www.guardian.co.uk Leader Monday January 20, 2003 The Guardian
As the long-running political crisis in Venezuela begins to have an ever-greater international impact, efforts to end a divisive general strike and get the country back to work continue to founder. Until this week, outside mediation intended to defuse the confrontation between President Hugo Chavez and his vociferous opponents has been led by Cesar Gaviria, secretary-general of the Organisation of American States. But Mr Gaviria has made no headway and has now been reinforced by a new group, to be known as the Friends of Venezuela, initiated by the new Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva, and including Mexico, Chile, Spain, Portugal and the US. It is not yet clear what the "friends" may propose - but the problem is plain enough. Venezuela, losing $50m a day and moving ever closer to bankruptcy, escalating violence and possible civil war, cannot afford to allow the present situation to continue unresolved. The neighbours, and in particular the US, think so too.
Washington, unsurprisingly given its disproportionate wealth and power, has more to lose than most. Venezuela supplies about one-sixth of US oil imports or did so, at least, until managers at the state oil company joined the anti-Chavez rebellion at a cost to their country so far of $4bn. Non-emergency US crude stocks are now touching a 27-year low and pump prices are rising, just as its designs on Iraq threaten to disrupt Middle Eastern supply. For the US, the problem is increasingly strategic, not local.
Despite this growing sense of urgency and a clear US temptation to try to take charge, the damage caused by Washington's perceived backing for last year's abortive coup against Mr Chavez has taught it to tread warily. Last week, controversial Latin American policy chief Otto Reich was moved to a lesser position. The state department has meanwhile taken to emphasising the need for a "peaceful, constitutional, democratic and electoral" solution. Regional leader Brazil would in any case be likely to oppose any US attempt to force the pace and warns that "aiming for magic solutions could lead to more violent conflicts". Indeed, Mr da Silva is far from unsympathetic to Mr Chavez, and rightly so. While both have their flaws, both are elected presidents attempting to reform badly run countries, raise the poor and reverse decades of entrenched injustice. Pressure from special interests, from whatever quarter, should be resisted.
www.newsday.com Jan 14, 2003 By Letta Tayler Latin America Correspondent
January 20, 2003 Caracas -- For seven weeks, Lila Vega, a pediatrician, has worked only a fifth of her usual hours -- and earned a fifth of her usual income -- as part of a strike aimed at unseating populist President Hugo Chávez.
When Vega does go to her office, she bikes the six miles. That way, she doesn't have to wait hours in line to fill her car's tank with gasoline, which is almost impossible to find because Venezuela's oil monopoly has joined the strike.
Most teachers are participating, too, so Vega's daughters no longer attend school. "We have to continue the pressure,” said Vega, her mouth tightening. "We're not returning to our normal lives until Chávez leaves.”
As the massive strike entered its 49th day yesterday with Chávez showing no signs of resigning, daily routines have been turned upside down across Venezuela, and so has the mood of its 24 million citizens.
The realization that the strike could limp along indefinitely, severely wounding an economy that already was ill, has cast a combustible mix of determination, hostility and fear on this traditionally ebullient country.
"There was euphoria in the beginning of the strike, when the opposition thought Chávez would quickly leave,” said Caracas psychiatrist Ignacio Taboada. "But as people realize this could go on for months, the euphoria is being replaced by enormous anxiety, and anger.”
Strike organizers have in recent days quietly condoned an easing of the stoppage by participants who are going broke. Some stores and restaurants are cautiously reopening in areas frequented by the opposition, who are mostly in the middle and upper classes.
"I'm all for the strike, but I've got debts to pay and I need to eat,” said José Luis Martínez, a perfume-shop owner in an affluent area who recently reopened.
In Chávez strongholds, most stores have stayed open. But thousands are still closed in key industries, and more than half of schools and universities are shut or barely functioning. Cooking gas and cornmeal are widely unavailable except on the black market.
Most hospitals are handling only emergencies and lack many key medicines. Banks are open three hours daily, and movie theaters are shut.
Even Venezuela's beloved baseball league has canceled its winter season to support the strike. And its equally beloved beer, Polar, has stopped production, prompting guzzlers to turn to expensive imports, if they can afford to. The petroleum industry, which before the strike supplied 13 percent of U.S. oil imports, is producing a fraction of its normal output, which has pushed U.S. stocks of crude oil to nearly their lowest level in two decades.
Chávez's foes charge that he wants to impose a communist regime and is leading the country to economic ruin. Supporters counter that he is being targeted because he wants to share the nation's wealth with the 80 percent who are poor.
Chávez's popularity is at 30 percent, but he refuses to consider leaving until August, when the constitution allows a binding referendum on truncating his term. It is scheduled to end in 2007.
Many political observers believe opposition leaders have backed themselves into a corner by having declared early on that they'd continue the strike, which is costing the country $50 million a day, until they topple the leftist leader. "It was one thing to start the strike but another not to have any plan for the eventuality that Chávez wouldn't immediately leave,” said Janet Kelly, a political analyst here.
The strike has fallen into sometimes surreal patterns, even at the daily protests for and against the president. A few days ago, several thousand opposition housewives paraded through Caracas waving posters of the Virgin of Coromoto, the nation's patron saint, whom they implored to save them from "Chávez the dictator.”
A few hours later, flocks of kindergartners stomped jauntily through an adjacent neighborhood, chanting, "Chávez, friend! The children are with you!”
Sporadic violence has led to five deaths and hundreds of injuries, many involving children. The danger that her children could be caught in a confrontation is one reason Vega is relieved her daughters aren't attending school -- even if they only spend two hours daily studying lessons their teachers post on the Internet.
The other reason is that "they are receiving a valuable lesson in how citizens' participation can make a difference,” said Vega, who spends time collecting signatures for a constitutional amendment to force early presidential elections.
Others who disagree are gathering in increasing numbers to bang on school doors, declaring that the opposition has hijacked education.
Friction is even greater in poor Caracas neighborhoods such as La Pastora, a cluster of crumbling homes perched above a cliff. Though many La Pastora residents oppose Chávez, they expressed fury at finding cooking staples only on the expensive black market.
Rosa Martínez, a La Pastora housewife who lives with her husband and four children in a one-room apartment the size of a jail cell, said she paid almost seven times the normal rate for cooking gas and twice the normal price for cornmeal a few days ago.
"I didn't vote for Chávez, but I'd vote for him now if he ran again because what this strike is doing to us is even worse,” Martínez fumed.
"We're destroying the country to get rid of one man,” said Fanny García, a retired secretary who backs neither Chávez nor the opposition. "I wonder if it's worth it.”
indymedia.ie by Bijan Mon, Jan 20 2003, 2:21am javanji@earthlink.net
B & G NON
This is nothing but playing the world good police - bad police in capitalism format.
Although many documents from Bill Clintons speech in Holland regarding american plan to attack North Korea, the bombing of Chinas embassy in Belgrade, the declaration of Axes of evil’s by Bush, the Richard Pearls declaration in total war, Donald Rumsfeld and his declaration in surgical war in Iraq and his offer in “immunity” for possible war crimes if some senior leaders would live Iraq! Meanwhile, there is lawsuit against Bill Clinton, Madeline Albright, Henry Kissinger and others pending in the international court for war crimes in Cambodia, Yugoslavia and Iraq. These are the words from a “hesitant intelligent” man who by Henry Kissinger been called a “rootless man” and where he is responsible for the war machinery in US and is just scary to think that, such a man even has a position in any system! Here, Mr. Hans Blix and Mohamed Elbaredi should consider these kind of links to what they are demanding and if the 12 years of Iraqis people suffering hasn’t been enough and or a ground for a legal case to indict the entire leaders in what has by this kind of “unintelligent and undemocratic” personality been called the “world community”!
But then again, Donald Rumsfeld gesture although it sounds “fair” but one has to consider why he is offering such “fair” idea now! Could it be that 87% of people around the world are against any kind of war in Iraq! Could it be that Bush administration is out of any “fair” policies for American people and therefore desperately wants to end the Iraqi matter before more people are organized and against US – NATO militarism wars!
Now, when Hans Blix and Mohamed Elbaradei demanding Iraq to “cooperate more”, which Iraq is fully cooperating, is yet another “fair” gesture that United Nations inspectors and Hans Blix or Mohammad Elbaradei would save Iraq from US and NATO attack! Question is, what more do you want and what kind of international guarantee would Iraq have if and when or as they are fulfilling and cooperating with UN resolution 1441! And after Iraq, what international guarantee would Syria or Iran and for that matter North Korea and almost every other country in the region would have in not being attacked by US – NATO militarism!
During the time in Patrick Lumombas democratic government in Congo the Swedish UN general secretary Dag Hammarskjöld did the same thing, when his Europeans blue helmet solders handcuffed Patrick Lumomba in the 60is and give him to his archenemy Mossa Chombeh, (Mossa Chombeh’s dictatorial government was appreciated by the European and Americans government) where Patrick and many others like him were hanged, yet there is still a civil war with European and american weapons in Congo, and no sight in democracy to be noted in that country. At that time, the reason behind US and European involvements was that Congo’s being a socialist government and Congo’s natural resources. Belgium, France, England and their political and economical interests in the region was beneficial in killing Patrick Lomumba. Here, the history of World Democracy has noted that fact and once again the naïveté in Swedish politic and its involvements are about to commit the same crime as in Congo. Everyone knows that if Iraq and Saddam regime falls the region as whole would fall in hand of US and European militarism and that’s what they want, but that wont happen without a long time war in the region and massacre of many thousands peoples. The “axes of evils” by Bush presidency is about these countries, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and North Korea! The bizarre matter is, that non of the political or social injustices or the inhuman acts in terms of military or CIA’s involvement in not letting the democracy in countries such as Iran and Etc. to grow, has ever by any of the European “democracy” been called a evils act, yet these governments calling every one whom is not or will not agree with their policies a axes of evils, but willing to cooperate with the sponsors of such preference in words!
The US and European Emperors and its stone aged Democracy in militarism in cooperation with American Neo Liberalism, playing the same game as policing the world, here the only difference is that, one plays the good one, and the other acts like if the other one is the bad one!
The yes sometimes and no sometimes, in English Neo Liberals governments, its foreign and domestic policies is always been the fact in, what I will gain if I would agree, or if I would not agree! The French I don’t know attitude, is not far as the British in questioning, who is going to be the boss, me or England and Germans attitude in saying, to hell with it, we either go or don’t go wit the plan, but let see what the Swedish government has to say, and Swedish governments opportunism policies is always in the right side of those whom is the winner and therefore, the country has lost its integrity in being neutral and the reputation in peace making and working for a non-militarized world, is more capitalist today then before.
But the fact is, that both continents are industrialized and its technology is in need of fuel and fuel is in Persian Gulf and there is lots of oil in every country located there and Iraq is one of them. Here, the meaning of the word capitalism and democracy is part from each other and cannot be connected in any way. One is about people, and the other is about money; therefore, when US - NATO is a talking about “democracy” in the region, they actually talking about oil and how its militarism could provide for the system to gain more by controlling the source of the money and capitalism “tactical” democratic systems in the region!
Here, humans are not of concern to the capitalism systems but the big Americans cars are. Where European, American and Arabian bourgeoisie feels that, these cars are “safe” to driving them, yet without considering the fact that for every gallon of gas they use, there is a child, elderly man and women, a mother, a father or son and daughter in Palestine, Iraq or Afghanistan, Pakistan, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Chili, Granada, Iran, Yugoslavia and in many more countries, been killed by the US – NATO militarism, these people have lost their life for capitalism interests and not for capitalism to implement democracy in their country. The history of democracy in each and every one of these countries where capitalism have committed genocide in terms of killing democracy, and for people of every and each of these countries struggle for achieving it, is over 130 years old, yet in 1972 it was CIA which helped General Augusto Pinochet to assassinate another democratically elected government Dr. Salvador Aliende along with 30.000 young and old Chileans in Chili!
Over production of goods, consumption of oil along with capitalism concurrence, the economical and social policies by capitalism is peoples worst enemy and above all, the developments in capitalism social and international political design in New World Order for last two decades, has become its habits in forcing the idea. The motive behind capitalisms today’s war or in time of Congo, Vietnam, Cambodia, First and Second World War and now all over the world war is the same. Behind presents US-NATO militarism and its buildups in Persian Gulf, Central Asia, Far East and Middle East is the capitalism history in conducting wars where the history answers the capitalism democracy! In other word, capitalism is against any form of people’s democracy period.
Question is; has any one from any of UN atomic or chemical and biological organizations in any time questioned the Atomic, chemical and biological warheads and its pileups in US and NATO countries! Have any of these organizations questioned the matter about Israel and forced its government to comply in the same meaning or manners as in Iraq! How about Franc, England, Germany or Japan and Australia, or even Sweden for that matter!
What all this adopted “militarism” in foreign policies by industrialized countries means is that, people in Middle East, Central Asia and Persian Gulf are forced to accept the US and Europeans “Emperors” democracy while the Emperor himself is stealing peoples wealth in middle east and robes its own people from a true democracy at home. Therefore, the right wings of Neo Liberals in Sweden asking for more cooperation between Swedish army and NATO and further they are asking for Swedish solders to be involved and sent to Iraq!
The capitalism militarism is a desperation act showing the destruction of capitalism itself and by itself; therefore, and due to the nature of capitalism, capitalism asks for more war and challenges the world to face him, here, the Swedish capitalism has joined the force in the idea of “new world order” and asks for more wars to be conducted by even the Swedish solders! The Iraq war, and all other capitalisms war never been or ever going to be about democracy unless there is a true democracy implemented at where capitalism home is, that home could be Iran, Sweden, Franc, England, Germany or for that matter America!
A statement from the White House said the president "welcomes the fact that we are a democracy and people in the United States, unlike Iraq, are free to protest and to make their case known." Sunday January 18,2003. Question is Mr. President, do you listen to what people say! In the name of solidarity,
sf.indymedia.org Venezuela, January 19th, 2003 by Trastor • Monday January 20, 2003 at 01:22 AM interfaz@cantv.net
CocaCola - Polar - TV brainwashing - Bolivarians Hacked.
In Venezuela the brainwashing by the media is working hard still. Coca-Cola and Polar companies are broadciasting anounces on TV channels in which they state that Chavez's moves to take by military force its warehouses and depots full of sodas and beers to give it to poors -like Robin Hood perhaps?-, is an "another" "anti-democratic" move by our President.
What I don't understand is that instead of taking food to poors, Chavez is giving Coca-Cola and Polar Beers...
Another matter is that women of the middle class opposing Chavez were hardly hit by soldiers during this CocaCola and Polar actions. The General of the National Guard Acosta Carles is the commander of these attacks to women oposing Chavez orders to take beers and cocacolas by the force.
As always in political struggles in Venezuela, poors need to drink beers at any cost, it seems.
Also, the opposition to Chavez is brodcasting TV ads in which they say: "Which Venezuela do you want to WATCH?" a democratic one without Chavez or a military one ruled by this "monster".
Why they don't say: "In which Venezuela do you want to LIVE?", it is a very illustrating ad, the opposition will not give us a Venezuela to live in democracy, but a Venezuela in which TV can show us their lies about democracy, that's clear to me, that's the reason why they are saying: "Which venezuela do you want to WATCH?"
The "Middle Class in Positive", a bolivarian organization supporting Chavez, and another bolivarian organizations are saying that their emails are being hacked, I guess about INTESA experts behind this hacking activities, INTESA was the computer company in charge of controlling all PDVSA's computer techonology.