www.vheadline.com Posted: Friday, March 14, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

The United Kingdom (UK)  Embassy in Caracas has replied to charges that the Venezuelan government has wasted funds for prison reform. An Embassy spokesman reports that the UK financed a numbers of workshops to train 37 prison directors during 1999-2002.

“The workshops concluded successfully and had the full support of the Venezuelan Interior & Justice (MIJ) Ministry.”

The British government continues to support a project to draw up prison administration guidelines incorporating human rights principles. Kings College International Studies for Prison Studies Professor Andrew Coyle is leading the project.

The Embassy has spent more than 200,000 pounds streling per year in human rights, governance, environment and narcotics control projects, citing as examples an agreement between the Portuguesa State Government and Red de Apoyo HR group to train police officers in human rights issues and a project with Amnesty International to train Caracas police forces in HR issues.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Friday, March 14, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

CECODAP child advocacy group director Oscar Misle says the new media law should clearly establish citizen and media owner’s responsibilities. “The politicization of the debate on the social responsibility law should not become an obstacle to establishing norms on TV norms as part of integral protection of children and teenagers … we must reach the widest consensus possible.”

Misle argues that TV cannot be blamed for all the violence and evils and people who support a better programming should not be branded as "Chavists."

The independence of the new regulating body, Misle points out, does raise concern because of the composition of the new National Institute of TV and Radio (INTVR), which is a dependency of the Infrastructure Ministry ... "8 of the 11 members are appointed by the National Executive (5) and National Assembly (3) respectively.

Misle insists that government TV and radio stations must comply with legal dispositions, including spots reserved for Executive

www.financialexpress.com

New York, March 14:  World oil prices slumped on Thursday as the twisted road to war in Iraq appeared to lengthen, warm weather approached and Venezuela pumped more crude, traders said.

US President George Bush had run into a diplomatic tangle in the UN Security Council, traders said.

“The troubles the Bush administration is having at the UN appear myriad, giving the market the impression that the imminency of a war has been pushed out a bit,” Fimat USA analyst John Kilduff said.

New York’s reference light sweet crude contract for April delivery skidded $1.82 to $36.01 a barrel.

In London, the price of Brent North Sea crude oil for April delivery slid $1.44 to $32.47 a barrel.

The US, looking for a way around French, Russian or Chinese vetoes, said it could allow a UN security council vote on war against Iraq to slip into next week or even forego the vote altogether.

Michael McAllister, energy analyst at Fahnestock and Co, said news that Venezuela had recovered from strike action to push production up to 2.95bpd depressed prices. “It is a jittery market that can be swayed by one story,” he said.

Prices have already spiked up to within a whisker of $40 a barrel in New York recently, the highest level since the run-up to the last Gulf war, though they have since eased back to around $37-38.

But experts say such a swift drop in prices as seen in 1991 is less likely this time.

Lawrence Eagles, analyst at Brokers GNI-Man Financial, said on that occasion the oil market had been expecting a short war.

www.sunherald.com Posted on Fri, Mar. 14, 2003 Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela - A leader of a failed two-month strike to oust President Hugo Chavez was granted political asylum by Costa Rica on Friday, the Costa Rican foreign ministry said.

Labor union leader Carlos Ortega, who faces treason charges, entered the embassy earlier Friday, Costa Rican Ambassador Ricardo Lisano said.

"For humanitarian reasons ... (Costa Rica) decided to grant asylum and it has communicated as much to the Venezuelan government," the Costa Rican foreign ministry said in a statement.

The statement said Ortega cited fear for his personal security when he requested asylum. He had been in hiding since Feb. 20, after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest for treason, rebellion and incitement.

Hundreds of flag-waving supporters gathered around the Costa Rican embassy in eastern Caracas chanting, "Ortega, friend, the people are with you!"

Ortega, head of the country's largest labor union, helped orchestrate a general strike to demand early elections or Chavez's resignation. The strike, which petered out last month, paralyzed Venezuela's lifeblood oil industry and cost the country $6 billion, according to government estimates.

Last month, authorities arrested strike leader Carlos Fernandez, president of Venezuela's largest business association. He is under house arrest pending trial on charges of rebellion and instigation. A judge struck down a treason charge.

Arrests warrants also are out for seven executives of the state-oil monopoly, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. The seven are in hiding.

Secret police stormed an opposition march Saturday in an attempt to arrest oil executive Juan Fernandez, who made a surprise brief appearance. The police clashed with protesters, and Fernandez escaped.

Opposition leaders have denounced the arrest warrants as political persecution. Chavez says strike leaders must be imprisoned for at least 20 years for inflicting suffering on the population.

Ortega is third Chavez opponent to seek asylum abroad.

Last year, Colombia granted asylum to business leader Pedro Carmona, the figurehead in an April coup that ousted Chavez for two days. El Salvador granted asylum to another alleged coup leader, Vice Admiral Carlos Molina Tamayo.

Chavez opponents accuse him of steering Venezuela's economy into recession with leftist policies. They also say he has accumulated too much power under the guise of a "social revolution" to help the poor.

Chavez says his foes resent his efforts to end social inequality and his success in wresting power from two corrupt traditional parties that ruled Venezuela for 40 years until his 1998 election.

Chavez fired 15,000 workers from the oil monopoly - almost half the work force - for participating in the stoppage. He has threatened to close down four private television stations that gave supportive coverage to the strike.

Venezuela's oil industry - the source of half of government income and 80 percent of export revenue - is recovering from the strike. Oil production has reached 2.9 million barrels a day, according to the government. Fired PDVSA executives say it's only 2.1 million barrels a day, about two-thirds of what it was before the strike.

Venezuela was the world's fifth-largest oil exporter before the strike.

www.timesdaily.com The Associated Press March 14. 2003 1:43PM

OPEC members agreed Tuesday to stick with their current quotas for crude oil production but pledged to boost output in the future to keep supplies flowing in case of any serious disruption. Venezuela plans to produce above its OPEC crude oil output quota to make up for lost revenue during a two-month strike, the oil minister said Friday. Rafael Ramirez wouldn't say how much Venezuela would pump above its 2.8 million barrels a day quota. Output is 2.9 million barrels a day now, the government says. "We have to do it gradually so as not to affect the oil market too much," Ramirez told state television station Venezolana de Television. "It will reach a level that will compensate what we stopped selling in the market." Ramirez said Venezuela had an agreement with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries allowing it to overproduce. Venezuela is recovering from a political strike that petered out last month. Oil production reached a low of 200,000 barrels a day at the height of the walkout, which cost Venezuela $6 billion. It also forced Venezuela to spend $540 million on gasoline imports to make up for severe shortages. Executives fired from the state oil monopoly for participating in the strike say production is only 2.1 billion barrels a day. The government fired almost half the 35,000-strong work force at Petroleos de Venezuela SA for walking out. On Thursday, Venezuela brought its largest catalytic cracker back online, bringing the country a step closer to resuming gasoline exports to the United States. Venezuela was the world's fifth-largest exporter before the strike. Venezuela crude and refined products accounted for 14 percent of U.S. oil imports last year. Venezuela also announced Thursday that it had stopped importing gasoline. Ramirez also said there was an $8 to $10 premium on international oil prices because of U.S. threats to lead an attack on Iraq. He said there was enough world production to meet demand. OPEC agreed Tuesday to stick with its production target of 24.5 million barrels a day.