english.pravda.ru 21:30 2003-01-20 Top party leaders from 15 countries meet to coordinate new action programs in Argentina's Capital City

To celebrate its 85th anniversary, the Communist Party of Argentina organized in Buenos Aires an international seminar titled "Crisis of Capitalism and Socialist Alternative". In the summit, sponsored by the Foundation of Marxist Research, linked to the Spanish Communist Party, communist delegates will discuss the basis of new action plans to come back to relevant positions in the global political scenario after the defeats of the 1990's.

"The opportunity for the left is now", pointed out the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Argentina, Patricio Echegaray, during a statement addressed to more than 1000 people at the gates of the headquarters in Buenos Aires. "We have to look for unity to make real Rose Luxembourg's words: Socialism or Capitalistic barbarism", emphasized Echegaray.

The list of participants includes Communist Party leaders from Spain, Portugal, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. Other participants are representatives of France, Italy, Greece, Cuba, Chile and Brazil.

Venezuela's delegate is one of the most expected participants as Mr. Oscar Figuera is the General Secretary of the Communist Party and a close advisor of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez. Left wing organizations from El Salvador and the Dominican Republic also sent delegates to the summit.

The celebrations of the 85th anniversary of the Communist Party of Argentina started on Saturday, when international delegates spoke to the assistance. Speakers remarked the advances of the left-wing organizations in Latin America, including the new governments supported by communists, of Brazil and Ecuador. They also expressed loyalty to Chavez in Venezuela, honored Cuba's Revolution and warned on US military plans for Colombia and the Dominican Republic.

Celebrations ended with the classical Internationale Anthem, while red flags waved before the astonished neighbors, who thought for a while that Moscow had moved to Buenos Aires.

Hernan Etchaleco PRAVDA.Ru Argentina

www.adn.com By FABIOLA SANCHEZ, Associated Press Writer

CARACAS, Venezuela (January 20, 5:07 p.m. AST) - Former President Jimmy Carter renewed efforts to mediate Venezuela's political crisis Monday even as violence surged again between supporters and opponents of President Hugo Chavez. Gunfire during a protest march left one dead and 15 wounded, officials said.

Miranda state Gov. Enrique Mendoza, a Chavez opponent, said Chavez supporters attacked an opposition march in Charallave, about 20 miles south of Caracas, on the 50th day of a strike against Chavez.

Raul Gonzalez, 38, said he and other Chavez supporters blocked a road as opposition marchers approached and both sides began tossing rocks and bottles.

"I heard shots and fell down," Gonzalez said at Hospital General de Ocumare del Tuy, where he was being treated for a bullet wound in his leg. "There were shots from all over. Everything was in confusion."

Gonzalez said he did not know where the gunfire came from.

Opposition marcher Mayordina Morales, 52, said both sides were throwing objects at each other when police started shooting.

The shooting victim was identified by officials as Carlos Garcia, who is about 30 years old.

Fifteen people were wounded gunfire, said Milagros Toro, an official with the state epidemiology department. Twelve people suffered other injuries.

Six people have died in protests since Venezuela's opposition called the strike Dec. 2, crippling the world's fifth-largest oil exporter.

Carter was meeting with Chavez, opposition figures and Cesar Gaviria, secretary general of the Organization of American States. Gaviria has tried since November to mediate an electoral solution to Venezuela's crisis. Carter was participating in a negotiating session Monday.

"I have always hoped for a resolution, and I hope there will be one," said the Nobel Peace Prize winner, whose Atlanta-based Carter Center is sponsoring the talks with the OAS and the United Nations.

Chavez has threatened to abandon the talks. On Sunday, he accused the opposition of trying to oust him even as its leaders sat at the negotiating table.

"We don't talk with terrorists," Chavez said.

Opposition parties, business leaders and labor unions called the strike to demand that Chavez resign or call early elections. The National Elections Council accepted an opposition petition and agreed to organize a Feb. 2 nonbinding referendum asking citizens whether Chavez should step down.

Chavez says the constitution only allows a binding referendum halfway through his six-year-term. The Supreme Court is considering the matter.

The strike has slashed Venezuela's oil production by more than two-thirds and caused severe shortages of gasoline, food and drinking water. It has cost Venezuela $4 billion, according to the government, and contributed to the plummeting of the bolivar currency.

Six countries - Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and the United States - began an initiative called "Friends of Venezuela" to help end the crisis. Chavez warned the six nations his government will not allow interference in domestic affairs.

Trying to break the strike, Chavez sent soldiers to seize water, soft drinks and beer from two bottling plants, provoking an outcry from business leaders, human rights groups and U.S. Ambassador Charles Shapiro.

One bottler was a Coca-Cola affiliate while the other belonged to Venezuela's largest food and drinks producer, Empresas Polar. Both firms denied hoarding goods.

The Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce condemned the raids as "a grave rupture of the state of law." It warned more than 1,000 affiliates that the army could commit more abuses and urged them to report alleged violations.

Microsoft Corp. said Monday it was shutting down two Venezuela offices because it cannot guarantee employees' security. The company has about 85 employees in Caracas and six in Maracaibo.

Chavez has used troops to seize gasoline trucks, arrest striking oil tanker crews and keep strikers out of oil installations. He has fired more than 1,000 employees from the state oil monopoly.

Before the strike, Venezuela was the world's fifth-largest oil exporter and fourth-largest oil supplier to the United States.

It pre-strike output of 3 million barrels a day was at 800,000 barrels, the government claims. Strike leaders put the figure at 627,000.

The 48-year-old Chavez was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000 on promises to redistribute the country's vast oil wealth among the poor majority.

His opponents say his leftist policies have driven the country toward economic ruin, citing 17 percent unemployment and 30 percent inflation. They also say his autocratic style erodes democratic institutions.

The government Monday also notified private television stations Globovision and Radio Caracas Television that they faced administrative proceedings for allegedly supporting efforts to topple Chavez.

The complaint alleges the stations illegally ran opposition advertisements supporting the 50-day-old strike and promoting anti-government marches, Globovision reported.

The stations, which long have accused Chavez of trying to stifle freedom of expression, face fines or the losses of their broadcasting licenses.

www.adn.com By FABIOLA SANCHEZ, Associated Press Writer

CARACAS, Venezuela (January 20, 5:07 p.m. AST) - Former President Jimmy Carter renewed efforts to mediate Venezuela's political crisis Monday even as violence surged again between supporters and opponents of President Hugo Chavez. Gunfire during a protest march left one dead and 15 wounded, officials said.

Miranda state Gov. Enrique Mendoza, a Chavez opponent, said Chavez supporters attacked an opposition march in Charallave, about 20 miles south of Caracas, on the 50th day of a strike against Chavez.

Raul Gonzalez, 38, said he and other Chavez supporters blocked a road as opposition marchers approached and both sides began tossing rocks and bottles.

"I heard shots and fell down," Gonzalez said at Hospital General de Ocumare del Tuy, where he was being treated for a bullet wound in his leg. "There were shots from all over. Everything was in confusion."

Gonzalez said he did not know where the gunfire came from.

Opposition marcher Mayordina Morales, 52, said both sides were throwing objects at each other when police started shooting.

The shooting victim was identified by officials as Carlos Garcia, who is about 30 years old.

Fifteen people were wounded gunfire, said Milagros Toro, an official with the state epidemiology department. Twelve people suffered other injuries.

Six people have died in protests since Venezuela's opposition called the strike Dec. 2, crippling the world's fifth-largest oil exporter.

Carter was meeting with Chavez, opposition figures and Cesar Gaviria, secretary general of the Organization of American States. Gaviria has tried since November to mediate an electoral solution to Venezuela's crisis. Carter was participating in a negotiating session Monday.

"I have always hoped for a resolution, and I hope there will be one," said the Nobel Peace Prize winner, whose Atlanta-based Carter Center is sponsoring the talks with the OAS and the United Nations.

Chavez has threatened to abandon the talks. On Sunday, he accused the opposition of trying to oust him even as its leaders sat at the negotiating table.

"We don't talk with terrorists," Chavez said.

Opposition parties, business leaders and labor unions called the strike to demand that Chavez resign or call early elections. The National Elections Council accepted an opposition petition and agreed to organize a Feb. 2 nonbinding referendum asking citizens whether Chavez should step down.

Chavez says the constitution only allows a binding referendum halfway through his six-year-term. The Supreme Court is considering the matter.

The strike has slashed Venezuela's oil production by more than two-thirds and caused severe shortages of gasoline, food and drinking water. It has cost Venezuela $4 billion, according to the government, and contributed to the plummeting of the bolivar currency.

Six countries - Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and the United States - began an initiative called "Friends of Venezuela" to help end the crisis. Chavez warned the six nations his government will not allow interference in domestic affairs.

Trying to break the strike, Chavez sent soldiers to seize water, soft drinks and beer from two bottling plants, provoking an outcry from business leaders, human rights groups and U.S. Ambassador Charles Shapiro.

One bottler was a Coca-Cola affiliate while the other belonged to Venezuela's largest food and drinks producer, Empresas Polar. Both firms denied hoarding goods.

The Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce condemned the raids as "a grave rupture of the state of law." It warned more than 1,000 affiliates that the army could commit more abuses and urged them to report alleged violations.

Microsoft Corp. said Monday it was shutting down two Venezuela offices because it cannot guarantee employees' security. The company has about 85 employees in Caracas and six in Maracaibo.

Chavez has used troops to seize gasoline trucks, arrest striking oil tanker crews and keep strikers out of oil installations. He has fired more than 1,000 employees from the state oil monopoly.

Before the strike, Venezuela was the world's fifth-largest oil exporter and fourth-largest oil supplier to the United States.

It pre-strike output of 3 million barrels a day was at 800,000 barrels, the government claims. Strike leaders put the figure at 627,000.

The 48-year-old Chavez was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000 on promises to redistribute the country's vast oil wealth among the poor majority.

His opponents say his leftist policies have driven the country toward economic ruin, citing 17 percent unemployment and 30 percent inflation. They also say his autocratic style erodes democratic institutions.

The government Monday also notified private television stations Globovision and Radio Caracas Television that they faced administrative proceedings for allegedly supporting efforts to topple Chavez.

The complaint alleges the stations illegally ran opposition advertisements supporting the 50-day-old strike and promoting anti-government marches, Globovision reported.

The stations, which long have accused Chavez of trying to stifle freedom of expression, face fines or the losses of their broadcasting licenses.

sfgate.com STEPHEN IXER, Associated Press Writer Monday, January 20, 2003

(01-20) 10:59 PST CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) --

Supporters of President Hugo Chavez clashed with opposition marchers outside Caracas on Monday, and one person was killed when shots were fired into the crowd.

The confrontation began when Chavez's supporters tossed bottles and rocks at the marchers in the town of Charallave, Miranda state governor Enrique Mendoza said. He said rioters set fire to vehicles and a stage that had been set up for opposition speakers.

Police were trying to keep the two sides apart when gunfire erupted. It wasn't clear who fired the shots, though Mendoza said police fired back.

A 29-year-old man was killed and 12 were wounded by gunfire, said Lt. Col. Guido Bolivar, an officer of the Miranda state fire department. The rest were hurt by flying objects, Bolivar said.

It wasn't known if the wounded were hit in the initial hail of gunfire or by police.

The violence heightened tensions surrounding a 50-day-old opposition strike intended to oust Chavez. Six people have died in protests since the strike started Dec. 2.

The unrest coincided with a visit from former President Jimmy Carter, who was trying to jump-start negotiations between the government and opposition.

Carter, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in October, was to meet with Chavez and attend negotiations sponsored the Organization of American States. Carter's Atlanta-based Carter Center is also sponsoring talks. He arrived in Venezuela on Wednesday for a fishing trip.

In his weekly television call-in show Sunday, Chavez warned that the government may walk out of negotiations with strike leaders. He accused them of using unconstitutional means to seek his ouster.

"We are carefully evaluating the possibility that our representatives will leave the (negotiating) table," Chavez said. "We don't talk with terrorists."

Political parties, business leaders and labor unions called the general strike to pressure Chavez to resign or call early elections. Election authorities agreed to organize a Feb. 2 referendum after accepting an opposition petition.

Chavez says opponents must wait until August, midway through his six-year term, for a possible recall referendum. A Supreme Court ruling on the matter is pending.

The strike has caused severe shortages in gasoline and foods such as flour, milk, bottled water and soft drinks.

Production is down to 800,000 barrels a day, according to the government, though opposition leaders put the figure at 600,000 barrels. Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest petroleum-exporting nation and produced 3 million barrels a day before the strike.

The president of Venezuela's oil monopoly urged workers to return to work Monday.

"I urge you as citizens, appealing to whatever reserves of rationality there may be, to stop these activities, stop this campaign that affects the whole country," Ali Rodriguez, president of Petroleos de Venezuela S.A, said in an interview on state television station Venezolana de Television.

"The objectives you have set are unreachable," said Rodriguez, a chief Chavez ally.

Chavez has fired more than 1,000 white-collar workers at PDVSA. He has the support of Venezuela's military and has sent troops to seize striking oil tankers, keep strikers out of oil installations and commandeer gasoline delivery trucks.

Chavez's opponents say his leftist policies have driven the country toward economic ruin. They also say his autocratic style erodes democratic institutions.

www.forbes.com Reuters, 01.20.03, 1:32 PM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Venezuela's bolivar currency slipped 2.2 percent against the U.S. dollar on the interbank market Monday as an opposition strike against President Hugo Chavez entered its eighth week with no solution in sight.

The interbank bolivar rate <VEB=><VEB2=> closed at an average of 1,815 bolivars to the dollar Monday, 40 bolivars down from Friday's interbank end-day average of 1,775 bolivars.

Traders said demand for the U.S. greenback continued to be high as companies sought to protect their savings on the 50th day of the grueling strike which has slashed oil output and exports in the world's No. 5 petroleum exporter.

Strike leaders are demanding that left-winger Chavez, who was elected in 1998 and survived a coup in April, resign and hold early elections. He has vowed to beat the strike.

The Central Bank, which last week suspended its previous system of daily dollar auctions, Monday offered between $60 million and $70 million through its foreign exchange desk, but this was not enough to cover total demand, traders added.

"Corporate demand was pretty strong, clients were seeking to put everything they could into dollars so as not to lose their investments," one trader said.

Measured by the Central Bank, the bolivar has lost 20.2 percent of its value against the dollar since the start of the year up until Friday.

The official Central Bank reference rate <VEBFIX=> had closed at 1.755/1.758.50 bolivars to the dollar Friday, 41.25 down from Thursday's close.

Since the strike started Dec. 2 up until Friday, the bolivar has lost 24.7 percent of its value against the U.S. currency.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Monday joined Organization of American States Secretary General Cesar Gaviria in trying to salvage faltering peace talks between Chavez's government and its foes.

The talks are hanging in the blanace after the populist president said at the weekend his government was considering pulling out of the OAS-brokered negotiations.

Chavez condemns leaders of the strike as "terrorists and fascists" trying to overthrow him, and says he will not negotiate with them.