Alí Rodríguez Araque

Alí Rodríguez Araque (born in Ejido, Mérida, 1937 [http://www.el-nacional.com/Articulos/DetalleArticulo.asp?Id=87695&IdSeccion=84] ) is a Venezuelan politician, lawyer, and diplomat. He is the leader of the party Patria Para Todos ("Motherland For All") and has occupied various positions in the government of President Hugo Chávez, such as oil advisor, General Secretary of OPEC, President of Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), Minister of External Relations and Ambassador to Cuba. He was appointed as Minister of Finance in June 2008.

Career

He received his legal certification from Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas in 1961. He studied economics, specialising in crude oilFact|date=February 2007; he has written several works about the energy sector.Fact|date=February 2007

During the 1960s and early 1970s, he was active in the Marxist guerrilla movement operating in Venezuela.Fact|date=February 2007 He was known as "Commander Fausto", allegedly acting as an explosives expert. He was one of the last guerrilla fighters to put down arms, after the so called "appeasement" policy (Pacificación) signaled the end of the armed insurgency.Fact|date=February 2007 He was pardoned and became involved in parliamentary politics, and was elected to the then National Congress.Fact|date=February 2007 He acquired a reputation as a negotiator and consensus seeker.Fact|date=February 2007 He was minister of energy of Venezuela from 1999, when Chávez took office, until 2000.

In 2000 he was elected secretary-general of OPEC and served from January 2001 to July 2002. He then became president of Venezuela's state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), where he masterminded the firing of more than 20,000 workers as a retaliation for a failed strike. He remained in that position until November 2004 when Chávez appointed him foreign minister in a cabinet reshuffle. On September 1, 2006, Rodríguez was appointed as Ambassador of Venezuela to Cuba. [ [http://actualidad.terra.es/nacional/articulo/ex_rodriguez_cuba_1062935.htm Ex canciller Rodríguez será nuevo embajador venezolano en Cuba ] ] Later he served some time as Vice President of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela for the Andean region in Venezuela [Últimas Noticias, Monday, 16 June 2008, p. 12] before being appointed as Minister of Finance by Chávez on June 15 2008. [Reporte diario de la economía, Monday, 16 June 2008, p. 19]

References

External links

* [http://www.worldenergysource.com/articles/text/rodriguez_WE_v5n3.cfm World Energy Magazine - The Global Energy Industry: An Opportunity for Cooperation, Stability and Investment]
* [http://www.worldenergysource.com/articles/text/rodriguez_we_v5n2.cfm World Energy Magazine - OPEC: New Realities and New Challenges]