www.vheadline.com Posted: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

Senior Movimiento Quinta Republica (MVR) deputy Cilia Flores is questioning the decision of 49th control judge Gisela Hernandez to place Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Fedecamaras) president Carlos Fernandez under house arrest, insisting the move is illegal.

However, Flores says he respects and at least partially accepts the court's decision as it charged Fernandez with treason, which if he is found guilty implies prison term of 12-24 years.

The court decided to have Fernandez placed under house arrest due to high blood pressure problems, however, according to Flores over 70% of Venezuelans suffer from hypertension, "therefore imagine how many criminals would be put under house arrest" if similar measures were applied.

Flores also called for several other opposition leaders to be arrested, including Leopoldo Lopez, Alfredo Pena Enrique Mendoza and Enrique Capriles, accusing them of continuing to conspire.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

After declaring force majeure in December which absolved Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) of its contractual obligations to export oil due to unforeseen circumstances, Energy & Mines (MEM) Minister Rafael Ramirez says the company is lifting force majeure on some crudes.

"Some force majeures on some specific crudes have been lifted." However, the minister did not comment on which types of crude were to resume normal export levels.

• Sources quoted by Reuters claim the crudes involved are of the light variety and from the eastern area of Venezuela.

Production levels in the east have been restored much more quickly than those in the west as they are newer and therefore less difficult to return to production.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

President Hugo Chavez Frias has been slammed by the US following recent comments which the US sees as "inflammatory" after a US State Department spokesman claimed that the President's aggressive rhetoric may possibly be contributing to violence between government and opposition supporters. "Inflammatory comments such as those being attributed to President Chavez are not helpful in advancing the dialogue between the government of Venezuela and the opposition ... we are concerned that heightened political rhetoric has contributed unnecessarily to some of the recent violence in Caracas."

"What we remain concerned about is the government's rhetoric and some of the actions that have been undermining the dialogue process ... we would note that according to the Venezuelan Constitution the judiciary, not the President, decides what charges to bring in criminal cases."

This follows comments by the President that there must be an offensive against the terrorists and that Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Fedecamaras) and Confederation of Trade Unions (CTV) presidents Carlos Fernandez and Carlos Ortega should be imprisoned for twenty years each.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

President Hugo Chavez Frias' Movimiento Quinta Republica (MVR) party is to send statements to the governments of Colombia, the United States and Spain to explain in a detailed fashion the fundamental legal principles of the Venezuelan judiciary's autonomous action with respect to the detention of Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Fedecamaras) president Carlos Fernandez and the order to arrest Confederation of Trade Unions (CTV) chief Carlos Ortega. 

"We think there is a certain degree of confusion with regard to the statements that were published by government spokesmen in relation to this matter and as a consequence we think it is our duty to inform" all relevant parties of the basis of these measures, according to MVR spokesman and former National Assembly president Willian Lara.

Lara denied that there had been any government involvement in the decisions and that they were taken independently by the Venezuelan judiciary.

www.kansascity.com Posted on Tue, Feb. 25, 2003 JAMES ANDERSON Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela - Powerful explosions just minutes apart devastated the Spanish and Colombian diplomatic missions Tuesday, injuring four people and raising fears that Colombian-style terror has reached next-door Venezuela.

The attacks in Caracas came two days after President Hugo Chavez denounced Colombia and Spain, among other nations, for allegedly interfering in Venezuelan affairs. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts.

Leaflets supporting Chavez's "Bolivarian Revolution," a political movement loosely based on the writings of 19th century independence hero Simon Bolivar, were found outside both missions. But Chavez's government dismissed the papers as a "ridiculous" plant and said no one should jump to conclusions.

"We will find those responsible for this crime," vowed Deputy Foreign Minister Arevalo Mendez.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel repudiated the attacks as "a form of terrorism never seen in Venezuela," and suggested Chavez opponents may have been involved.

He said an anti-terrorism task force would be created and offered condolences to the Colombian and Spanish people.

The explosions - at 2 a.m. at the Spanish Embassy and 2:15 a.m. at the Colombian consulate - smashed storefront and apartment windows and left the buildings' facades in shambles. Shattered glass covered streets and steel gates were twisted by the force of the blasts.

The blasts slightly injured four people, including a night watchman. Security was bolstered at other diplomatic missions in the capital.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Philip T. Reeker condemned the bombings, saying they underscored the need for all sides to honor a Feb. 18 nonviolence pledge, refrain from "confrontational rhetoric" and create a truth commission to investigate violent incidents.

"We note that those bombs follow some sharp verbal attacks by President Chavez on the international community, as well as individual Venezuelans and institutions," Reeker said.

Colombia condemned the "act of savage terrorism." It used the incident to urge Venezuela to increase cooperation in fighting leftist Colombian rebels.

"This attack proves the need for a joint fight against terrorism and drug trafficking," Colombia's presidency said in a statement. It warned Colombia's decades-old conflict could easily consume Venezuela.

Colombia insisted that members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and National Liberation Army, or ELN, are in Venezuela. But it stopped short of blaming Colombian insurgents for the attacks.

Spanish Ambassador Manuel Viturro de la Torre refused to speculate on who was responsible for the blasts and insisted his nation's ties to Venezuela were "excellent."

Colombian Interior Minister Fernando Londono accused Venezuela last week of refusing to condemn the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and National Liberation Army as terrorists for a series of deadly bombings.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe disavowed Londono's remarks, saying he alone spoke for Colombia. But Uribe and Spain's government urged Chavez to respect the rule of law after a Venezuelan opposition leader was arrested last week.

Carlos Fernandez, head of Venezuela's biggest business chamber, faces rebellion and other charges for leading a 63-day general strike against Chavez. Police are searching for strike co-leader and labor boss Carlos Ortega.

Chavez accuses both of sabotaging the key oil sector, inciting lawlessness and inflicting continuing suffering on Venezuelans.

The two-month strike, which ended Feb. 4, hobbled the world's fifth-largest petroleum exporting industry. It robbed the feeble economy of billions of dollars and turned a nation that sits atop the hemisphere's largest oil reserves into a gasoline importer.

Chavez told Spain and Colombia on Sunday not to "mess" with Venezuela. He also criticized the United States - Venezuela's biggest oil customer - for voicing concern about Fernandez's arrest.

Chavez notes few objected when dozens of government officials - including Chavez himself - were hunted down and lawlessly jailed during a brief April coup.

But Spain, the United States and other nations supporting peace talks here have watched with alarm as Chavez cracks down on his opponents.

A temporary ban on buying U.S. dollars - imposed to stop capital flight - is strangling industry and an import-dependent news media. Chavez has threatened to close the four major television stations for supporting the strike. His government seized weapons from Caracas' metropolitan police force, whose officers have been ambushed by pro-Chavez gunmen.

Critics accuse Chavez of inciting violence. The president accuses critics of seeking another coup against his democratically-elected government.

Chavez is a former army paratrooper who led a failed coup attempt in 1992. He was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000.