Venezuela, Colombia to build pipeline

CARACAS, Venezuela – The construction of a natural gas pipeline to connect Colombia with Venezuela and eventually offer access to markets in Asia will begin next month, officials said Thursday.

Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister Pavel Rondon, speaking on the sidelines of talks between Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez and his Colombian counterpart, Carolina Barco, said work on the pipeline

Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez told state television that the pipeline “is very important for Venezuela because it’s going to mean access to the Pacific, where we have the expanding Asian markets.”

The two South American nations agreed in July 2004 to invest $150 million to build the underwater pipeline, which will connect Colombia’s region of La Guajira with Venezuela’s Paraguana peninsula.

AP