The second day of the conference, the government of Venezuela, headed by President Hugo Chávez, took over oil fields operated by two energy giants—Total of France and Eni of Italy—after they challenged government rules giving the state a majority stake in 32 such fields. Days earlier, Venezuela’s energy minister, Rafael Ramírez, had told the press that the U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil was not welcome in the country.

Many delegates at the JVR congress were involved in programs promoted by the government that provide basic literacy, high school education, and university courses for working people. Others were part of the effort to establish neighborhood clinics—staffed by thousands of Cuban volunteer doctors—in working-class and rural areas that previously had little access to medical care.

The JVR has set as a primary goal for this year winning 10 million votes to re-elect Chávez in the December 3 presidential elections. How to mobilize to achieve this was a central theme of discussion in workshops and plenary sessions.

“Right now, it appears the opposition’s strategy will be to boycott the elections and demobilize the electorate,” said MVR leader William Lara, minister of communication and information, at a plenary session. “If only a small percentage of the electorate votes, U.S. imperialism can say Chávez is not legitimately elected and use it as a pretext to attack us. We need to prepare for any strategy they come up with. The JVR should organize voting patrols in the neighborhoods to convince people to vote, as they did during the recall referendum in August.”

At a workshop on international relations, Fadi Al Aisami, a delegate from Mérida, said, “There are 3.5 million immigrant workers in Venezuela who we can reach out to and include in the social programs. My father, who was born in Syria, lived in Venezuela for 26 years and never voted. We can win over people like him.”

International guests came from the Socialist Youth Front of Denmark, Union of Young Communists of Cuba (UJC), Young Communists of Colombia (JUCO), Clement Payne Movement of Barbados, October 8 Revolutionary Youth in Brazil, and Young Socialists in Canada and the United States.

“Denmark has the most fascist government in all of Europe,” said Bjorn Hansen from the Socialist Youth Front of Denmark. “But there is hope, as shown by the strikes in France. Venezuela gives hope to the entire left, because it proves socialism can be built.”

“Millions of immigrant workers and their allies have marched in the United States recently to demand their rights and defend themselves against anti-immigrant attacks,” said Olympia Newton, representing the Young Socialists in the United States. “We are aided in our struggles by the anti-imperialist struggles of our Venezuelan brothers and sisters, as we have been aided by the living example of the Cuban Revolution for the last 47 years. That is why the Young Socialists has joined with dozens of organizations to build marches on May 20 in Washington and Los Angeles to demand ‘Hands off Venezuela! Hands off Cuba!’”

Edwin Frías from Barinas proposed organizing marches across Venezuela to coincide with the May 20 U.S. actions. Delegates at that workshop adopted this proposal unanimously.

“There is an international media campaign against Venezuela saying that we are following the road of the Cuban Revolution,” said Lenin Pérez, a student from Caracas. “We have to counter that and explain that we are building 21st century socialism, not Cuban socialism.”

Dreyser Ojeda, a student from Carabobo, expressed a different view in an interview with the Militant. “We have a lot to learn from the Cubans,” he said. “They have accomplished so much in their revolution because people there are mobilized to advance. They can teach us a lot.” Ojeda is one of several thousand Venezuelan youth who have studied or are studying medicine, social work, or other subjects in Cuba.

Delegates here did not discuss the latest decision to extend state control over the country’s oil resources, since they were announced as the conference was ending.

The takeover of the two oil fields operated by Total and Eni came about after the National Assembly voted at the end of March that PDVSA, the state-owned oil company, will take a 60 percent stake in all joint ventures with foreign investors, which account for a fifth of the country’s oil production. Some 16 foreign companies accepted the new terms, but Total and Eni demanded a larger stake.

ExxonMobil has refused to abide by these rules and sold its stake at one of the disputed fields to Repsol of Spain. But Exxon still holds a 42 percent stake in a much larger heavy-oil project.

Last year, Caracas increased royalties foreign investors had to pay from 1 percent to 16.6 percent. In early April, the government said it plans to increase taxes for investors in oil to 50 percent from 34 percent.  
 
 
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