<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic news Posted: Sunday, June 08, 2003 By: David Coleman

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias has given additional fodder to the opposition media, describing himself as "ugly and sometimes coarse" ... but denies emphatically that he is a communist or that communism would ever be introduced in Venezuela. "The opposition keeps trying to compare me with Cuba's Fidel Castro ... but I am NOT a communist, if I were, I'd say so directly because I have no 'hairs on my tongue' ... Fidel Castro is my friend and brother, yes, he's a communist, but the Venezuelan project is NOT communist and could never be such."

Speaking on his weekly "Alo Presidente" national radio and television broadcast earlier today, Chavez Frias brushed aside opposition accusations that he is intolerant, and says he can readily accept that there are people who do not share his vision for Venezuela or his ideology ... "I understand that I am not a golden boy to the whole world ... I'm ugly ... I'm black with mixed indian blood ... that's me "I'm proud of my mixed-race ancestry and I'm a little coarse sometimes ... but what can I do? I cannot change the way I am."

The President has called on public institutions to act responsibly and in time to avoid major problems.  "We simply cannot have people calling for a coup d'etat ... we must act quickly to deal with desperate opposition sectors whose only goal is to overthrow the government.  I am calling on all members of the National Assembly (AN) to avoid violent confrontations like last week's rumpus in the Legislature -- that was a kind of coup d'etat aimed at overthrowing Congress itself."

Chavez Frias suggests that the citizenry and his allies in the Legislature, who command 51% of the 165 seats, should urgently ask for a judicial process against "rebel deputies who have attempted to sabotage and impede the proper functioning of parliamentary process." That session of Congress was suspended after opposition deputies brawled and began to set fire to parliamentary order sheets.  AN president Francisco Ameliach had suspended the session which was re-convened on the steps of El Calvario on Friday under a security blanket provided by 5,000 soldiers.

Former AN president Willian Lara said Friday's assembled quorum was able to approve a partial reform of the Assembly's Internal Debate Rules where the opposition has for three months attempted to block approval of 43 laws reforms seen as critical to getting Venezuela economically back on its feet again.

Vocal opposition leaders complain that approval of the reform laws poses limitations on fundamental rights in Venezuela but President Chavez Frias says "the majority of the Venezuelan people want peace ... what we want now is for public institutions to close ranks to avoid the violence and chaos that the anti-government conspirators want to spread.  The opposition should take pause to reflect on the fact that it is they who are creating violence, but it will not impede Venezuela's progress to transformation and peaceful reform."

"Part of this would be for the media to cease their poisonous campaign against the government, seeking to falsify what is good and true about my government and myself ... for example, they will be making little of the fact that today we can announce a loan of $250 million from the Central Bank of China to construct a 180 kilometer long aqueduct to secure supplies of drinking water to the people in Falcon State.

NZOOM

Opec this week is set to press independent exporters to back the cartel's next supply cut to prevent the resumption of Iraqi exports undercutting oil prices.

Opec President Abdullah al-Attiyah made clear that major non-aligned producers Mexico, Russia and Norway would be called on to help the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries defend its $US25 a barrel price target.

"Yes. We require their support... I feel we have their support," Attiyah, also oil minister of Qatar, told reporters in Doha ahead of Wednesday's meeting.

With oil prices at the top end of the group's $US22-$US28 preferred price range, some ministers have said there appears no need for any immediate cut from its 25.4 million barrel a day output limit.

But the cartel is preparing the ground for possible restraints later this year by putting early pressure on its rivals to prevent them winning market share.

It may need to meet again to consider output policy before its next scheduled late-September conference.

Opec powers Saudi Arabia and Venezuela met with Mexico in Madrid on Friday to discuss the reemergence of Iraq on the world market and Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez travels to Norway on Monday.

Recovering from the US-led war, Baghdad is preparing to resume international sales in about a week's time. Shipments are expected to stay well below pre-war levels for several months.

With US crude now over $US31 a barrel, alarm bells are ringing in Washington as summer gasoline demand puts upward pressure on import prices.

"We won't just cut for the sake of cutting," Attiyah said.

"I don't want to see my consumers angry, I believe the customer is always right but we have to be careful about the balance between demand and supply."

Opec has not needed to reduce production limits since late 2001, when it slashed supplies on condition that independent producers contribute. They resisted until prices slumped and then fell into line.

Russia, Mexico, Syria, Oman, Egypt and Angola among non-Opec will be represented officially in Doha, for the first time at an extraordinary Opec meeting.

The main subject of oil market debate, Iraq, will not send a delegation, an issue which has rankled Iraqi officials.

Attiyah acknowledged there had been no contact between Opec headquarters and Iraq since the US occupation, but urged Iraqis at Baghdad's interim authority to get in touch.

"I did not receive any request from Iraq, but personally I'd be happy to talk to them," he said, adding he hoped Baghdad would be able to attend Opec's next scheduled meeting in September.

(<a href=www.msnbc.com>Reuters) DOHA, Qatar, June 8 — OPEC this week is set to press independent exporters to back the cartel’s next supply cut to prevent the resumption of Iraqi exports undercutting oil prices.     OPEC PRESIDENT Abdullah al-Attiyah made clear on Sunday that major non-aligned producers Mexico, Russia and Norway would be called on to help the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries defend its $25 a barrel price target.        “Yes. We require their support ... I feel we have their support,” Attiyah, also oil minister of Qatar, told reporters in Doha ahead of Wednesday’s meeting.        With oil prices at the top end of the group’s $22-$28 preferred price range, some ministers have said there appears no need for any immediate cut from its 25.4 million barrel a day output limit.        But the cartel is preparing the ground for possible restraints later this year by putting early pressure on its rivals to prevent them winning market share.        It may need to meet again to consider output policy before its next scheduled late-September conference.        OPEC powers Saudi Arabia and Venezuela met with Mexico in Madrid on Friday to discuss the reemergence of Iraq on the world market and Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez travels to Norway on Monday.      Recovering from the U.S.-led war, Baghdad is preparing to resume international sales in about a week’s time. Shipments are expected to stay well below pre-war levels for several months.        With U.S. crude now over $31 a barrel, alarm bells are ringing in Washington as summer gasoline demand puts upward pressure on import prices.        “We won’t just cut for the sake of cutting,” Attiyah said.        “I don’t want to see my consumers angry, I believe the customer is always right but we have to be careful about the balance between demand and supply.”        OPEC has not needed to reduce production limits since late 2001, when it slashed supplies on condition that independent producers contribute. They resisted until prices slumped and then fell into line.        Russia, Mexico, Syria, Oman, Egypt and Angola among non-OPEC will be represented officially in Doha, for the first time at an extraordinary OPEC meeting.        The main subject of oil market debate, Iraq, will not send a delegation, an issue which has rankled Iraqi officials.        Attiyah acknowledged there had been no contact between OPEC headquarters and Iraq since the U.S. occupation, but urged Iraqis at Baghdad’s interim authority to get in touch.        “I did not receive any request from Iraq, but personally I’d be happy to talk to them,” he said, adding he hoped Baghdad would be able to attend OPEC’s next scheduled meeting in September.

<a href=www.falkland-malvinas.com>Mercosur Press Sunday, 08 June

The OAS general assembly in Santiago de Chile will be the scenario for another round of United States-Brazil talks, in anticipation of Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s official visit to Washington.

According to the Brazilian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Brazilian Minister Celso Amorim will be holding talks with his United States counterpart Colin Powell, particularly regarding the Free Trade Association of the Americas, FTAA, currently presided by United States and Brazil, and scheduled to become effective in 2005.

At the end of May US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick visited Brazil expecting to speed FTAA talks and meeting President Lula da Silva.

He was unable to meet the President and Mr. Amorim said that “even when Brazil will not abandon the FTAA project, it’s not in a hurry to implement the association since the country has other priority urgencies”.

One of those urgencies is strengthening Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), and another ensuring that the disparity in development of the economies involved in a future FTAA are considered previously.

Nevertheless Mr. Zoellick in Brasilia expressed his optimism about the FTAA 2005 timetable.

While in Santiago Mr. Amorim is expected to hold talks with his counterparts from Mercosur, associate members Chile and Bolivia, Canada and the Andean Community of Nations, CAN, that includes Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela and which Brazil is anxious to integrate to Mercosur creating a only South American block.

Sun June 8, 2003 04:01 PM ET CARACAS, Venezuela (<a href=reuters.com>Reuters) - Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez described himself on Sunday as "ugly" and "sometimes uncouth" but said he was not a communist and did not believe communism could work in his oil-rich country.

Defending his turbulent rule in the world's No. 5 oil exporter, the populist leader dismissed criticism of his appearance, behavior and politics.

"I'm ugly ... black mixed with Indian, that's me," he said, referring jokingly but proudly to his mixed-race ancestry which he shares with most of Venezuela's population.

"I'm a little uncouth sometimes. What can I do? I'm not going to change," Chavez added, speaking during his weekly "Hello President" television and radio show.

Chavez rose from obscurity to become a national figure in 1992 when he tried to seize power in a botched coup. Launching a political career after two years in jail, he won a landslide election in late 1998, promising a self-styled "revolution" to help his country's poor majority.

But his opponents, who have waged a determined campaign of protests and strikes against him, accuse Chavez of ruling like a dictator and of trying to install Cuba-style communism.

"I am not a communist ... if I was, I would say so," Chavez said. He added this distinguished him from Cuban President Fidel Castro, with whom he has forged a close alliance that has irked the United States, the main buyer of Venezuela's oil.

"Fidel Castro, my friend and brother, is a communist, but Venezuela's project is not communist," Chavez said. "At this moment in Venezuela, the program cannot be a communist one."