www.canoe.ca Chavez busy seeking solutions to crisis By AP

BRASILIA -- Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez asked yesterday for broader international support for his embattled government and urged "social, political and economic revolution" as the only solution for South America's ills.

Chavez met for three hours with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and asked for support to expand the Group of Friends of Venezuela, created to seek solutions for his country's political crisis.

Chavez said the group - comprised of Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Spain, Portugal and the United States - should include more countries, including Russia and China.

But Brazil argued that a smaller, more agile group could make and implement decisions faster, said Silva's foreign affairs adviser, Marco Aurelio Garcia. The group will support the negotiating efforts now under way by the Organization of American States.

The balance within the current group is "delicate but important because it brings together a range of opinions about the situation in Venezuela," Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said after the meeting.

Chavez said he accepted Brazil's position but said the group could be expanded in the future.

At home, Chavez faces a general strike called Dec. 2 by opposition groups to force him from office. The strike has caused severe food and fuel shortages, but Chavez has defied demands to resign.

Chavez indicated he would be willing to discuss a constitutional amendment reducing the presidential term from six years to five or four and to hold new elections, as long as the changes were carried out within the existing legal framework and were supported by a referendum.

"Dialogue will prosper when the constitution is placed on the negotiating table instead of demands and blackmail that affect the people and undermine the Venezuelan economy," he said.

"Each day I am more convinced that Venezuela and other South American nations have no other route but that of social, political and economic revolution to resolve their problems," he added. Chavez arrived in Brasilia yesterday morning and flew back to Venezuela after the meeting.

www.nytimes.com January 19, 2003 By JUAN FORERO

BOGOTÁ, Colombia, Jan. 18 — Latin America's four most visible left-leaning heads of state came together for the first time this week at the inauguration of one of them as president of Ecuador.

Ecuador's new leader, Lucio Gutierrez, is a former army colonel and coup plotter who has promised to fight the "corrupt oligarchy" in his country. The others are Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a former union leader elected to the Brazilian presidency in October; Fidel Castro of Cuba, the grand old man of the Latin American left; and Venezuela's embattled president, Hugo Chávez.

The four basked in applause at Ecuador's cavernous Congress on Wednesday and held meetings to discuss the future of a troubled region.

To some in Washington, particularly conservatives on Capitol Hill, the convergence of leftist leaders — all of whom, at some point, have used antagonistic words in criticizing United States policy — has raised concerns about a new pan-Latin American movement with socialist overtones.

Indeed, Representative Henry J. Hyde, Republican of Illinois and the chairman of the House International Relations Committee, warned late last year that Brazil's new president might join Mr. Chávez and Mr. Castro in a Latin "axis of evil." Mr. Hyde also characterized Mr. da Silva as a dangerous "pro-Castro radical who for electoral purposes had posed as a moderate."

It is true that all four leaders share similarities: opposition to the unfettered market reforms that have failed so far to bring prosperity to Latin America, concern about the burdensome foreign debts that stagger many nations in the region and wariness about the United States meddling in their affairs.

Invigorated by Mr. da Silva's victory in Brazil — the first election of a leftist president in the largest Latin American country — the four leaders see an opportunity to shape events in the region, rather than leave it to the United States to set the agenda.

Brazil has already exerted its influence, with Mr. da Silva becoming the driving force behind a "group of friendly nations," including the United States, that is offering to help Venezuela negotiate an end to a seven-week-old national strike aimed at forcing Mr. Chávez from power. The Venezuelan leader has welcomed the initiative, flying on Friday to meet in Brazil with Mr. da Silva to discuss ways to resolve the crisis.

"There's no question that these four nations are going to form an axis of populism, or an axis of popular rhetoric," said Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, a Washington-based policy analysis group.

But Mr. Birns and other analysts who track political trends in Latin America said that while the four leaders might, on the surface, show a united front, they were four very different men who would pursue different agendas with markedly different approaches.

Mr. da Silva, 57, who grew up in poverty, became a factory worker and helped found the Workers Party, won a loyal following as a leftist firebrand who railed against everything from international lending policies to the incompetence and corruption of Brazil's elite class.

But after losing three presidential elections, he moderated his tone, promising that Brazil would pay its foreign debt while still trying to enact social policies to alleviate poverty and hunger.

While still raising concerns about such important issues as the hemisphere-wide trade zone proposed by Washington, Mr. da Silva has worked to build ties with the Bush administration. "I can count on President Bush as an ally," he has said.

Miguel Diaz, director of the South America Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said of Mr. da Silva, "He wants the U.S. to be a part of the solution, and doesn't see the U.S. as part of the problem."

That is not to say that Mr. da Silva plans to abandon his campaign against poverty and hunger. His Workers Party, an amalgam of divergent leftist movements, expects Mr. da Silva to address seriously Brazil's grinding inequality. Mr. da Silva has promised to improve the lives of his countrymen, pledging that all Brazilians would receive three meals a day.

But the pursuit of his social agenda will be difficult in a country saddled with a huge foreign debt and international commitments to foreign lenders. It is a challenge both he and Mr. Gutierrez face: carrying out the far-reaching social programs they promised on the campaign trail last year while dealing with serious financial constraints in difficult economic times.

Mr. da Silva appears acutely aware of how important it is for him to provide successful guidance for Brazil, a country of 175 million that has one of the world's largest economies and is a budding power broker.

Mr. Gutierrez, 45, a former colonel and son of a riverboat captain, shares many of Mr. da Silva's qualities, according to international analysts who have met the new Ecuadorian leader.

Though his background is dissimilar — he helped lead a coup that toppled President Jamil Mahuad three years ago — he is seen as a pragmatist who has already sharply shifted on earlier positions like scrapping the country's dollar currency and not paying the foreign debt.

Mr. Chávez and Mr. Castro, leader of the hemisphere's only Communist country, have taken more defiant stances.

Mr. Chávez, 48, a former coup plotter, was elected to office in 1998 after promising to upend the old social order and to improve the lives of the poor. But his incendiary speeches have divided the country and alienated business leaders, labor groups and others who now seek to force him from office.

The Venezuelan leader has harshly criticized Washington's policy in the Americas, built a strong friendship with Mr. Castro and has promised a peaceful revolution to remake his country. While analysts do not view his policies as particularly radical, his government is seen as inept, with the country's economy suffering the consequences and slowly disintegrating over the last two years.

Mr. Castro, 76 and the leader of Cuba for 44 years, is clearly delighted about Latin America's shift to the left, though he is now more a symbol than a protagonist with influence.

Mr. Chávez may believe he has new close friends to help extricate him from the turmoil roiling his country. But Mr. da Silva and Mr. Gutierrez are expected to steer clear of forming strong alliances with the Cuban and Venezuelan leaders, though Mr. da Silva is strongly committed to finding a negotiated resolution to Venezuela's problems.

The Bush administration has, at least publicly, offered support for the new leaders, with the American ambassador in Brazil praising Mr. da Silva and the State Department wholeheartedly supporting the group of friends of Venezuela despite initial misgivings.

Michael Shifter, who has closely followed the political changes for the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington policy group, said the United States must now show flexibility to give the leaders "more room to maneuver and undertake new social and economic policies."

"The worst scenario would be if the United States begins to lump all of these leaders together, in other words sees Lula and Gutierrez the same way they see Chávez, and talks of an axis of evil," Mr. Shifter said. "Then the risk is it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."

www.nytimes.com By TONY SMITH

RASÍLIA, Jan. 18 — President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela failed today to win backing from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil to include Russia, France and other "friendly" nations in a United States-sponsored mediation effort to restore peace to Venezuela.

Mr. Chávez, who is facing growing demands from opponents at home to resign as Venezuela's economy buckles under a seven-week-long strike, said here today that he was "grateful for the good faith and will to help" shown by other nations. But he insisted that the mediation group formed by the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Portugal and Chile be broadened. Advertisement

"We see this group as a preconfiguration," he said on arrival at a military base here for talks with his major regional ally.

But after two hours of talks with Mr. da Silva, he told reporters that he had "agreed to give my vote of confidence to the group so it can function properly and contribute toward a solution." He said the group could be broadened at a later date.

The Brazilian foreign minister, Celso Amorim, said the Brazilians had emphasized to Mr. Chávez that "the balance found in the group is a delicate balance" that "represents various points of view."

"He probably still has his personal doubts," Mr. Amorim said, but adding, "I think he understood."

Mr. Chávez said earlier that Russia had shown interest in joining the group and that Venezuela had approached France. He also said Fidel Castro of Cuba and Prime Minister Percival J. Patterson of Jamaica should not be left out.

A State Department official said on Friday that the United States and other nations involved in the initiative were satisfied that the mediation group had already been formed.

Using his usual fiery rhetoric, Mr. Chávez said he believed that Brazil and other countries "will not simply align themselves with any old position" proposed by the United States. "What's at stake in Venezuela is the construction of an alternative to neo-liberalism," he said. Neo-liberalism is the term he and other leftist leaders use to describe a gamut of United States-inspired free-market policies that many contend have failed to deliver economic growth with social justice in the developing world.

news.mysanantonio.com San Antonio Express-News
Web Posted : 01/19/2003 12:00 AM   Reggae legend Bob Marley would be pleased to see his legacy being carried on so ably by his old dissident friend, Brazilian singer Gilberto Gil.

A Green Party activist, Gil made the leap from outsider to establishment in January when Brazil's new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, appointed him culture minister.

Though he's a cabinet official now, Gil said he plans to continue touring on weekends. His latest album is the Marley tribute "Kaya N'Gan Daya," which includes "Buffalo Soldier," "One Drop" and "Could You Be Loved."

Recorded at Marley's Tuff Gong studios in Jamaica, "Kaya N'Gan Daya" features backing vocals by Marley's I Threes (Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt). Gil and the Marley family maintain close ties.

"I have a great deal of affection for his work," Gil said. "Since the beginning, I've followed everything he did. I have a big interest in reggae because of the freshness and novelty it represented. I've followed many other reggae artists, but I think Bob was the most inspired in musical and political terms."

Contemporaries in 1970s musical explorations and socialist politics, Gil and Marley were among the best-known world music artists of their day.

Gil recorded a hit Portuguese cover of Marley's "No Woman, No Cry," titled "Não Chore Mais," in 1977. "Kaya N'Gan Daya" contains a new version of the track, with backing band Paralamas do Sucesso providing Brazilian flavor.

"In English, it's about poverty, police harassment and the struggle for integration into society," Gil said. "When I translated it into Portuguese, we were in the last years of a dictatorship in Brazil. We also had difficult times with the police and people being tortured and killed. I used this song to address what was happening in society and our need for freedom, but in a different context."

Both suffered for their convictions. Marley, who died of cancer in 1981, was nearly killed in a 1976 assassination attempt. Gil, 60, lived in exile in England from 1969 to 1972.

Eliades Ochoa Music that makes people dance, that's evocative of place and performed by real people will always delight, says Santiago, Cuba-born singer and guitarist Eliades Ochoa.

Traditional acoustic Cuban music satisfies on all three counts.

"I've always liked that type of music," Ochoa said. "I feel it more. It transmits a more direct message and says more things. If you need to seduce a girl, a bolero will say everything you want to, and at the end she'll tell you yes or no. If you want to liven up a party, you just break out the guitar and play a son."

Ochoa, 54, recently released "Estoy Como Nunca," which revives old Cuban chestnuts, much like the 1998 "Buena Vista Social Club" project with which he was involved.

Cuban roots have captured the attention of American artists — recent releases by Los Super Seven ("Canto") and Rick Treviño ("Mi Son") reflect the influence and include Cuban musicians and arrangers.

Now, Super Seven members David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos) and Raul Malo (The Mavericks) return the favor. Hidalgo plays guitar on the album's title track and Malo singing lead vocals on "No Me Preguntes Tanto," which he co-wrote with Dennis Britt.

"Traditional Cuban son has boomed since the 'Buena Vista Social Club' movie came out," Ochoa said. "So that music is better than ever, and so am I, thus the title 'Estoy Como Nunca.' ('I'm Better Than Ever')

"I love the rhythm and harmony on the title track. Its style and body really get my attention. It's a song that was popular in Cuba in the early 1960s, but since then has practically been forgotten. So I decided to rescue it. Almost all the songs I recorded are from the 1950s and 1960s and even the late 19th century."

With his four-piece band, Cuarteto Patria, Ochoa carves out an earthy, rhythmic soundscape comprising double bass, acoustic guitar, hand percussion and two trumpets.

The final track, "Sus Ojos Se Cerraron," poignantly describes the death of a loved one. Originally written as a tango by Alfredo Le Pera and Carlos Gardel, the early 20th century Argentine star, the touching song is recast by Ochoa as a bolero, with his guitar the only accompaniment.

"Tangos have a certain melancholy feel and they have such lovely lyrics," Ochoa said. "'Sus Ojos Se Cerraron' is incredible. Few people can write such great lyrics; it's as if they put you in their shoes."

Ramiro Burr's column appears on Fridays in Weekender and on Sundays in Culturas. For questions or comments, call him at (800) 555-1551, ext. 3429, or e-mail rburr@express-news.net.

www.knoxnews.com By JORGE RUEDA, Associated Press January 19, 2003

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.

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. An anti-government protest was slated to take place in the capital.

U.S. Ambassador Charles Shapiro said he was "concerned and disappointed" by the seizures.

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.