And we appreciate that Colombia sent a representative to the Vancouver meeting in Canada this past month, and it was important participation on the part of Colombia to support that international effort and that joint statement, which was very clear as to the desire of the entire international community that North Korea denuclearize and give up their nuclear weapons.

And finally, I do want to state again, we support Colombia’s accession to the OECD and have underlined our commitment in helping Colombia complete and implement the technical requirements to qualify for membership in the OECD, and we have closed just about all of the technical issues. We’ve committed that we will continue to work with Colombia to close all remaining issues, and we know the urgency. The president has spoken very clear on this, and it is our intention to continue to be engaged, and we’ll close out the remaining issues as well.

With that, Mr. President, I want to thank you again for receiving me so warmly in Colombia, and for the time you gave us. It was a very, very useful exchange and very important for me. Thank you very much.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) We will now take questions from the media present here tonight, and we are going to start with Nicholas Wadhams from Bloomberg.

QUESTION: Thanks very much. My name is Nick Wadhams from Bloomberg. Mr. President, I have a question for you first about which message you listen to and which message you put the most emphasis on. We’ve heard President Trump just last week talk about threatening to cut foreign assistance to countries that are – have a drug flow flowing into the United States. He did not mention Colombia specifically, but it was very clear from his comments that Colombia was among the countries he was referring to. He said countries are laughing at the United States and that aid should be cut. So given the more moderate message you’ve heard from Secretary Tillerson today, who do you believe? Are you confused by these conflicting messages?

And also, for Secretary Tillerson, given, as you mentioned, that coca production has tripled in the last five years, would the U.S. consider, as the President has done now with Pakistan and others, would the United States consider cutting foreign assistance to Colombia as a way of provoking action? And did you commit to not cutting aid to Colombia in your conversation? Thank you.

PRESIDENT SANTOS: Well, first of all, I don’t think that President Trump is – was referring to Colombia because Colombia is not laughing at the U.S. On the contrary, we think we’re working together in a problem and a challenge that needs cooperation from both countries. As I said, there would be no supply of drugs if there is no demand, and there would be no demand if there is no supply. And Colombia does not laugh at this very important issue for us because it’s a matter of national security.

We have lost our best leaders, our best journalists, our best judges, our best policemen in this war against drugs. There’s no other country in the world that has paid such a high price in this war on drugs that the world declared more than 40 years ago. No other country, compared to what Colombia has paid. So what I hope to continue is this cooperation that is needed. This is a global problem that needs a multilateral solution and cooperation between all the countries that suffer from this very damaging traffic of drugs.

So what I heard from Secretary Tillerson is that the U.S. wants to continue to work together, and you’ve seen the results. The amount of coca seized in the last years has been at record levels. This is where the drug trafficking is hit with more effectiveness. And we will continue. And as I said, we, in Colombia, for the first time – for the first time in 35, 40 years – have a unique opportunity to reduce the production of coca, and we’re working on that because for the first time, thanks to the peace agreement, we can go into these areas that before were not controlled by the state and offer the peasants an alternative, a viable alternative. And they want – I’ve been speaking to many of them – they want to get out of coca cultivation and into legal crops.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, Nick, I think one of the things that’s important about this relationship is because we are so close in terms of the bilateral partnership, is that we can speak very openly and very frankly about the things that are of concern to both of us. And I know President Santos had a very open and frank exchange with President Trump in his visit to Washington, and we are able to speak very frankly with one another about our concerns and how can we help one another.

The rapid increase in coca cultivation in many respects was an unintended consequence of the peace that was negotiated with the FARC, and I think, as the president has described now, it’s the long process of reversing those trends, both through eradication but also, importantly, as the president just mentioned, programs to offer alternative crop – cash crops to the farmers and the local people who have been living off of the coca cultivation. And the president described a very comprehensive program to me this evening in our exchange. It appears to be having good results. We talked about ways that the U.S. might support that effort, as well as other ways to more efficiently support their efforts to eradicate coca production as well.

We do know that there are obviously significant criminal organizations involved, and we will continue our joint work to attack these transnational criminal organizations, and Colombia continues to be very aggressive in going after the leaders of these organizations, and working very cooperatively with our law enforcement people as well to interdict.

We also, importantly, in the last year have come to agreements cooperatively between the U.S., Mexico, and Colombia on maritime interdiction, and this is an area that’s been a real – we’ve had real obstacles in the past. And through joint efforts with Mexico, the U.S., Colombia, we now have agreements that are allowing us to be much more aggressive at interdicting routes of transportation along the Pacific, in particular maritime routes.

So I think what you see is President Trump has made this a high priority of his, both in terms of addressing the supply, but as you know, he’s made it a high priority to acknowledge that the U.S. is the market – we are the demand, we are the consumer – and the President has put in place a very comprehensive program at drug demand reduction as well. And so I think what’s important is the way we’re now approaching this is to recognize we need to work on the demand side of this, we need to work on interdicting more cash that flows back to supplying these illicit activities, and we need to do more to interdict weapons that go into the hands of the criminal organizations, while working closely with the neighboring countries who are suffering from the criminal activity that’s associated with the production of these illicit drugs and the transportation of those. I think our expectation is that Colombia is going to make significant progress this year in reversing these trends. And we want to support that reversal, we want to make that sustainable, and we want to ultimately win this war that has been underway for so long.

So that’s what we’re focused on, is how can we turn the trend around, how can we be supportive. And we’re going to continue to work closely through our joint law enforcement, our intel sharing, and other programs to support gaining on this problem here in Colombia.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) We will now continue with Luis Eduardo Maldonado, Caracol Noticias.

QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Mr. Tillerson, does the U.S. Government recognize that it is the number-one consumer of drugs in the world? But what is happening? I mean, how is the U.S. Government failing? How – why hasn’t it been able to reduce drug consumption? And you spoke of reciprocity. When you say that, what do you mean? More economic aid? I mean, in short, what does that mean?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, the U.S. certainly does recognize that we’re the largest consumer of drugs because we had 65,000 deaths in the United States last year that were related to drug consumption – 65,000. So we need no reminders of the fact that drug consumption is a serious problem in the United States, and as I said, that’s why the President has tackled this with new initiatives at drug reduction. Some of this has to get at how do people – how do they find their entryway into addiction, and interdicting that as well. So we certainly are committed to undertaking the effort to reduce that drug demand in the U.S. Our journey, too, will likely be a long one to win this battle as well.

In terms of assistance, it’s the same assistance we’ve been providing for some time in law enforcement, in terms of providing some capabilities with information sharing, and finding how can we best support the effort here to eradicate and also dismantle the networks themselves.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) Dave Clark from AFP.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Secretary Tillerson. I’m David Clark from AFP. Secretary Tillerson, until yesterday, you’d said the time was not right for U.S. officials to sit down with North Korea. Since then, both yourself and Vice President Pence have said, well, let’s see. They’re talking about the – you’re talking about the week ahead in PyeongChang. What has changed until yesterday? And what is it that you’re hoping to see? Thank you.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, nothing’s really changed other than the President has asked the Vice President to lead the U.S. delegation – official delegation to the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics, to be there to support a very successful Olympics being hosted by our ally, South Korea, and also support a great U.S. Olympic Team that’s going to be marching into that stadium. Hundreds of young athletes are realizing their dream to compete at the Olympic level, and we anticipate the Vice President being there will result in more gold medals, obviously. (Laughter.)

But also, I mean, as you well know and it’s well known, through the dialogue between South Korea and North Korea, North Korea is participating in the Olympics as well. So we don’t know what might present itself and that’s why, again, I think we just say we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) And we will now hear Francy Sepulveda from CM&.

QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Good evening, Secretary Tillerson. I have two questions for you, the first on Venezuela. The two of you are in agreement that the way in which President Maduro is managing the crisis is not right. I would like to ask you, how will the U.S. commit to truly provide resources and aid to Colombia that is the country most affected by the crisis in Venezuela, who are coming now to Colombia looking for refuge, and now Colombia needs assistance? And like the minister of foreign affairs has said, that we need resources from international agencies. So what does the U.S. commit to in this respect?

Second, are you happy with the eradication results in the illegal substitution program presented by President Santos? And this warning done by President Donald Trump of decertifying Colombia because of its work against drugs will become a reality or not?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, with respect to the impact that the Venezuelan situation is having on Colombia, I spoke to that earlier in my comments, as did President Santos. We are looking at resources that we had earmarked to address humanitarian situations inside of Venezuela. Our ability to provide that aid to Venezuela has not been easy because of the situation, so we’re going to look at what we have available, and some of that may be redirected to serve Venezuelans who are – who have had to leave and are here in Colombia, and we discussed that tonight and we’ll be in consultation with the president and his team as to whether what we are able to do would be useful. And we recognize that it is putting a burden on Colombia as well.

And in terms of the eradication and the crop substitution program, again, I was very encouraged to hear what was discussed in our meeting, in our bilat meeting. And obviously, results are what matter. In the end, we need to see the results, we need to see the trends reversing, we need to see the number of crops – number of acres or hectares under cultivation going down. We need to see the seizures going up and we need to see all of the metrics. And we talked about important ways to measure whether we’re gaining on this. We need to see those metrics going in the correct way.

And that’s all President Trump wants as well, and I think what he was communicating is how serious he sees this problem and how seriously he takes the steps to reverse these trends. And he clearly is very interested and we’ll be following the results, and that’s what matters, is the results.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) Thank you very much, and this is the end of this joint statement. We would like to thank the U.S. Secretary of State and the president of the republic. Thank you, everyone, for joining us tonight.

U.S. Department of State. February 6, 2018. Western Hemisphere: Interview With Rich Edson of Fox News. Interview. Rex W. Tillerson, Secretary of State. W Hotel, Bogota, Colombia

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for joining us on Fox.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: It’s my pleasure, Rich.

QUESTION: I’d like to begin with this trip. Minus your Mexico trip early last year, this is your first trip to the region. You’ve been Secretary of State for a year. There are concerns about the U.S. leaving the Trans-Pacific Partnership that maybe the United States isn’t as connected with this region, or ceding any type of engagement with this region. Have you encountered that sentiment while you’ve been on this trip?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: None whatsoever. I’ve just – I’ve had a very warm welcome in every country we’ve visited. I think it’s important to remember that out of the 20 trade agreements that the U.S. has in place, 12 of them are with countries in this hemisphere. So these are already very important trading partners with us, and we have very robust trade throughout the hemisphere.

So each country is – it’s been a very good visit with each country. We’ve talked about the things that are important to them, the things that are important to us. But I don’t sense any weakening of the bonds between the United States and these very important countries in our hemisphere at all.

QUESTION: And the world doesn’t stop when you’re in one region, of course. Since you’ve been here, there was another chlorine gas attack in Syria. There are reports now that Russian and Syrian jets have bombed civilians in northwestern Syria in the biggest attacks since Aleppo. Is partnering with Russia advancing U.S. interests there, and are you now re-evaluating that partnership?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, we’re going to continue to work with Russia on the really difficult and complex situation in Syria, where we can. We maintain very, very open lines of communication with them both through military channels, but also through the diplomatic channels.

We are very concerned about the reports of, yet again, use of chemical weapons, chlorine gas, reports in some instances of potential use of Sarin gas. And the bombing that is going on, obviously, it is very difficult not to kill civilians in those bombing attacks. Our objective from the beginning has been to defeat ISIS, and then to de-conflict the country and stop the violence and create the conditions for a reconciliation, peace talks, chart the way forward using the UN Security Council process and --

QUESTION: Does that seem anywhere close, though, now that you still have Sarin gas, you still have Iran’s influence, Russia bombing civilians? How does this end, and any time soon?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, in the areas that we have our presence and work with our coalition forces, we’ve been able to stabilize areas once we’ve liberated them from ISIS control. And that is what we’ve worked with the Russians as well; we have an area to the south that we actually worked jointly with Jordan to stabilize.

QUESTION: And you want to build on that?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: And we’d like to build on that. As you know, Russia, Iran, and Turkey have worked on stabilizing some areas to the west and the northwest. But these are some of the more complicated areas. And we will hope that ceasefires can be put in place, the violence can stop, and we can get the parties to the negotiating table in Geneva. We believe we have rejuvenated the Geneva talks and we’re hopeful that the two sides will begin a serious negotiation to write a new constitution in preparations for elections for all Syrians to vote.

But the first step is we have got to stop the use of these chemical weapons. We believe Russia can play a very important role. They need to play an important role. They are supporting --

QUESTION: And they’re not right now, right?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: They don’t appear to be – they’re supporting the Assad regime, they’re providing the air cover for the regime. Russia is responsible. They agreed that they would take care of the chemical weapons in Syria. Clearly, they failed to do that. And they’re blocking the UN Security Council’s ability to give the Joint Investigative Mechanism of the OPCW the mandate that it needs to go ahead and investigate these things.

So Russia really needs to move to a different place on this. And they can deny it all they want to, but facts are facts. And they need to go to another spot and support the new mandate, the JIM, support the elimination of these chemical weapons. They can put the pressure on the Assad regime and say, “Stop this.”

QUESTION: More on Russia. You’ve warned Mexico about potential meddling. The United States has warned European countries. CIA director Mike Pompeo warned about the U.S. midterms. Is this just an assumption, or does the U.S. have intelligence leading us to believe that they’re going to try to meddle in the 2018 elections?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, there’s a lot of ways that the Russians can meddle in the elections, a lot of different tools than can use. I think what we see – and some of this is through some of our own sharing with countries that are allies of ours and partners of ours – and we are seeing certain behaviors. As I said the other day, we see some of Russia’s fingerprints around elections that have occurred in Europe, and the Europeans have shared that with us. We are seeing similar activity in this hemisphere. There are a number of important elections in this hemisphere this year.

QUESTION: And leading up to the U.S., too?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Leading up as well to the U.S. --

QUESTION: In the U.S. we’re already seeing this?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: In the U.S. in 2018. So we really – I think it’s important we just continue to say to Russia, look, if you think we don’t see what you’re doing, we do see it. You need to stop. If you don’t, you’re going to just continue to invite consequences for yourself.

QUESTION: Is the U.S. better prepared this time around than 2016?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, I don’t know that I would say we’re better prepared, because the Russians will adapt as well. If it is – if the point is if it’s their intention to interfere, they’re going to find ways to do that. And we can take steps we can take, but this is something that once they decide they’re going to do it, it’s very difficult to preempt it.

QUESTION: There have been demonstrations in Russia. The administration has loudly supported those demonstrators in Iran who were searching for democracy. Does the U.S. equally support, the administration equally support, those calling for democracy in Russia?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, yes, we think it’s important that Russia ensure that they are conducting free and fair elections, allowing opposition voices to be heard, allowing opposition parties to organize, and at least give the Russian people that choice. The Russian people are the ones that need to have the opportunity to consider other candidates and other points of view and what they might do differently in terms of running Russia’s affairs. So yes, we --

QUESTION: That’s not happening now though there, is it?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, it certainly – as you know, one of the most popular opposition candidates has been prohibited from running in the election. And I don’t – and the truth is I really don’t think this serves Russia’s purposes particularly well either. I think it would be important for them to allow greater participation in their elections.

QUESTION: On Korea, you and the Vice President are at least signaling to North Korea a willingness to talk – not negotiate – as you’ve made clear. But is the United States actively seeking a conversation with the North Koreans at the Olympics?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, look, the Vice President – the President asked the Vice President to lead the U.S. official delegation to the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics in Seoul. We’re there to first support the successful Olympics by the South Korean Government. We’re also there to support all the United States athletes that’ll be competing, and we expect to bring home a lot of medals. And whatever happens while the Vice President is there, we’ll just have to see. We’ll wait and see and --

QUESTION: But the U.S. isn’t going to initiate this, or does the U.S. want – someone has to make the first move.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, look, the Vice President’s there, and we’ll just have to see what happens.

QUESTION: The Olympics opened this week, and South Korea has agreed to essentially bring the North Korean team – the joint ice hockey team. Seems like they’re paying full freight for this. The U.S. has also agreed at the request of the South Koreans to suspend joint defensive military exercises during the Olympics. The North Koreans continue, assumingly, advancing their program. They’re having a military exercise later this week. Has the U.S. gotten anything out of all of this rapprochement, or has South Korea gotten anything out of this? Seems like North Korea’s gotten a lot and given nothing up.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, I’m not sure that the South or the U.S. expected to get anything out of this. In terms of the South Koreans allowing the North Koreans to participate, and with the approval of the IOC as well, our understanding is that what North Korea is receiving from the South Koreans is no more than what all the participants who are attending the Olympics are receiving. Also, the North – the South Koreans have been using some training facilities in the North, so our understanding is this is on a reciprocal basis and there is no gain, there is no cash or anything being paid to the North Koreans for their participation in the Olympics. So it’s very much just on an equal basis.

And I think in terms of the military demonstrations that the North Koreans may have, this is a military parade, is what we understand. We see a lot of these great parades they have in the square there in Pyongyang. And as to our military exercises, we agreed very early on that we did not want to detract from South Korea’s needs to ensure they could provide full security during the conduct of the Olympics, and so we --

QUESTION: So this doesn’t run pressure to the counter --

SECRETARY TILLERSON: No, this was really to allow all South Korea’s security and military assets to be focused on – just like any nation that would host an Olympics. It’s a big security challenge, and we didn’t need to be running military exercises that require them to divert resources. That’s the reason we said we would postpone these till the Olympics are over.

QUESTION: So I think we’ll end on you’re here, you’re Secretary of State. There was lots of reporting that perhaps you wouldn’t be. A State Department official says that the narrative you’re leaving has been allowed to fester for some time and that’s something that you would like to address in your second year as Secretary of State. Do you have a message for whoever is pushing the “Mr. Secretary Tillerson is leaving” narrative from the White House?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: I’m still here. Nothing has changed. My work I was doing last year – State Department did a lot of really important work in 2017 formulating the foreign policies that are necessary to carry out President Trump’s agenda. I’ve said 2018 is a year of execution. The President has put some great policies in place; now we need to go execute against those and start winning for the American people.

QUESTION: And finally, do you believe there are still people in the White House who don’t want you to be Secretary of State?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: I have no idea.

UNDER SECRETARY GOLDSTEIN: Okay, thank you so much.


QUESTION: All right. Mr. Secretary, thank you for your time, sir.

DoS. February 6, 2018. Department Press Briefing. Heather Nauert, Spokesperson. Washington, DC

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Okay. I’d like to start now by giving you an update on the Secretary’s trip to Latin America and also the Caribbean. The Secretary is in the region to promote a safe, prosperous, energy-secure, and democratic hemisphere. He’s also advocating for increased regional attention to the crisis in Venezuela. This morning in Peru he met with the president and also the foreign minister to discuss our strategic partnership, support for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela, and preparations for the 2018 Summit of the Americas.

The Secretary is now in Bogota, Colombia – he just landed a few minutes ago, as a matter of fact – where he will be meeting with the president and also the foreign minister and other senior officials from the government.

His focus is on the UN support – U.S. support for a just and lasting peace in Colombia, our partnership to address the surge in coca and cocaine production, and the peace accord. In addition, he’ll discuss the growing number of migrants from – pardon me, from Venezuela who fled due to humanitarian, political, and economic crisis in their country.


Tomorrow the Secretary will meet with the prime minister and foreign minister in Kingston, Jamaica, where he will be headed next. He will underscore the U.S. commitment to the Caribbean 2020 strategy and discuss energy security and Jamaica’s successful economic reform efforts.

...


U.S. Department of State. February 7, 2018. Press Releases: Inaugural Meeting of the Cuba Internet Task Force

Washington, DC - As directed in President Trump’s June 16, 2017, National Security Presidential Memorandum “Strengthening the Policy of the United States Toward Cuba,” the Department of State convened a Cuba Internet Task Force composed of U.S. government and non-governmental representatives on Wednesday, February 7. Over the next year, the task force will examine technological challenges and opportunities for expanding Internet access in Cuba with the goal of helping the Cuban people enjoy the free and unregulated flow of information.

During the inaugural meeting, the task force agreed to form two subcommittees, one to explore the role of media and freedom of information in Cuba, and one to explore Internet access in Cuba. The subcommittees will provide the task force a preliminary report of recommendations within six months based on input from relevant experts and stakeholders. The task force agreed to reconvene in October to review the preliminary reports, after which it will prepare a final report with recommendations for the Secretary of State and the President.

The Cuba Internet Task Force is chaired by Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs John S. Creamer. In addition to the Department of State, other entities represented on the task force are: the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development, Freedom House, and the Information Technology Industry Council.


The Cuba Internet Task Force is a Presidential Advisory Committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Consistent with the objectives of FACA we will work to ensure that advice by advisory committees is objective and accessible to the public.

FED. February 7, 2018. Consumer Credit December 2017 

Consumer credit increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 7-3/4 percent during the fourth quarter. Revolving credit increased at an annual rate of 9-3/4 percent, while nonrevolving credit increased at an annual rate of 7 percent. In December, consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 5-3/4 percent.

FULL DOCUMENT: https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/default.htm

________________

ECONOMIA BRASILEIRA / BRAZIL ECONOMICS

MRE. AIG. 06 de Fevereiro de 2018. NOTA  19. Situação na Venezuela

O Governo brasileiro repudia o sistemático e inaceitável empenho do regime autoritário venezuelano em eliminar da atividade política partidos, frentes e personalidades da oposição.

A invalidação pelo conselho nacional eleitoral do partido Primer Justicia soma-se à inabilitação das agremiações Mesa de la Unidad Democrática e Voluntad Popular e à cassação dos direitos de Leopoldo López, Antônio Ledezma, Maria Corina Machado, Henrique Capriles, Freddy Guevara e David Smolanski, entre outros, como uma evidência a mais do absoluto desapreço das autoridades venezuelanas pelo pluralismo político e partidário.

O governo brasileiro reitera sua convicção de que a reconciliação do povo venezuelano haverá de resultar de diálogo de boa fé com ampla participação das forças da oposição e da sociedade civil, em busca de uma saída pacífica para a crise que tanto aflige esse povo irmão.

MPOG. 07/02/2018. Governo Federal veda aquisição de passagens na classe executiva e primeira classe em viagens a serviço. A nova regra valerá para viagens por interesse da Administração Pública Federal, tanto em âmbito nacional quanto internacional

Nesta quarta-feira (7) foi publicado o Decreto nº 9.280/2018, que determina que todos os servidores públicos federais – incluindo autoridades – somente viajarão a serviço em voos da classe econômica. O normativo altera a Lei nº 5.809/1972, regulamentada pelo Decreto nº 8.541/2015. A proposta, assinada pelo presidente Michel Temer, foi uma iniciativa do Ministério do Planejamento, Desenvolvimento e Gestão (MP).

“A medida comprova o empenho conjunto e o firme propósito do Governo Federal em promover a racionalização do gasto público, em meio à crise fiscal que o Brasil enfrenta”, destaca o ministro do MP, Dyogo Oliveira.

Antes do novo Decreto, ministros e ocupantes de cargos de natureza especial do Executivo Federal, comandantes e o Chefe do Estado-Maior das Forças Armadas podiam viajar de classe executiva em voos internacionais; já o Presidente da República e o vice podiam voar na primeira classe.

A nova regra valerá para viagens por interesse da Administração Pública Federal, tanto em âmbito nacional quanto internacional. O secretário de Gestão do Planejamento (Seges/MP), Gleisson Rubin, explica que a eficiência do gasto público é um objetivo permanente na agenda do governo. “Como diretriz do Ministério do Planejamento, trata-se de mais uma medida resultante de estudos promovidos pela Seges, no sentido de modernizar práticas de gestão, que podem ser revistas para que se obtenha um Estado mais eficiente e transparente, de modo a alcançar maior racionalidade no uso dos recursos públicos”, conclui.

BACEN. 07/02/2018. BC divulga e IC-Br e Indicadores Econômicos (fluxo cambial, a posição de câmbio dos bancos) de janeiro/2018

DOCUMENTO: http://www.bcb.gov.br/pt-br/#!/c/notas/16380

BACEN. PORTAL G1. 07/02/2018. Copom se reúne nesta quarta e deve baixar juro para 6,75% ao ano. Se confirmado, será o 11º corte seguido na Selic. Expectativa de economistas ouvidos pelo Banco Central é de que, após este corte, taxa ficará estável até o início de 2019, quando voltará a subir.
Por Alexandro Martello e Yvna Sousa, G1 e TV Globo, Brasília

O Comitê de Política Monetária (Copom) do Banco Central se reúne pela primeira vez no ano nesta quarta-feira (7) e deve baixar a taxa básica de juros de 7% para 6,75% ao ano, de acordo com expectativa do mercado financeiro. A decisão do colegiado será divulgada após as 18h.

Se confirmada a previsão dos economistas, a Selic será reduzida pela 11ª vez consecutiva e alcançará o menor patamar desde a adoção do regime de metas para a inflação, em 1999. Também será a menor taxa de juros de toda a série histórica do BC, iniciada em 1986.



A expectativa do mercado financeiro é colhida semanalmente pelo Banco Central, que depois a disponibiliza por meio do relatório Focus. De acordo com o mais recente relatório, os analistas esperam que o corte nesta quarta será o primeiro e o último de 2018, e que a Selic permanecerá no patamar de 6,75% até o começo de 2019.

A partir daí, preveem os economistas, os juros devem voltar a subir e atingiriam 8% ao ano no fechamento do ano que vem.

Como o BC define a Selic

A definição da taxa de juros pelo BC tem como foco o cumprimento da meta de inflação, fixada todos os anos pelo Conselho Monetário Nacional (CMN).

Para 2018, a meta central de inflação é de 4,5%. Para 2019, é de 4,25%. O sistema, porém, prevê uma margem de tolerância, para cima e para baixo. Isso significa, por exemplo, que a meta não seria descumprida pelo Banco Central caso a inflação neste ano ficasse entre 2,5% e 6,5%.

Normalmente, quando a inflação está alta, o BC eleva a Selic. A expectativa é que a subida da taxa também eleve os juros cobrados pelos bancos, ou seja, que o crédito fique mais caro, e com isso freie o consumo, fazendo a inflação cair. Essa medida, porém, afeta a economia e gera desemprego.

Quando as estimativas para a inflação estão em linha com as metas predeterminadas pelo CMN, o BC reduz os juros. É o que está acontecendo neste momento. Para 2018 e 2019, o mercado estima um IPCA de 3,94% e de 4,25%, respectivamente.

Tensões nos mercados

A reunião do Copom acontece em um momento de maior tensão nos mercados financeiros, que reagem a dados, divulgados na semana passada, de que os salários avançaram 2,9% nos Estados Unidos em janeiro - a maior alta anual em 9 anos.

Essa variação pode indicar que as pressões inflacionárias estão mais fortes nos EUA e influenciar as futuras decisões do Federal Reserve (Fed, o BC dos EUA) sobre a taxa de juros americana, que, segundo analistas, pode acabar subindo mais do que os 0,75 ponto percentual esperado até o momento para 2018.

Uma eventual alta maior dos juros influencia negativamente o mercado de ações do país e de outras nações. Isso porque esse aumento representaria mais juros pagos nos títulos públicos dos EUA, atraindo recursos de todo mundo, inclusive do Brasil.

Uma das consequências para a economia brasileira pode ser a pressão de alta sobre o dólar, o que não é bom para a tendência da inflação nos próximos meses, pois os produtos e insumos importados ficariam mais caros. Quando isso acontece, geralmente há repasse para os preços internos.

Rendimento da poupança

Se confirmado o novo recuo da Selic nesta quarta, o rendimento da poupança também deverá cair a partir desta quinta (8).

Isso porque a regra atual, em vigor desde maio de 2012, prevê corte nos rendimentos da poupança sempre que a Selic estiver abaixo de 8,5%.

Nessa situação, a correção anual das cadernetas fica limitada a um percentual equivalente a 70% da Selic, mais a Taxa Referencial, calculada pelo BC. A norma vale apenas para depósitos feitos a partir de 4 de maio de 2012.

A medida visa evitar que a poupança fique mais atrativa que os demais investimentos, cujos rendimentos caem junto com a Selic. Sem o redutor, a poupança passaria a atrair recursos de grandes poupadores, que deixariam de comprar títulos públicos.

Se o juro básico da economia recuar para 6,75% ao ano, a partir desta quinta a correção da poupança passará a ser de 70% desse valor - o equivalente a 4,725% ao ano, mais Taxa Referencial.

IPEA. 07/02/2018. Demanda por bens industriais fecha 2017 com alta de 4,2%. Indicador do Ipea aponta que o crescimento do consumo aparente de bens industriais foi maior que a elevação da produção interna no ano passado

O Indicador Ipea mensal de Consumo Aparente de Bens Industriais referente a dezembro registrou alta de 2,4%, na comparação com novembro. O resultado consolidado de 2017 mostra uma demanda positiva por bens industriais, com elevação de 4,2% – ou seja, acima dos 2,5% de crescimento da produção nacional calculada pela Pesquisa Industrial Mensal, Produção Física, do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE).

"O bom desempenho da demanda por bens industriais ao longo de 2017, com destaque para a alta de 10,5% das importações, corrobora o cenário de recuperação da atividade econômica”, explica Leonardo Mello de Carvalho, pesquisador do Ipea que assina o estudo. O Indicador Ipea de Consumo Aparente de Bens Industriais é definido como a produção industrial doméstica acrescida das importações e diminuída das exportações.

Entre os componentes do consumo aparente, em dezembro de 2017 as importações de bens industriais cresceram 2,2% e a produção doméstica líquida de exportações avançou 2,1%. A demanda por bens da indústria extrativa mineral subiu 3,8% no último mês de 2017 – após um avanço de 4,1% em novembro. Por sua vez, a alta entre os bens da indústria de transformação foi de 1,4%.

Nessa mesma base de comparação, foi verificado um crescimento em 17 segmentos, de um total de 22, aumentando o índice de difusão (que mede a porcentagem dos segmentos da indústria de transformação com aumento em comparação ao período anterior, após ajuste sazonal) para 77%, ante 59% do período anterior.

Entre os segmentos com maior peso, contribuíram positivamente “outros equipamentos de transporte”, com alta de 40,1%, e “veículos automotivos”, com expansão de 8,3%. Na comparação com dezembro de 2017, os destaques foram os “veículos automotivos” (22,4%) e “metalurgia” (16,8%).

O resultado do indicador também foi positivo no quarto trimestre de 2017, quando comparado ao terceiro (alta de 2,9%). Frente a dezembro de 2016, o desempenho do Indicador Ipea de Consumo Aparente de Bens Industriais em dezembro de 2017 foi 9,7% superior.

Carta de Conjuntura: http://www.ipea.gov.br/cartadeconjuntura/index.php/2018/02/07/demanda-interna-por-bens-industriais-cresce-24-em-dezembro/

FGV. IBRE. 07-Fev-2018. Inflação para famílias com renda entre 1 e 2,5 salários mínimos avança em janeiro

O Índice de Preços ao Consumidor - Classe 1 (IPC-C1) do mês de janeiro apresentou variação de 0,50%, taxa 0,53 ponto percentual (p.p.) acima da apurada em dezembro, quando o índice registrou variação de -0,03%. Com este resultado, o indicador acumula alta de 2,02%, nos últimos 12 meses.

Em janeiro, o IPC-BR registrou variação de 0,69%. A taxa do indicador nos últimos 12 meses ficou em 3,22%, nível acima do registrado pelo IPC-C1, conforme ilustra a tabela a seguir.

Cinco das oito classes de despesa componentes do índice apresentaram acréscimo em suas taxas de variação: Alimentação (0,13% para 1,19%), Transportes (0,29% para 1,77%), Educação, Leitura e Recreação (0,32% para 2,24%), Comunicação (-0,37% para 0,08%) e Despesas Pessoais (0,13% para 0,14%). Nestes grupos, os destaques partiram dos itens: hortaliças e legumes (-0,65% para 16,30%), tarifa de ônibus urbano (-0,59% para 2,53%), cursos formais (0,00% para 7,00%), tarifa de telefone residencial (-1,03% para 0,06%) e cartório (0,00% para 1,25%), respectivamente.

Em contrapartida, os grupos: Habitação (-0,58% para -0,83%), Saúde e Cuidados Pessoais (0,22% para 0,18%) e Vestuário (0,33% para 0,19%) apresentaram decréscimo em suas taxas de variação. Nestas classes de despesa, destacam-se os itens: tarifa de eletricidade residencial (-3,89% para -5,39%), artigos de higiene e cuidado pessoal (0,14% para -0,38%) e roupas (0,59% para -0,26%), respectivamente.

DOCUMENTO: http://portalibre.fgv.br/main.jsp?lumPageId=402880972283E1AA0122841CE9191DD3&lumItemId=8A7C82C56158B84301616F8B865B6684

SERASA. PORTAL G1. 07/02/2018. Pedidos de recuperações judiciais caem 23,2% em janeiro, diz Serasa Experian. Queda é em relação a 2017; já em relação a dezembro, os pedidos caíram 46,6%.
Por G1

Em janeiro, foram requeridos 63 pedidos de recuperações judiciais, queda de 23,2% em relação a janeiro de 2017, de acordo com o Indicador Serasa Experian de Falências e Recuperações. Já em relação a dezembro, os pedidos caíram 46,6%.

As micro e pequenas empresas lideraram os requerimentos de recuperação judicial em janeiro, com 32 pedidos, seguidas pelas médias (15) e pelas grandes empresas (16).

Falências

Houve queda de 14,1% nos requerimentos de falências em janeiro em relação ao mesmo mês de 2017 (79 contra 92). Na comparação com dezembro, houve recuo de 23,3%. As MPEs também ficaram na frente com 46 requerimentos em janeiro, seguidas pelas médias empresas, com 15, e as grandes, com 18.

De acordo com os economistas da Serasa Experian, a manutenção da trajetória de expansão da economia, disseminando-se por mais segmentos de atividade, e o destravamento do crédito bancário às empresas contribuíram para a redução dos pedidos de recuperação judicial.

MAPA. 06/02/2018. Biotecnologia e Biossegurança. Semente de soja é opção para produzir cianovirina usada no combate à AIDS. Desenvolvida pela Embrapa, Instituto Nacional de Saúde dos EUA, Universidade de Londres e Conselho de Pesquisa da África do Sul pesquisa premiada pelo Consórcio Federal de Laboratório norte-americano deverá baratear a produção. As sementes geneticamente modificadas serão cultivadas em condições controladas de contenção dentro de casas de vegetação ou estufas

Pesquisa desenvolvida pela Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, o Instituto Nacional de Saúde dos Estados Unidos (NIH, sigla em inglês), a Universidade de Londres e o Conselho de Pesquisa Científica e Industrial da África do Sul (CSIR – sigla em inglês) foi premiada pelo Consórcio Federal de Laboratórios (FLC, sigla em inglês) pela excelência na transferência de tecnologia na área de saúde e serviços humanos em todo o território norte-americano.

O estudo comprovou que sementes de soja geneticamente modificadas constituem a biofábrica mais eficiente e opção viável para produzir em larga escala a cianovirina - proteína muito eficaz no combate à AIDS. A pesquisa que já havia sido premiada no ano passado na região do Médio-Atlântico (FLC MAR), recebeu, agora, o prêmio nacional. O consórcio congrega mais de 300 laboratórios de renomadas instituições de pesquisa e ensino norte-americanas, como o Departamento de Agricultura dos EUA (USDA) e as Universidades de Cornell, Carolina do Norte e Maryland, entre outras.

O prêmio será entregue durante a reunião nacional do FLC, no dia 25 de abril, em Rockville, Maryland. O pesquisador da Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia Elibio Rech, coordenador da participação brasileira nos estudos, receberá a outorga, juntamente com os representantes das instituições internacionais que participaram do projeto.

Para Rech, além do reconhecimento científico, esse prêmio comprova a importância da cooperação técnica para o desenvolvimento de pesquisas de ponta na área de biotecnologia. “Essa homenagem coroa uma pesquisa de mais de uma década, que obteve excelentes resultados graças à parceria com os institutos internacionais”, comemora.

Além de inovadora, a pesquisa tem forte componente humanitário e, por isso, países em desenvolvimento com altos índices de propagação da AIDS, terão licença de produção e de uso livres do pagamento de royalties. De acordo com dados da Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS), na Zâmbia e África do Sul, cerca de 20% de toda população têm a doença. No Brasil, segundo estimativas da ONU, o índice de novos portadores do vírus subiu 3%, entre 2010 e 2016, ao contrário da média mundial, que sofreu contração de 11%.

A pesquisa, que começou a ser desenvolvida em 2005, se baseia na introdução da cianovirina, uma proteína que está presente em algas e que é capaz de impedir a multiplicação do vírus HIV no corpo humano, em sementes de soja geneticamente modificadas para produção em larga escala. O objetivo é o desenvolvimento de um gel (com propriedades viricidas) para prevenir a contaminação.

O pesquisador destacou que as sementes geneticamente modificadas serão cultivadas em condições controladas de contenção dentro de casas de vegetação ou estufas. Ele explica que os efeitos positivos da cianovirina estão comprovados desde 2008, a partir de testes realizados com macacos pelo instituto norte-americano. A capacidade natural dessa proteína, extraída da alga azul-verde (Nostoc ellipsosporum), de se ligar a açúcares impedindo a multiplicação do vírus é conhecida pela comunidade científica mundial há mais de 15 anos. “O que faltava era descobrir uma forma eficiente e econômica para produzir a proteína em larga escala”, completa.

O faturamento da biotecnologia na indústria farmacêutica mundial cresceu muito nas últimas décadas e alcança aproximadamente 10 bilhões de dólares por ano. Os produtos biotecnológicos estão em franco desenvolvimento e hoje representam cerca de 10% dos novos produtos atualmente no mercado.

A expectativa da Embrapa ao investir em pesquisas com biofármacos, como explica Rech, é fazer com que esses medicamentos cheguem ao mercado farmacêutico com menor custo, já que são produzidos diretamente em plantas, bactérias ou no leite dos animais. Existem evidências de que a utilização de biofábricas pode reduzir os custos de produção de proteínas recombinantes em até 50 vezes.

PETROBRAS. 07.Fev.2018. ENERGIA. Refinaria de Pasadena está entre oportunidades de desinvestimento

A PETROBRAS iniciou a etapa de divulgação da oportunidade (Teaser) referente à venda da refinaria de Pasadena, localizada nos Estados Unidos.

A oportunidade contempla todo o sistema de operações de refino de Pasadena, incluindo a refinaria, com capacidade de processamento de petróleo de 110 mil barris por dia e capacidade de armazenamento de 5,1 milhões de barris de petróleo e derivados, o terminal marítimo, a logística e os estoques associados, além de um terreno estrategicamente localizado no canal marítimo de acesso a Houston (Houston Ship Channel), para oportunidades de expansão futura.

A transação consiste na alienação da participação da PAI nas empresas: Pasadena Refining System, Inc, PRSI Trading LLC e PRSI Real Property Holdings LLC.

O Teaser, que contém as principais informações sobre a oportunidade, bem como os critérios objetivos para a seleção de potenciais participantes no processo, está disponível no site: http://www.investidorpetrobras.com.br/pt/comunicados-e-fatos-relevantes.

Além do Teaser, as principais etapas subsequentes do projeto de desinvestimento da companhia serão divulgadas, conforme abaixo:

• início da fase não-vinculante (quando for o caso); 
• início da fase vinculante; 
• concessão de exclusividade para negociação (quando for o caso); 
• aprovação da transação pela alta administração (Diretoria Executiva e Conselho de Administração) e assinatura dos contratos; 
• fechamento da operação (closing).

OPEP. STATOIL. REUTERS. 7 DE FEVEREIRO DE 2018. ENERGIA. CEO da Statoil vê preços do petróleo abaixo de US$70/barril em 2018

LONDRES (Reuters) - O preço do petróleo provavelmente estará sob pressão no final deste ano, dado o aumento de produção onshore nos Estados Unidos, bem como em campos convencionais, disse o CEO da Statoil, Eldar Saetre, nesta quarta-feira à Reuters.

“Acho que nós provavelmente estaremos abaixo de 70 dólares por barril”, afirmou ele quando perguntado sobre as expectativas de preços do petróleo em 2018.

O Brent do Mar do Norte atualmente é negociado em torno de 66,9 dólares, abaixo dos 70,78 dólares no final de janeiro.

Por Nerijus Adomaitis

STAOIL. REUTERS. 7 DE FEVEREIRO DE 2018. ENERGIA. Statoil planeja iniciar produção em Carcará entre 2023 e 2024

LONDRES (Reuters) - A norueguesa Statoil planeja iniciar a produção de petróleo na descoberta de Carcará, no Brasil, em 2023 ou 2024, disse um representante da companhia nesta quarta-feira.

A descoberta, onde a Statoil planeja perfurar de um a três poços de avaliação ainda neste ano, poderia conter mais de 2 bilhões de barris de óleo equivalente, afirmou o chefe de exploração da Statoil para Reino Unido e Noruega, Jez Averty.

“Acreditamos que esse pode ser um ativo de muito alto valor. Ele tem potencial para ser o nosso (Johan) Sverdrup fora da Noruega”, disse ele à Reuters, referindo-se a um grande campo no Mar do Norte que a Statoil está atualmente desenvolvendo.

Os parceiros da Statoil em Carcará incluem a Exxon Mobil e a Galp, de Portugal.

Por Nerijus Adomaitis

ANP. REUTERS. 6 DE FEVEREIRO DE 2018. ENERGIA. Chevron é 1ª gigante estrangeira a publicar interesse na 15ª Rodada de petróleo

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A Chevron Brazil Ventures, da petroleira norte-americana Chevron, foi a primeira grande companhia estrangeira a indicar oficialmente interesse em participar do próximo leilão de blocos exploratórios de petróleo e gás sob regime de concessão no país, previsto para o próximo mês.

Logo da Chevron em feira do setor de gás em Chiba, no Japão 04/04/2017 REUTERS/Toru Hanai
Em um comunicado no site da Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (ANP), a companhia norte-americana indicou seu interesse em atuar em parceria com outras licitantes interessadas nas áreas da rodada.

Com a publicidade, outras empresas podem procurar a empresa para avaliar em conjunto possíveis formações de consórcios para a disputa, segundo explicou a assessoria de imprensa da agência reguladora. O recurso está previsto nos editais do leilão.

Marcada para 29 de março, a 15ª Rodada vai ofertar 70 blocos nas bacias sedimentares marítimas do Ceará, Potiguar, Sergipe-Alagoas, Campos e Santos e nas bacias terrestres do Parnaíba e do Paraná.


Os bônus de assinatura mínimos exigidos por todos os blocos da rodada somam 4,8 bilhões de reais, segundo os editais, incluindo uma única área na Bacia de Santos, que será oferecida por quase 2 bilhões de reais.

Não há detalhes sobre as regiões de interesse da Chevron na 15ª rodada.

Procurada, a assessoria de imprensa da petroleira não respondeu imediatamente ao pedido de comentários.

A Chevron Brazil Ventures se inscreveu mas não participou, em outubro de 2017, de leilões de blocos do pré-sal no Brasil, em um certame marcado por grandes concorrentes como a anglo-holandesa Shell, a britânica BP e a norte-americana Exxon Mobil.

Para a 14ª Rodada de concessão, em setembro de 2017, a empresa não chegou a se inscrever.

O prazo para inscrições e pagamento da taxa de participação da 15ª Rodada termina na quarta-feira. Posteriormente, a ANP poderá publicar os nomes das empresas.

Um leilão do pré-sal, sob regime de partilha, também está previsto para ocorrer neste ano, em junho.

Recentemente, o presidente da Petrobras, Pedro Parente, declarou que a estatal brasileira participará nos leilões marcados para este ano com a mesma linha de estratégia adotada em 2017: “firme, mas seletiva”.

Por Marta Nogueira

ANP. REUTERS. 6 DE FEVEREIRO DE 2018. ENERGIA. Chevron estuda parcerias para leilão de concessões no Brasil, diz ANP

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A Chevron Brazil Ventures estuda participar do próximo leilão de blocos exploratórios de petróleo e gás sob regime de concessão no país, em março, em parceria com outras licitantes, e permitiu que a Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (ANP) publicasse seu interesse no site do leilão.

Com a publicidade, outras empresas podem procurar a empresa para avaliar em conjunto possíveis formações de consórcios para a disputa, segundo explicou a assessoria de imprensa da agência reguladora. O recurso está previsto nos editais do leilão.

Não ficou imediatamente clara a participação da petroleira norte-americana Chevron na Chevron Brazil Ventures.

Marcada para 29 de março, a 15ª Rodada vai ofertar 70 blocos nas bacias sedimentares marítimas do Ceará, Potiguar, Sergipe-Alagoas, Campos e Santos e nas bacias terrestres do Parnaíba e do Paraná.

Não há detalhes sobre as regiões de interesse da Chevron na rodada.

Procurada, a assessoria de imprensa da petroleira não pôde responder imediatamente ao pedido de comentários.

O prazo para inscrições e pagamento da taxa de participação da 15ª Rodada termina na quarta-feira. Posteriormente, a ANP poderá publicar os nomes das empresas.

Por Marta Nogueira; edição de Roberto Samora

EMBRAER. REUTERS. 7 DE FEVEREIRO DE 2018. AVIAÇÃO. Embraer diz que continua negociando com Boeing, mas ainda não recebeu proposta para aliança

CINGAPURA (Reuters) - A Embraer SA, as autoridades brasileiras e a Boeing ainda estão em negociações para uma possível combinação entre as duas fabricantes de aeronaves, disse um alto funcionário da Embraer na quarta-feira.

Falando no Singapore Airshow, o presidente da unidade de aviação comercial da Embraer, John Slattery, disse em uma coletiva de imprensa que a Embraer ainda não recebeu uma proposta da Boeing.

“O único motivo para isso é que as partes continuam a trabalhar na identificação de estruturas que possam funcionar”, disse ele.

Em comunicado enviado ao mercado nesta quarta-feira, a Embraer reiterou que “não recebeu proposta da Boeing” e que “não há, especificamente, nenhuma definição acerca da eventual participação da Boeing e da Embraer em qualquer segmento das operações da Embraer, quer política ou econômica”.

A empresa brasileira estava respondendo questionamento da Comissão de Valores Mobiliários (CVM) sobre notícia publicada pelo jornal Valor Econômico de que a Boeing propôs ter 90 por cento de uma nova empresa que receberia toda a área de aviação comercial da Embraer

PREÇO

Já a Boeing disse que as principais questões para a formação da parceria ainda estão sendo negociadas, e enfatizou que o preço deve fazer sentido para todos os interessados.

“Nossas conversas continuam avançando de forma produtiva, mas há questões-chave que permanecem”, disse Phil Musser, vice-presidente sênior de comunicações da Boeing, à Reuters.

“Conforme observado durante a conferência sobre os resultados, esta é uma combinação vencedora, mas não é uma ‘necessidade’ para a Boeing. Os termos finais e o preço devem gerar o melhor valor para os nossos clientes, investidores e países para fornecer uma ótima plataforma para sucesso”, disse ele em uma entrevista no Singapore Airshow.

Por Tim Hepher, Anshuman Daga e Jamie Freed

EMBRAER. BOMBARDIER. REUTERS. 7 DE FEVEREIRO DE 2018. AVIAÇÃO. Política governamental restringe ofertas da Embraer e Bombardier às companhias aéreas regionais chinesas
Por Jamie Freed e Allison Lampert

CINGAPURA/MONTREAL, 7 Feb (Reuters) - A Embraer SA e a Bombardier Inc estão visando o mercado chinês com uma oferta limitada de aeronaves de pequeno porte para as companhias aéreas regionais, que estão autorizadas apenas a operar jatos com 100 assentos ou menos, de acordo com os executivos das fabricantes de aeronaves.

Uma política governamental destinada a impulsionar a oferta de voos domésticos nos mercados secundários da China exige que companhias aéreas operem pelo menos 25 jatos com 100 lugares ou menos antes de se credenciarem para aeronaves maiores, disseram os executivos.

A política da Administração da Aviação Civil da China (CAAC, na sigla em inglês) emitida em 2016, mas nunca totalmente publicada na sua totalidade, exclui o mais novo jato da Embraer E190-E2 e os jatos C Series da Bombardier. A CAAC não respondeu a um pedido de comentários na quarta-feira.

O presidente da unidade de aviação comercial da Embraer, John Slattery, disse que a política foi projetada para estimular a atividade econômica além da costa leste da China, fortemente povoada.

“Ao olhar para os termos detalhados do documento de política, o E175 é um avião ideal para ser compatível com a política e atender a esses requisitos”, disse ele à Reuters no Singapore Airshow. O E175 tem cerca de 80 assentos.

O chefe de vendas da Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, Colin Bole, disse que vê as companhias aéreas regionais chinesas “se capacitando para os jatos C Series”, mas o limite de 100 lugares pode atrasar a proliferação do avião no país.

“Definitivamente, vamos chegar ao ponto em que o C Series terá uma presença significativa na China”, disse Bole. “Mas, devido a essa polarização nesta fase, haverá um atraso antes que isso realmente aconteça”.

A Bombardier procura aumentar as vendas do jato turbo CRJ 900 de 90 lugares e do turbopropulsor Q400 que atendem os requisitos da política regional, disse Bole.

Por Jamie Freed em Cingapura e Allison Lampert em Montreal

EMBRAER. BOEING. BOMBARDIER. 7 DE FEVEREIRO DE 2018. AVIAÇÃO. Embraer é "parte prejudicada" em disputa comercial entre Boeing e Bombardier, diz executivo

CINGAPURA (Reuters) - A Embraer foi a “parte prejudicada” na disputa comercial entre Boeing e Bombardier, disse nesta quarta-feira o presidente-executivo da unidade de aviação comercial da empresa brasileira, John Slattery.

A comissão de Comércio dos Estados Unidos concedeu no mês passado uma inesperada vitória para a Bombardier sobre a Boeing, em uma decisão que permite à empresa canadense vender jatos para as empresas aéreas nos EUA sem pesados encargos.

A Embraer, concorrente mais direta da Bombardier no mercado de jatos menores de passageiros, apoia uma queixa separada do governo brasileiro contra o Canadá na Organização Mundial do Comércio (OMC), disse Slattery.

“Nós fomos a parte prejudicada”, disse John Slattery à Reuters durante o Singapore Airshow. “Subsídios ilegais foram dados tanto pelo governo federal como pelo Estado de Quebec à Bombardier. Além disso, a Bombardier vendeu a aeronave no mercado norte-americano abaixo do custo.”

(Por Jamie Freed e Tim Hepher)

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LGCJ.: