<a href=www.vheadline.com>Letters - Express Your Opinion/Reply Posted: Friday, March 28, 2003 By: Einnoc Lebrac

Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 19:45:07 -0800 (PST) From: Einnoc Lebrac venezuelanoestuya@yahoo.com To: editor@vheadline.com Subject: Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor: Perhaps I am naive, but I find that more and more the Venezuelan opposition tactics seem too USA tailored, the lies, the terrorist stories, the unproven proofs, the illegal legality of certain acts, the seemingly altruistic actions pretending to justify everything by claiming honorable intentions behind them. (e.g. the supposed Circulos de terror, the supposed guerrillas, the supposed Cuban infiltration, etc.)

When I say USA, I do not mean all Americans; only those who support the Bush administration’s outrageously invasive policies (my best friends happen to be Americans); and when I say the opposition, I mean all those who support the tactics being used to get rid of the President by destroying Venezuela. I do believe in clean opposition.

I was at a conference in Montreal, Canada, a few days ago and, during a break, of course the subject of conversation was the attack on Iraq. There were people from different countries, including a gentleman from Iraq who lives now in the USA. He was explaining certain things about his country that made me think of my dear Venezuela.

Of course the cultures are different between the two countries (Iraq/Venezuela) … although Americans seem to think the whole world should become Americanized, as if Democracy (as we know it in this side of the world) were the ultimate truth and the only way to drive a country, and therefore a mandatory way.

This gentleman from Iraq was saying that he believed that Saddam Hussein probably killed those Kurds with chemical weapons, but that apparently it was the USA who supplied Saddam with such technology at a time when using those weapons was not a bad thing … and I wonder, what reason did the USA have to give this kind of technology to this individual?

As I wonder why did Bin Laden end up having those weapons to kill Russians?

Is it perhaps that, when it suits the USA, the possession and use of those weapons is right, and when it does not suit their interests it is not?

I can not help but feel that the weapons that were not found in Iraq, now will be found … as soon as they get downloaded from the tanks and trucks that are arriving in Baghdad. Why? Because they have to prove it somehow. They have to justify the massacre of a country whose people have known the horrible consequences of inhuman economic sanctions.

• If the problem was Saddam, why didn’t they do this before… if they cared so much about the Iraqi people?

Some say, it is because it was convenient then to build terror around Saddam, to create a market to sell weapons in the surrounding countries to help them defend themselves from Saddam (even if in most cases, people did not even know how to use them, and had to import pilots and soldiers from Poland and other countries to fly those sophisticated machines, etc).

It is similar to the tactics of convenience being used by our own people in Venezuela.

People I had admired have become so greedy that they have not even stopped for a moment to think that if we open the doors for an American invasion (by asking them to intervene) they will not do it for nothing, and the price will be way too high to pay. Bombs will fall on our houses, buildings will be totally destroyed, people will die, and maybe by accident some of our own will fall as well.

Why do we insist on asking the Americans to fix our problems?

Who decided that they know it all?

What is it that people find so good about the US?

I have been there many times (have good American friends) and every time I visit, I get more scared of that society … the way teenagers treat their parents and teachers, the way they treat one another, the way police officers hit people, the rate of suicide, the rate of crime. They are just a bigger country with a bigger ego, and a bigger economy, but in my opinion, unfortunately, with a rotten society … where family means nothing anymore, where values don’t seem to count, where everybody is out for himself or herself.

The more they have, the more they want ... their “so evolved” government does not even care about protecting the environment for the generations to come.

Please, good American people (and I know there are millions of very good people out there) don’t take offence at my writing. You love your country and I love mine. I bet you would not want other countries from the “South” to come and invade your country and tell you to live your life in a “Southern” way.

It would be totally unjust, because your way of life is different than ours, and, as that of Iraq. I have said this many times ... Communism is a thing of the past, and perhaps so is your type of Capitalism.

A new world order is needed, and I believe Democracy/Capitalism is not it … at least not for other societies. The whole world is asking for change and advancement which Democracy has not been able to provide (except for those who are stronger and have used it to grow and flourish at the expense of others, by taking advantage of the corrupt and greedy governments of other countries).

Anyway, I find that these opposition tactics in Venezuela smell too much like “made in the USA” and it is scary!

Einnoc Lebrac venezuelanoestuya@yahoo.com

P.S. Readers, the above are my sincere thoughts/feelings … please do not send me more of your hate mail, as I will not read it… It is painful to realize that we Venezuelans are no longer communicating like Venezuelans … our methods of communication are now imported?

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Friday, March 28, 2003 By: Gustavo Coronel

VHeadline.com commentarist Gustavo Coronel writes: Writing for Vheadline.com has given me dividends I never imagined. <a href=www.vheadline.com>Ms. Onefeather wrote a poem about one of my articles which I will treasure always. And now I get <a href=www.vheadline.com>an Oscar for my article on the Venezuelan Constitution!

I will not go into a detailed reply of Oscar's comments because I am sure that our readers will have arrived, by now, to their own conclusions about their merits ... there are just a few points which need additional precisions.

First of all, the title: Desperate last-ditch is both redundant and inaccurate. Last-ditch means desperate, no need for repetition. My article is not desperate but just the contribution of a Venezuelan citizen to unmask the hypocrisy of the President, who pays lip service to the Constitution while violating it almost every day. This is so obvious now that only the blind fails to see it. Also inaccurate is "attempt at discrediting Chavez..."  Dear friend: Chavez and his group do not need anyone's attempting to do this ... they have been doing a great job themselves.

My article did not pretend to be a "study" ... I said that I just read the Constitution, and compared my reading of it with what the President and his group are doing.  And, I repeat, is tragically obvious...

The Constitution can not be a document of intent. It is the supreme law of the Nation. I mentioned, specifically, many articles that can not be fulfilled, completely unrealistic.

When you ask the impossible, violations will be inevitable.

So, I said that the legislators were irresponsible to ask for the impossible. I hope this is not too hard to understand.

The explanations bravely attempted by Oscar for this major weakness do not require my comments. I also said that there are many other articles which can be fulfilled and are being violated.

Oscar pretends to absolve Chavez from many of those violations to the Constitution on the grounds that this was also done before by others...

Totally unacceptable.

The Colombian guerrillas have camps in several places within Venezuela territory, along the Perija mountain range in the State of Tachira, which borders with Colombia and in the State of Barinas, where the President comes from.

Frankly, the only thing they have not done yet is to call a press conference to advertise their presence. In the case of Carlos Fernandez, this gentleman was taken by a group of secret police without a judicial order and without the representative of the Attorney General Office being present. He was incommunicado for about 10 hours ... which represents a clear violation of his Constitutional rights. Why do I say this, you ask?  Because it is the truth, that is why ... the news which was broadcast by Globovision clearly said that no one knew where Fernandez was.

So, somebody is not telling the truth here.

In the case of the break-in at POLAR by the burping General, I know what I saw and heard. When asked by the female reporter if he had a judicial order, this fat Rambo said: "I do not need one ... I have direct instructions from the President."  This reckless statement was denied by Vice president Rangel, but my guess is that Chavez told him to go ahead. Acosta (Carles is his mother's name) did not hit the woman himself, but his assistant did. Why was she hit, you ask?  Is there a good reason why a woman should be hit? Have you been talking to Mike Tyson?

As far as telephone conversations are concerned, you demand proof. Since you do not live here all the time, you miss a lot of what is going on. Ortega's telephone conversation with Carlos Andres Perez about the need for a national strike was played days on end on the government television station. A conversation between Carrero (a former Chavez crony now in disgrace) and a judge about "twisting the arm" of some other judge, was also given publicity ... there are many other examples ... but I think you will be satisfied with these two.

You surprise me when you say that Chavez is entitled to his opinion, even if this entails slander. You worry me by saying that the President can go public accusing citizens of being criminals without having any proof, violating article 49 of the Constitution with great impunity and with obvious hate in his voice. He is the criminal, not the citizens he accuses. Hitler also had "opinions" about the Jews.

When you say that extortion in military and immigration control points have gone on for years, I can not accept this as an excuse for keeping doing it, under a government which was supposed to correct the vices of the past.

If this government is as corrupt as the previous ones, or more so, what kind of a "revolution" are you supporting?

The topic is endless, and I feel very confident that future governments will hold Chavez responsible for many grave violations of the Constitution which he carries in his pocket everywhere he goes. Chavez also carries a cross without being very spiritually inclined.

Oscar, your efforts at defending Mr. Chavez are commendable, and I wish you good luck in the future in your "mission impossible."

All I can say is: Oscar, Oscar, Oscar...

Gustavo Coronel is the founder and president of Agrupacion Pro Calidad de Vida (The Pro-Quality of Life Alliance), a Caracas-based organization devoted to fighting corruption and the promotion of civic education in Latin America, primarily Venezuela. A member of the first board of directors (1975-1979) of Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), following nationalization of Venezuela's oil industry, Coronel has worked in the oil industry for 28 years in the United States, Holland, Indonesia, Algiers and in Venezuela. He is a Distinguished alumnus of the University of Tulsa (USA) where he was a Trustee from 1987 to 1999. Coronel led the Hydrocarbons Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) in Washington DC for 5 years. The author of three books and many articles on Venezuela ("Curbing Corruption in Venezuela." Journal of Democracy, Vol. 7, No. 3, July, 1996, pp. 157-163), he is a fellow of Harvard University and a member of the Harvard faculty from 1981 to 1983.  In 1998, he was presidential election campaign manager for Henrique Salas Romer and now lives in retirement on the Caribbean island of Margarita where he runs a leading Hotel-Resort.  You may contact Gustavo Coronel at email ppcvicep@telcel.net.ve

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic news Posted: Friday, March 28, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

According to Organization of American States (OAS) secretary general Cesar Gaviria, progress is now being made in the search for an agreement on a revocatory referendum during the OAS-led negotiations between government and opposition representatives.

"We are moving forwards in a satisfactory fashion," and an agreement on an electoral solution to the political crisis now seems much nearer.

This comes after comments by Executive Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel that the government would be willing to sign an agreement to hold a revocatory referendum if certain conditions were included, particularly one allowing President Hugo Chavez Frias to stand in general elections if he was to lose the referendum.

During the talks agreement was reached that Rangel and opposition National Assembly deputy Alejandro Armas would be jointly responsible for helping to create the environment necessary within the media to hold such a poll.

SourceCOSTA RICA Posted Fri, 28 Mar 2003

Charged with treason for leading a crippling two-month strike aimed at ousting President Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan union leader Carlos Ortega went into exile in Costa Rica on Thursday night.

Ortega (56) arrived in San Jose by plane from Caracas, accompanied by Costa Rican ambassador to Venezuela Ricardo Lizano who had been given a safe-conduct for the opposition leader.

Ortega was due to pay a courtesy call at the Costa Rican foreign ministry to express his thanks for having granted him political asylum, the ministry said in a statement earlier on Thursday.

Ortega made no statement before leaving Caracas, but left a message that was read over Globovision television, in which he pledged to continue fighting to oust Chavez, whom he called "a dictator in training."

Members of Disip political police escorted Ortega and the ambassador to the airport north of Caracas after dozens of supporters cheered Ortega as he left the Costa Rican embassy, where he had been holed up since March 13.

"Here we respect the fundamental principle, which is the right to asylum," Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said earlier. "For us, the right to asylum is more important than Ortega."

The Venezuelan government has charged Ortega with rebellion, incitement to crime, treason, association with criminals and destruction of property for leading the 63-day strike.

The strike, which ended on February 2, virtually stopped crude shipments from Venezuela, the world's fifth largest oil exporter, costing the country an estimated $four-billion in lost revenue.

Ortega, president of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation (CTV), went into hiding after authorities issued an arrest warrant for him on February 19, and eventually sought refuge in the Costa Rican Embassy in Caracas.

Another top strike organizer, business leader Carlos Fernandez, was placed under house arrest, after a judge ruled he might flee the country before facing trial over the strike.

The opposition claims Chavez is gradually turning Venezuela into a leftist dictatorship and that his self-styled social revolution has ruined the oil-rich but poverty-stricken South American country.

Chavez first won at the ballot box in 1998 the power he failed to grab in a military coup six years earlier. He was reelected by a landslide to a six-year term in 2000.

He claims the opposition is fomenting another coup, after he was toppled in April but returned to power by loyal troops two days later.

AFP

<a href=icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk>Source Mar 28 2003 By Hugo Duncan In Spain   A SPANISH judge was last night questioning two men arrested in connection with the murder of North Wales couple Tony and Linda O'Malley.

The pair, known only as Jorge RS and Jose Antonio UG, were taken handcuffed and in separate squad cars from Valencia Police HQ to the Palace of Justice complex, a mile away.

The Venezuelans, believed to be brothers-in-law and aged 53 and 38, were being quizzed about the disappearance and death of the Llangollen couple.

They vanished mysteriously while house-hunting for a holiday home on the Costa Blanca last September.

The legal interrogation of the two men was held behind closed doors at Valencia' s central court building.

Two other judges, one at Benidorm, where the couple had been staying before they disappeared, and Alcoy, where police claim they were killed, will also quiz the suspects. The process is expected to continue for several days.

The suspects were taken from a door at the back of the station and pushed into the back of the cars.

Jorge RS was heavily built with swept back, wavy hair and a puffy face. He kept his head bowed as he was led to the car. His younger accomplice, Jose Antonio, turned to hide his face.

It is thought Tony, 42, and his wife Linda, 55, were lured to a villa in Alcoy, in the mountains above Benidorm, where they were held in a cellar for up to two weeks before being killed - probably shot - and buried.

The men and their wives, all thought to be from Venezuela, were arrested on Tuesday at a flat in El Saler - 30 minutes from Valencia.

Documents linking them to the O'Malleys, including passports and a car registration plate, along with a gun, were in the hands of the Valencian judge last night.

Neighbours of the suspects were coming to terms with the horrifying tale last night.

Filipe Guardiola and Ana Gomez, live on the fourth floor of the Az Bola De Puchol, three floors below number 25 where the suspects were arrested.

Filipe, 22, said he thought the wives, who were bailed by police in Valencia, had returned to the flat although yesterday it was deserted.

Filipe said: "We heard the men were renting buildings and then putting them up for sale. When people came to look at the house they checked out if they had any money.

"We were very surprised when the police turned up. I have met one of the women and she seemed very nice, very normal. Everyone here is talking about it."

The majority of the flats are owned by Spaniards but yesterday the 14-storey block was almost deserted.

Filipe said only some of the flats were used outside the summer months.

The block, one of five in the immediate area, is a few hundred yards from the sea and has a private swimming pool.

Filipe said: "I met one of the men once. He seemed ok.

"I think he was in telecommunications - he had a lot of computers."

He said four police cars, two from Interpol and two Spanish, took one of the men away on Tuesday morning and the other that afternoon.

He said: "I didn't know what it was for but then Ana's mum phoned and said it was about the missing British people. We couldn't believe it."

The bodies of the British couple were found buried under the cement floor of the villa which lies inland from the booming resort of Benidorm on Spain's south east coast.

It is thought they were kept prisoner while Mr O'Malley was taken frequently to cash points and forced to make major withdrawals.

They are thought to have met the men after reading a for sale advert for the villa in the Costa Blanca News, an English language weekly published in Benidorm.

The villa was not owned by the men but hired with the intent of defrauding would-be buyers, accord-ing to police.

Benidorm was in a state of shock last night as the full horror of the kidnapping and horrific murders sank in amongst locals and ex-pats.

"People just can't believe that something so horrific could happen here. They are talking of little else," said a Spanish receptionist at the popular Hotel Rio Park.

Danny Collins, the news editor of the English language weekly newspaper, the Costa Blanca News, said: "We know there are property scams. They go on all the time. But this is something else.

"To do these things to people and then kill them for 20 grand or so - it's bestial."

One estate agent in the town said: "The news is just getting around. People are horrified, absolutely shocked.

"But I don't think it will affect Britons buying property. This was just an awful, one-off incident. I think people will be sensible enough to realise that."

One of the last people to see Mr and Mrs O'Malley before they disappeared was property dealer Joanne Miles who has since returned to Britain and says she has become a close friend of Tony O'Malley's brother Bernard.

Speaking from her Manchester home she said: "Bernard is very wobbly. He had mentally prepared himself for news of something like this but it has hit him a lot harder than he expected."