More on Citgo campaign

From the Houston Chronicle:

Citgo Petroleum Corp. went on the attack Monday in new ads that blast what it calls "misleading and inaccurate" criticisms of the Houston-based arm of the Venezuelan oil company.

The ads reaffirm its commitment to the U.S. market and work to counter the backlash from a speech a month ago by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, in which he called President Bush "the devil" during a visit to the United Nations.

In the first ad, which appeared Monday in the Washington Post, Citgo President Felix Rodriguez said critics are doing more damage to Citgo's thousands of U.S. employees and small-business owners who sell Citgo gasoline than to the company itself.

"We understand that, as a corporation, we cannot always control the environment in which we operate, but we feel compelled to set the record straight out of respect for our employees, business partners and consumers," he said.

The ad points out that Citgo employs 4,000 people, operates five refineries and sells gasoline through 13,000 independently owned stations across the country.

Citgo also says it is too early to tell if the company's sales have taken a hit as a result of Chavez's remarks.

Click here to read the Houston Chronicle article in full.

- David Adams