Can't read clob field

I have a table 'RSRPARAMETRIZA' that has a field 'CONTENT' and it is defined as a CLOB.

My problem is that I want to read this field with the se38 pgm RSDU_EXEC_SQL.

My sql then is defined like:

     Select

     Xmltype(pd.content).extract('//VARIABLES/text()').getStringVal() as mytext

     from RSRPARAMETRIZA pd

     where paramnm = '!PERS4K11TUS13URCRQXVK0UK5JZK2'

but I get no result.

I can see some of the field contents in SE16 and they look like:

     <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><VARIABLES> blah,balh,blah </VARIABLES>

What I want to see is the xml between "VARIABLES" or any other xml path that I specify.

Any help is appreciated.

Mike