www.alertnet.org Jan 2003 13:41

By Andrea Friedli

ZURICH, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Switzerland is mounting its biggest security operation for the world's business and political elite who gather this week at the Davos ski resort, with any plane straying overhead risking being shot down.

Hundreds of police and around 300 soldiers will be deployed in and around the chic mountain city for the January 23-28 World Economic Forum (WEF). Troops in neighbouring Germany are on standby in case of need, police sources said.

The aim is not only to protect international figures such as U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Brazil's new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from extremist attack, the resort is also bracing for anti-globalisation or anti-war protests.

Unlike in 2001 -- last year the event switched to New York as a mark of respect after the September 2001 suicide plane hijackings -- demonstrations will be allowed in Davos, Europe's highest city at 1,500 metres.

The WEF meeting comes amid mounting international tension over Iraq, with United Nations weapon inspectors due to report to the Security Council on January 27 on their search for Baghdad's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

Washington, which has threatened war if Iraq does not come clean over its alleged nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, says the report could be crucial.

Last Sunday, police in Davos found a small explosive device containing a firecracker and an automatic fuse near the Davos Congress Centre where the WEF meeting will be held.

WEF organisers, police and the Swiss government played down the threat from violent political extremists bent on striking a high-profile blow.

"The fact that personalities like the U.S. Attorney General and others are participating should show you that this question has been taken care of," WEF founder Klaus Schwab told journalists.

GUANTLET OF CHECKPOINTS

The security measures will cost the Swiss authorities some $10 million, around $5,000 for each of the 2,000 leaders of finance, business and politics due to attend.

The resort is not on the route of commercial airlines and any light plane seeking to overfly it could be shot down by Swiss fighters if it ignores orders to change course, Swiss government officials said.

The several thousand protesters expected in Davos for Saturday's main demonstration will have to run a gauntlet of police checks.

"We are expecting large difficulties (in getting to Davos). At the moment we have permission to demonstrate, but no permission to allow demonstrators to get to Davos," Walter Angst from the Oltner Buendnis protest movement told Reuters.

Police are setting up checkpoints in the narrow valley that leads to Davos and travellers will be searched for weapons or potentially dangerous objects.

At the main checkpoint midway up the valley, train and bus passengers must disembark and enter a fenced area where they will be searched before being allowed to board a train to Davos.

The government came in for heavy criticism from both civil rights groups and the media for banning protests in Davos in 2001 when riots erupted in other Swiss cities, particularly Zurich.

www.abs-cbnnews.com

CARACAS, Venezuela - More than 100,000 opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez marched in Caracas on Saturday after the populist threatened to quit talks aimed at ending a crisis over his leadership of the world's No. 5 oil exporter.

Holding up flags and torches and banging drums, the huge nighttime rally snaked through eastern parts of the capital where protesters jammed a major highway clamoring for Chavez to step down and call elections.

"These torches light the way for the fall of this regime," Rafael Narvaez, representative of the Coordinadora Democratica opposition alliance, told reporters.

Chavez earlier warned the government could pull out of peace talks brokered by the Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria even as the international community stepped up efforts to break the South American nation's political deadlock.

The negotiations are trying to end the conflict behind a 48-day-old opposition strike that has slashed Venezuela's vital oil output, rattling global energy markets already nervous over a U.S.-led war in Iraq.

The opposition strike, started on Dec. 2, has stoked tensions as Venezuelans deal with serious shortages of gasoline, cooking gas and some food items. The shutdown has pushed Venezuela's oil-reliant economy deeper into recession.

A tough-talking Chavez blasted his opponents as "terrorists and fascists" and said there could be no negotiations with those who are leading the strike against his government. Chavez refuses to quit or call early elections.

"We in the government ... are considering withdrawing our team from the negotiating table because those people are showing no sign that they really want to choose the democratic path," the president said.

Opposition leaders, who accuse the former paratrooper of ruling like a dictator and charge his populist government has created economic chaos, said the OAS-backed negotiations remained the only solution to the crisis. They have vowed to stay on strike until Chavez quits.

The opposition is also demanding a nonbinding referendum Feb. 2 on Chavez's government. But the president says they must wait until August when the constitution allows a binding referendum on his mandate.

"Chavez is trying to wriggle out of this; he's cornered. He's trying to block all the international initiatives to help Venezuela," opposition negotiator Manuel Cova told Reuters.

International help, but from where?

Chavez, who was elected in 1998 and survived a coup last year, said his government would consult with Gaviria and decide over the weekend whether to stay in the 2-month-old OAS-brokered talks, which have made little progress.

Gaviria left for the United States for the weekend. The talks he chairs are due to resume on Monday.

While ruling out negotiations with strike leaders, Chavez said his government could talk to moderate "democratic" opposition representatives who were "not coup mongers."

The Venezuelan leader, who led a botched coup himself six years before his election victory, traveled briefly to Brazil Saturday for talks with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on international efforts to back the OAS negotiations.

Regional leaders this week created a six-nation "group of friends" to support OAS efforts to broker a deal on the key issue of the timing of possible elections.

The group comprised the United States, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Spain and Portugal. But Chavez, who held talks this week with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York, said he wanted the "friends" group to be expanded to include other nations like China, Russia and France.

After meeting Lula, Chavez reiterated his calls for the group to include more nations. But he said the expansion could come later.

"We will give Lula and his government our vote of confidence to form this group to help Venezuela," Chavez told supporters during a speech in Caracas after his Brazil trip.

Chavez, whose leftwing reforms are aimed at easing poverty, has vowed to break the opposition strike by sending troops to take over oil fields, refineries and export terminals. But he has had only partial success in restoring oil operations.

Following Chavez's orders, troops Friday seized drink products from a bottling affiliate of Coca-Cola Co. and from a major local brewer.

The confiscation, carried out by a pro-Chavez National Guard general, was condemned as illegal by opposition leaders. U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, Charles Shapiro, said the takeover could also strain ties with Washington and expressed concern over U.S. commercial interests.

But Chavez warned Saturday more raids could follow as his government tries to ensure food supplies. He has also threatened to take action against banks, schools and factories joining the stoppage.

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www.newsday.com

By JORGE RUEDA Associated Press Writer

January 19, 2003, 8:40 AM EST CARACAS, Venezuela -- At least 100,000 anti-government protesters staged a candlelight march in Caracas late Saturday, converging on a city highway waving national flags, flashlights and flaming torches.

Protesters cut off traffic as they demanded President Hugo Chavez's resignation and voiced support for a 7-week-old strike called by business and labor groups to force a nonbinding referendum on Chavez's rule.

"We don't want this totalitarian regime that the president wants to impose," said Carolina Serrano, 25, dressed in jeans colored in the yellow, blue and red of the Venezuelan flag and shielding a candle from the evening breeze. "We're tired of so much abuse of power."

Caracas Fire Chief Rodolfo Briceno estimated that the march drew at least 100,000 people.

In Miami, about 50,000 protesters jammed into the predominantly Cuban Little Havana, calling for Chavez's ouster. Venezuelan exiles were joined by Cuban-Americans and sympathizers from other Latin American nations.

The strike is strongest in state oil monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., where 30,000 of 40,000 workers are off the job. Banks have restricted hours and sympathetic media broadcast pro-strike and anti-Chavez commercials around the clock.

Chavez, arriving from a visit to Brazil, promised to use the full extent of the law -- backed up by the military -- to break the strike, which began Dec. 2.

The former paratrooper, who was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000, insists his foes must wait until August -- or halfway through his six-year term -- when a recall referendum is permitted by the constitution.

"We've put up with too much," Chavez said in a nationally televised speech. "I've ordered legal proceedings to begin against the banks ... and the media."

Government adversaries pledged to oppose the president peacefully and urged Venezuelans to use their vote in a nonbinding referendum on Chavez's rule, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 2, and avoid violence.

Opposition representatives at talks mediated by the Organization of American States said they would persist with negotiations despite threats by Chavez to pull out.

"If we decide to leave the table it's because those people (opposition) don't show demonstrations of wanting to take the democratic path," Chavez told the state-run Venpres news agency Saturday.

Cesar Gaviria, the OAS secretary general, began mediating the talks in November. Little progress has been made while the strike threatens to destroy Venezuela's economy.

"The president can try to leave the table with a characteristically violent gesture but we reply with civilized, democratic and peaceful behavior," Alejandro Armas, an opposition negotiator. "We are going to stay at the table."

On Friday, soldiers battled through protesters to seize food and drink from Venezuela's largest food company, Empresas Polar, and an affiliate of U.S. soft drink giant Coca-Cola to distribute among the people.

Chavez said the companies that owned the plants in the industrial city of Valencia, 66 miles west of Caracas, were denying Venezuelans food and drink during the crippling strike.

U.S. Ambassador Charles Shapiro said he was "concerned and disappointed" by the seizures, which affect U.S. interests in Venezuela.

"I strongly hope I'm wrong, but it looks like the officers did not act within the law," Shapiro said. "There was no (judicial) order, nor a judge" present.

The Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce and Industry denounced the actions as unconstitutional and offered support to any member companies whose rights were threatened.

Chavez was in Brazil on Saturday to speak with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva about the newest initiative to end the bitter stalemate. A so-called "Group of Friends of Venezuela" is being set up with the participation of Brazil, the United States, Mexico, Chile, Portugal and Spain.

Chavez said he would seek similar meetings with presidents of the group's other member countries. Washington has indicated it believes the best way out of the crisis is through new elections. "I am not afraid of the opinions of the United States in the negotiations of the Group of Friends, because the United States is also a friend of Venezuela," Chavez said.

Venezuela is the fourth-largest supplier of oil to the United States. The Supreme Court is due to decide on the legality of the proposed Feb. 2 referendum.

Venezuela's opposition, which accuses Chavez of running the country's democratic institutions into the ground, says it will ignore any decision trying to stop the vote.

Chavez promised radical change in the oil-rich country where 80 percent of the 24 million people live in poverty. But an economic recession has brought unemployment to 17 percent, and a devaluation of the bolivar currency fueled 30 percent inflation last year.

The strike has caused severe food and fuel shortages and hobbled the oil industry, costing the nation at least $4 billion.

www.falkland-malvinas.com Mercosur Sunday, 19 January

Visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said here Saturday that he would give a vote of confidence to the "Friends of Venezuela" group being formed to mediate the crisis between his government and the opposition.

"We are endorsing the group so it can act, organize, negotiate and analyze," Chavez said after a more-than-two-hour meeting with Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Chavez made a quickly arranged visit to Brasilia to discuss with Lula, as he is universally known, the configuration and role of the group of friendly nations, which was first proposed by the Brazilian president.

Lula's initiative was approved Wednesday by a group of regional leaders in Quito and would comprise Brazil, the United States, Chile, Mexico, Spain and Portugal. Chavez, however, wants China, Russia, France, Algeria and Cuba, among others, to join the group.

The Venezuelan president said that while he liked the makeup of the group as proposed, other governments had also expressed an interest in helping find a solution to the protracted political crisis in his country.

But at yesterday’s meeting, Lula explained to Chavez that the six-nation group was sufficiently balanced to pursue a solution to Venezuela's problems, according to Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, who also attended the meeting.

"Additions (to the group) are a future consideration, and the future is in God's hands," Amorim told reporters.

Chavez said that he heads a democratic government seeking a "revolution" in his country.

When asked if that revolution could mean a loss of lives, Chavez said "many lives have already been lost in Venezuela, and the revolution will prevent the loss of more."

Chavez insisted that "some coup-mongering businessmen" had promoted "terrorism" in his country, leading the government to take over some companies considered vital.

He was referring to Friday's raid by the Venezuelan National Guard on bottling plants to seize soft drinks and beer, allegedly to distribute to the country's citizens.

The Venezuelan economy has been paralyzed since Dec. 2, due to a opposition-led general strike and the shutdown of the oil industry designed to force Chavez to resign.

Chavez said upon his arrival in Brasilia that he was willing to accept the involvement of any nation, including the United States, in the group of friends, "as long as Washington clearly understands that Venezuela has a democratic government, over which I preside."

www.oaklandtribune.com18651121938,00.html Article Last Updated: Sunday, January 19, 2003 - 4:16:11 AM MST By Jorge Rueda, Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Foes of President Hugo Chavez vowed on Saturday to step up efforts to resolve the country's crisis peacefully -- one day after troops battled through protesters to raid privately owned bottling plants.

Government adversaries urged Venezuelans to use their vote in a Feb. 2 nonbinding referendum on Chavez's rule rather than respond to violence with more violence.

Opposition representatives at talks mediated by the Organization of American States said they would plow on with negotiations despite statements by Chavez that the government could leave the talks.

"The president can try to leave the table with a characteristically violent gesture but we reply with civilized, democratic and peaceful behavior," said Alejandro Armas, one of six opposition representatives at the talks. "We are going to stay at the table."

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Cesar Gaviria, the OAS secretary general, began mediating the talks in November. Little progress has been made while a 7-week-old strike called by business and labor groups to force Chavez from office threatens to destroy Venezuela's economy.

"If we decide to leave the table it's because those people (opposition) don't show demonstrations of wanting to take the democratic path," Chavez told the state-run Venpres news agency Saturday.

On Friday, soldiers seized food and drink from Venezuela's largest food company, Empresas Polar, and an affiliate of U.S. soft drink giant Coca-Cola to distribute among the people.

Chavez defended the raids in the industrial city of Valencia, 66 miles west of Caracas. He said the companies that owned the plants were denying Venezuelans food and drink during the crippling strike.

On Saturday, dozens of anti-Chavez protesters demonstrated outside a bottling plant in Valencia. One banner read, "Don't Buy Stolen Coke!" An anti-government protest by candlelight was slated to take place in the capital.

U.S. Ambassador Charles Shapiro said he was "concerned and disappointed" by the seizures, which affect U.S. interests in Venezuela.

"I strongly hope I'm wrong, but it looks like the officers did not act within the law," Shapiro said. "There was no (judicial) order, nor a judge" present.

The Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce and Industry denounced the actions as unconstitutional and offered support to any member companies whose rights were threatened.

Chavez was in Brazil on Saturday to speak with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva about the newest initiative to end the bitter stalemate. A so-called "Group of Friends of Venezuela" is being set up with the participation of Brazil, the United States, Mexico, Chile, Portugal and Spain.

Chavez said he would seek similar meetings with presidents of the group's other member countries and added he was not worried by U.S. involvement. Washington has indicated it believes the best way out of the crisis is through new elections.

"I am not afraid of the opinions of the United States in the negotiations of the Group of Friends, because the United States is also a friend of Venezuela," Chavez said.

Venezuela is the fourth-largest supplier of oil to the United States.

Allies and adversaries of Chavez expect a forthcoming Supreme Court ruling on the legality of the proposed Feb. 2 referendum.

Venezuela's opposition says it will ignore any decision that tries to stop the referendum, while Chavez says he will not step down even if he loses by 90 percent.

Chavez, who was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000, insists his foes must wait until August -- or halfway through his six-year term -- when a recall referendum is permitted by the constitution.

His opponents say they cannot wait that long. They accuse the former paratroop commander of running the country's democratic institutions into the ground.

Chavez promised radical change in the oil-rich country where 80 percent of the 24 million people live in poverty. But an economic recession has brought unemployment to 17 percent, and a devaluation of the bolivar currency fueled 30 percent inflation last year.

The strike has caused severe food and fuel shortages and hobbled the oil industry, costing the nation at least $4 billion.

Venezuela produced 3 million barrels a day of crude before the strike but output was at 512,000 barrels Friday, according to striking employees of the state-owned oil monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.

Chavez insisted his government was reviving oil production.