NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) July 31, 2003--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that it raised its corporate credit rating on Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) to 'B-' from 'CCC+'. At the same time, Standard&Poor's raised its corporate credit rating on PDVSA's wholly owned affiliate PDV America Inc. to 'BB' from 'BB-'. The outlook is stable. "The rating upgrades reflect the upgrade of the foreign currency rating on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to 'B-' from 'CCC+'. Future ratings changes on PDVSA and its affiliates will be linked to rating changes on Venezuela, in addition to changes in either entity's financial or operational profile," said Standard&Poor's credit analyst Bruce Schwartz. As