Venezuela is assessing nonessential public holdings for possible offers to private businesses or returns to former owners, potentially undoing state takeovers initiated by Hugo Chavez while he was president.
In a televised address, Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said she had directed officials to assess the holdings. She described the review as “already well advanced” and offered no additional details.
Rodriguez established a government commission in April to examine state property, including infrastructure tied to energy, power and mining. Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the process, that the commission has been organizing the holdings by category.
Reuters reported that state takeovers involving major projects and industries generated more than a dozen international arbitration claims. Most remain unsettled by the government.
Rodriguez said negotiations cover 44 energy contracts under the state oil law approved in January. She also cited mining talks involving gold, aluminum and iron. The government has said it signed 61 oil agreements but has not disclosed details.
