<a href=www.voanews.com>VOA News 10 Apr 2003, 11:36 UTC

El vicepresidente de Venezuela José Vicente Rangél, negó alegaciones de que aviones de Venezuela bombardearon objetivos en Colombia, en apoyo a rebeldes izquierdistas.

En declaraciones a la Asamblea Nacional ayer, el mandatario calificó las acusaciones de, y citamos sus palabras, un arsenal de mentiras destinadas a desacreditar a Venezuela y a su gobierno.

Residentes de la frontera colombiana alegaron que un avión militar venezolano pasó la frontera el mes pasado lanzando bombas sobre una aldea donde guerrilleros izquierdistas estaban combatiendo con grupos paramilitares de derecha.

Autoridades de Venezuela y Colombia dijeron que la frontera entre ambas naciones fué escenario de numerosos enfrentamientos entre el ejército y grupos paramilitares.

El presidente de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez y su contraparte colombiano Álvaro Uribe tienen programado reunirse a fines de este mes,para discutir sobre tensiones fronterizas.

Posted on Wed, Apr. 09, 2003 CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela - Tucked away in one of Caracas' poorest districts, Radio Perola is raising the hackles of Venezuela's big media executives.

From a room the size of a walk-in closet, Radio Perola - and dozens of other small, government-sponsored stations - broadcast programs supporting President Hugo Chavez and his self-proclaimed revolution.

Chavez argues the stations counter opposition-allied commercial broadcast media that don't address issues vital to Venezuela's poor. Media executives argue the unlicensed stations interfere with their signals and are Chavez propaganda machines.

"They use frequencies that overlap those of other stations, and all they do is spread government propaganda," said Miguel Martinez, president of the Venezuelan Chamber of Broadcasting Industries.

"We aren't neutral," concedes Radio Perola manager Carlos Carles. "We have a position. It just so happens that most people here in this district support the president."

Chavez, a former paratroop commander who was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000, frequently accuses Venezuela's news media of conspiring to overthrow him. Many private broadcasters promoted a recent two-month general strike to demand Chavez quit. Now Congress, dominated by Chavez's ruling party, is considering legislation to strictly regulate broadcast content.

"It's no secret that the private media is against Chavez. That's why the government turns a blind eye to the abuses by pro-Chavez community radio," said opposition lawmaker Alberto Jordan, a member of Congress' media committee. "Many are operating in a clandestine form, moving from place to place so they can't be located."

Dominated by ruling party members, the media committee has shelved complaints, said Jordan.

At Radio Perola, disc jockeys spin tunes by the late folk singer Ali Primera, a social activist. Guests announce workshops for single mothers or meetings on neighborhood problems.

"Most of our programming focuses on community issues," Carles said in a room sporting photos of Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Chavez and pro-government graffiti.

Licensed private stations complain there are too many loopholes in legislation regulating community radio, and that the government permits abuses. Alvin Lezama, an executive at the state-run communications watchdog, says new rules will allow citizens, rather than the government, to regulate noncommercial stations.

"What is the best way to control this? That the communities take possession of these stations," Lezama said.

"We have to open channels so consumers control their media outlets because we are never going to have the technology or human resources to do it," added Lezama. "It's a truly revolutionary idea."

The rules put the same limits on signal strength for both commercial and community broadcasters. But community stations routinely exceed those limits.

"They are a threat. Our signal has been affected in some cities ... including Caracas and Maracaibo by these community stations," said Antonio Serfati, executive vice president of Union Radio, which broadcasts nationwide.

"Interference isn't the only problem. They broadcast more advertising than they are allowed to and don't pay taxes," added Serfati.

Community radio stations are permitted 5 minutes of advertising each hour. In a nod to local development, no more than half the ads can promote companies that don't operate within the station's respective "community."

Private radio owners also complain that many community stations violate a rule demanding they "abstain from transmitting partisan or propaganda messages" and "avoid discrimination due to political beliefs."

"They constantly talk about the marvels of Chavez's revolution," said Alejandro Hiduera, owner of the Radio Reloj AM-FM station in western Zulia state.

It's unclear how many community stations exist. Conatel, Venezuela's telecommunications agency, says 13 have been licensed. The National Association of Free and Alternative Community Radio says there are 23. Jordan claims there are more than 130.

Carles denies his station receives government money, as private media owners claim. Makeshift studio microphones, beat-up amplifiers and frayed cables appear to support his claim.

"Communication is a right of all individuals, not a business for a privileged few," said Carles.

Money.CNN.com

Group says glut of oil shipments is in transit, but exporters should not cut production too quickly.

LONDON (Reuters) - A "wall of oil" is poised to reach importing countries in the second quarter, traditionally the weakest for demand, but producers would be imprudent to cut output too quickly, an industry group said Thursday.

While leading OPEC members more than compensated for disruptions to Iraqi and Nigerian oil supply last month, talk of a cut in output later this month is "premature," the International Energy Agency said in a monthly report.

"I'm not sure that we have to fear an oversupply," the agency's Executive Director Claude Mandil Mandil told an energy conference in Paris.

"Stocks are very low and have to be rebuilt, and to rebuild the market needs extra supply, and all the more because in less than two months the driving season will start and demand will be high," he said.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is planning an emergency meeting, with many members calling for a reduction in output after a drop in prices to near the group's $25 a barrel target.

The IEA indicated fundamental factors pointed to a comfortable stock build for the second quarter, ahead of the summer demand.

Assuming steady production of nearly 26 million bpd from the cartel, without anything from Iraq, stocks would build at about 2.4 million bpd during the slow demand second quarter, IEA figures show.

Recent OPEC production increases have yet to show up in consumer country inventories because refiners have limited purchases in the hope of lower prices after the war on Iraq, the IEA said.

"The net result is a temporary backlog of crude on the water," the agency said. "There has been talk of a 'wall of crude' on the water that is waiting to arrive in key consuming regions," it added.

But for the IEA, adviser on energy to 26 industrialized nations, supply dangers still loom.

Iraq's continued outage, Nigerian disruptions ahead of presidential elections and Venezuela's underperforming output after an opposition strike make for uncertainties, it said.

Market attention has shifted from fears of a shortage to fears of a glut after OPEC members led by Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were able to compensate for lost output in March due to the attack on Iraq and violence in Nigeria.

The 11-member group boosted production by 95,000 bpd to a total 27.31 million bpd last month, the IEA said.

"Consumers are growing increasingly confident that the market can weather the storm caused by concurrent supply disruptions in Iraq, Venezuela and Nigeria," it said.

Excluding Iraq, the members governed by output limits lifted production by 1.13 million bpd to 25.86 million bpd.

This is 1.4 million bpd over the group's production target, the bulk of that from Saudi Arabia, which boosted production to an estimated 9.32 million bpd in March, the report said. In the second half of March, Saudi output was over 9.5 million bpd.

The IEA said Venezuelan production had recovered from a crippling opposition strike more quickly than expected, averaging 2.1 million bpd by the end of the month. But it said output may rise only another 300,000 bpd because some 400,000 bpd of capacity had been lost during the strike.

But now the nine members of OPEC -- excluding Iraq, and Venezuela -- have only 1.23 million barrels per day bpd of spare capacity, down from 1.67 million bpd in February, it said.

Global oil production in March jumped 740,000 bpd to 80.27 million bpd, up 4.44 million bpd from a year ago, but more than half of that was non-conventional OPEC natural gas liquids and oils, including the restart of very heavy oil production in Venezuela.

World oil demand is expected to grow by 1.1 million barrels a day this year to 78 million bpd, a forecast steady from its previous report, the IEA said.  

Amnesty International AI Index: AMR 53/006/2003 Publish date: 10 April 2003

A year on from the failed Coup d'Etat of 11 - 14 April 2002, when more than 50 people lost their lives and scores of others were wounded, Venezuela's government and opposition have failed to face up to their part in the tragedy and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice, Amnesty International said today.

An Amnesty International report "It is time that both the government and opposition stop attempting to use the events of April 11 to serve their political agendas and instead create the climate in which the facts can be established, justice can be secured and the victims can receive reparations."

"The recent dismissal of murder charges against those accused of shooting from the Puente Llaguno, and the failure to charge Metropolitan Police implicated in the deaths and injuries suffered on 11 April, demonstrate the weakness of the official investigation. It also raises serious concerns about the capacity of the state to effectively prosecute all those responsible," the organization continued.

Alixis Gustavo Bornones Soteldo and César Mattías Ochoa were two of the victims who were shot and killed in Avenida Beralt on 11 April. Their families, and many others, are still waiting for justice. Important investigations in order to identify those responsible have already been carried out, but Amnesty International remains concerned that establishing individual criminal responsibility for the crimes remains a long way off. Furthermore, while there has been a degree of progress in the investigations regarding events of April 11, the organization fears that the violations committed on 12, 13, and 14 April have received less attention and risk being ignored by investigators and public alike.

"The investigation and judicial process must lead to justice for the victims and their relatives, in order to avoid the pattern of impunity of other notorious cases of serious human rights violations which haunt Venezuela's recent history," said Amnesty International.

"Impunity for human rights violations leaves the victims and their families without redress and encourages further violations. This can only fuel the climate of violence undermining the rule of law and human rights in Venezuela."

To ensure the success of the investigations, Amnesty International urges the authorities to guarantee that all agencies, including all police forces and the National Guard, cooperate fully with the investigation and ensure there is transparent and effective coordination between the Attorney General's Office (Fiscalía General de la República) and the Scientific and Criminal Investigation Force Cuerpo de Investigaciones Científicas, Penales y Criminalisticas (CICPC).

"It is vital that both these agencies receive the support and resources necessary to make their work timely and effective. The judiciary must also play a fundamental role by ensuring its timely, impartial and effective handling of these highly politicised cases; the executive and the legislature must ensure support for the investigation while avoiding any implication of undue influence on the results, " said Amnesty International.

"If the responsibility, both criminal and moral, for violence of April 2002 is to be established it is vital that the opposition, including the media, contribute to the clarification of the facts, even if these do not coincide with their immediate political interests."

A proposed commission of enquiry, to establish the truth surrounding the human rights violations committed in April 2002, has not been set up due to the failure of the opposition and government to guarantee its independence, impartiality and effectiveness. Amnesty International believes that another possible means of ensuring an impartial and credible enquiry could involve the participation of independent international experts, under the auspices of the international community, to visit Venezuela to evaluate the investigation and make binding recommendations. These mechanisms would be a step toward creating space and credibility for the facts of April to emerge from the political polarization affecting the country. "One of the challenges to any such investigation is to clarify what led to the violence and the responsibility for it. Since April 2002, the political crisis destabilising Venezuela has repeatedly led to violence, with the police and National Guard employing excessive force against pro and anti-government demonstrators."

" An outcome of these investigations must be the urgent reform to policing practices and structures to ensure impartial law enforcement and prevent excessive or indiscriminate use of force in police operations with strict adherence to international human rights standards."

"Impartial and effective investigations into human rights violations committed in April 2002 and subsequent incidents are the only means of rebuilding confidence in the police and criminal justice system and ending the climate of impunity," Amnesty International concluded.

Background Economic, social and political tensions led to an indefinite strike on 9 April by supporters of the opposition, an alliance built around the business sector, the principal trade union and private media interests, who demanded the immediate resignation of President Chávez. On 11 April, a mass opposition demonstration met pro-government protesters in the vicinity of the presidential palace. As demonstrators, Metropolitan Police, National Guard clashed, 20 people died as a result of gunshot wounds, and over 60 others were injured. In the ensuing crisis, senior military officials forced President Chávez from power and placed him in detention. Following the Coup d'Etat, a de facto joint civilian-military administration was established under the opposition leader Pedro Carmona, head of the Employers Association, FEDECAMARAS. The de facto government issued draconian decrees, inclusing the closure of the National Assembly, and the summary dismissal of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General and the Human Rights Ombudsman (Defensor del Pueblo). Police carried out raids on a number of homes of supporters of President Chávez. Amongst those arbitrarily detained were a Minister and a National Assembly deputy. There was widespread condemnation of the unconstitutional and summary removal of President Chávez, the illegal detention of his supporters, and the arbitrary powers assumed by the de facto government. This, coupled with the increasingly determined efforts of President Chávez's followers to secure his release and return to power, led to the resignation of the new government and reinstatement of President Chávez on 14 April. The civil disturbance during these four days left at least 50 people dead and many more wounded. The government and opposition have continually accused each other of masterminding the violence for political advantage over the last year.

Political violence has also continued throughout the last year, resulting in the deaths of a number of pro and anti-government demonstrators and has repeatedly threatened further disintegration in the rule of law and human rights protection. In December 2002 the opposition called a second indefinite national stoppage which continued to February 2003. Social tension and political violence escalated in the context of the strike, which had a dramatic impact on the economy. Negotiations between government and opposition have continued throughout the year under the stewardship of the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, César Gaviria. A group of "friendly counties" was also established to facilitate this process and help find a negotiated solution to the political crisis.

Read more: <a href=web.amnesty.org>Venezuela, A Human Rights Agenda for the Current Crisis

LE MONDE | 10.04.03 | 15h30

A force de chercher constamment à anticiper les événements, les marchés financiers ont pris une longueur d'avance sur la réalité. A tel point que leur réaction à l'arrivée des chars américains au cœur de Bagdad, mercredi 9 avril, pouvait paraître surprenante : aucune envolée boursière, bien au contraire ; les marchés obligataires se sont redressés grâce à un mouvement de vases communicants des capitaux en provenance des actions ; et le dollar, qui évoluait jusqu'alors au son des victoires remportées par les troupes américaines, s'est replié.

REPLI BOURSIER

Aux Etats-Unis, l'indice Dow Jones des trente premières capitalisations industrielles a reculé de 1,22 %, pour finir la séance de mercredi à 8 197,94 points.

L'indice composite du Nasdaq (sociétés de technologie) a chuté de 1,89 %, à 1 356,74 points. En Europe, seul le marché allemand, dont les horaires lui permettent de suivre plus longtemps la séance de New York, a reproduit un recul aussi prononcé qu'aux Etats-Unis. Il a cédé 1,22 %, à 2 734,10 points. Les autres Bourses européennes ont nettement moins perdu, à l'instar de l'indice Footsie de Londres, qui a baissé de 0,19 % pour finir à 3 861,40 points. Variation identique à Paris, où l'indice CAC 40 a terminé à 2 888,03 points. Enfin, l'euro, qui avait gagné du terrain sur le dollar, conservait son avance, jeudi matin 10 avril, à 1,0789 dollar. Ces mouvements seraient à attribuer à des investisseurs qui, considérant la guerre quasi terminée, reviennent aux "fondamentaux" moroses de l'économie.

UNE ÉCONOMIE EN ATTENTE

Les stratèges de marché commencent à ébaucher des scénarios d'après-guerre. "L'économie américaine va continuer de faire de la croissance, mais plus lentement que prévu par le consensus des économistes", estiment les experts de CDC Ixis dans une analyse intitulée "Méfiez-vous de l'idée de reprise rapide de l'économie des Etats-Unis". Les experts ajoutent : "Les déficits budgétaire et commercial vont rester très importants. Dans un an, les taux d'intérêt aux Etats-Unis seront plus hauts (...). Mais entre-temps, surtout pendant les prochains mois, on peut s'attendre que les taux baissent un peu. Les données sur la confiance des consommateurs, la production industrielle, l'utilisation des capacités, le chômage peuvent rester médiocres pendant les prochains deux ou trois mois, et une forte reprise pourrait être retardée jusqu'au deuxième semestre de 2003. Comme l'économie était plus faible que prévu en février et mars, les bénéfices des entreprises risquent d'être décevants pendant les prochaines semaines."

FLUCTUATIONS SUR LE PÉTROLE

L'effondrement du régime irakien n'a pas plus ébranlé le flegme des opérateurs du London Petroleum Exchange, plus préoccupés par la baisse des stocks de brut aux Etats-Unis et la peur d'une réduction de la production qui pourrait être décidée par l'Organisation des pays exportateurs de pétrole (OPEP). Le baril de référence du brent de la mer du Nord pour livraison en mai valait 25,16 dollars, jeudi à l'ouverture à Londres, contre 25,33 dollars la veille.

Reste qu'en dépit d'une hausse de 2,72 %, mercredi, la City parie sur une baisse à long terme des prix du pétrole. "Le plafond de la demande a été atteint en février en raison d'un hiver anormalement froid aux Etats-Unis. Sur le front de l'offre, l'interruption des livraisons irakiennes est largement compensée par le retour à la normale au Venezuela et la hausse de la production saoudienne, qui a même éclipsé les difficultés du Nigeria", assure Kenneth Noorish, du courtier Barclays Capital. La reprise de la production irakienne n'est pas pour demain, même si l'infrastructure irakienne a été sauvegardée, les dégâts aux puits étant jugés minimes. La guerre ne s'est pas étendue aux pays producteurs voisins, l'Arabie saoudite et le Koweït. La prolongation du programme "Pétrole contre nourriture" pour 45 jours devrait être rapidement entérinée par l'ONU, estiment les spécialistes. Toute l'attention se concentre désormais sur la réunion, le 24 avril, de l'OPEP.

"L'évolution dépend de l'ampleur de la réduction de la production que va décider l'organisation. Sa marge de manœuvre est toutefois limitée par la nécessité de ne pas se mettre à dos les Etats-Unis en se montrant trop cupide", souligne John Rigby, analyste du secteur énergétique auprès de la Commerzbank.

Cécile Prudhomme et Marc Roche (à Londres)