Mystery surrounds fugitive CTV leader’s political asylum petition
www.vheadline.com
Posted: Friday, March 14, 2003
By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue
Confederation of Trade Unions (CTV) executive secretary Pablo Castro has confirmed that CTV president and failed national stoppage instigator, Carlos Ortega has asked the Costa Rican government for political asylum.
Ortega was reported in residence at the Embassy since early Friday morning. Castro claims, “We are organizing all the necessary red tape so that Ortega can leave the country.”
In a later report Castro retracted and has denied that Ortega is at the Embassy at the moment. Ambassador Ricardo Lizano has not confirmed the breaking news.
- Sources indicate that the Embassy is keeping the matter under wraps.
An arrest warrant was issued for Carlos Ortega after he refused to turn up for a court hearing about his part in the two-month long national stoppage.
UK Embassy replies to charges of wasted prison reform donations
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.
Venezuelan Strike Leader Gets Asylum
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.
Venezuela to Produce Above OPEC Quota
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.
Political Agony Aunt gets it horribly wrong! El Nacional apologies
www.vheadline.com
Posted: Friday, March 14, 2003
By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue
El Nacional newspaper has officially apologized to Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) president, Ali Rodriguez Araque for a report involving his deceased son in alleged illegal business deals.
Rabid anti-Chavist columnist, Ibeyise Pacheco wrote a piece on February 14 accusing Rodriguez and his son, Ali Rodriguez Garaton of shady gasoline distribution deals.
El Nacional CEO Manuel Sucre admits that the piece was not accurate or truthful but defends the top bracket journalist, pointing to her correction of the error in her February 28 column.
The mistake is attributed to one of Pacheco’s sources but Sucre insists that El Nacional's editorial policy is not to damage reputations or the memory of the deceased.
“We ratify our apologies to the family and reiterate our disposition to publish any reply from Dr. Ali Rodriguez Araque and members of his family.”