www.vheadline.com Posted: Thursday, March 13, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

According to Venezuelan Executive Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel, the government is pleased with Organization of American States (OAS) secretary general Cesar Gaviria's role as a facilitator and is not keen on him becoming more of a mediator. 

"We see him as a facilitator, because mediation introduces a binding element and we don't believe that Venezuela is in that kind of situation."

Rangel went on to say that the Friends of Venezuela group meeting in Brasilia earlier this week had dealt the opposition three separate blows, firstly because its call for Gaviria to become a mediator was refused, secondly the call for a world forum on Venezuela was denied and thirdly President Hugo Chavez Frias was accepted by the group to be a valid interlocutor.

However, government representative Jorge Valero also failed in his main aim to have several other countries added to the current six man group, including France, Russia and some Caribbean countries.

www.news24.com 13/03/2003 12:31  - (SA)  

Mexico City - President Vicente Fox told reporters from his hospital bed after a spinal operation that US President George Bush tried to "insistently convince" him of the US view on Iraq, but that Mexico had not taken a decision yet.

Fox, who underwent surgery early on Wednesday for a slipped disk, said he was "somewhat" under pressure on the Iraqi issue, and had received calls from several countries, including Singapore, Japan, Colombia and Venezuela.

"Some are choosing one of the alternatives, while others are giving a lot of support to our efforts towards peace."

Bush was "very polite", Fox told television reporters in a telephone interview late on Wednesday. "Of course he defends his point of view and tries to insistently convince, but we have responded with firmness and sovereignty."

Fox refused to say how Mexico will vote in the UN security council for a US-British-Spanish draft resolution authorising the use of military force unless Iraq satisfies the world that it has disarmed by March 17.

Mexico is one of six undecided security council members whose votes could make or break the measure. Press reports here suggest that it is leaning towards a "no" vote. According to surveys, 70% of Mexicans oppose a US-led war on Iraq.

Fox stressed Mexico's choice on Iraq would be "more of a decision by the state rather than a personal one", adding that his government was strongly in favour "of peace and seeking peaceful solutions to conflicts through dialogue".

Asked if it was difficult to say "no" to Bush, Fox said: "Quite frankly, no, because we've built a friendship and a relationship that's different; its based on seriousness, on political maturity and the knowledge that we're neighbours, friends, partners, and also that we have to speak the truth to each other."

Fox said he did not expect any retaliation from the United States regardless how Mexico votes in the security council.

Fox, 60, who was to remain in the hospital for at least three days, delegated foreign secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez to lead Mexico's diplomatic representation at the United Nations.

washingtontimes.com EDITORIAL • March 13, 2003

     Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may have triumphed over the opposition-led national strike that ended last month, but the country's economy has been badly wounded. The Venezuelan subsidiary of Spanish bank BBVA, called Banco Provincial, predicted the country will suffer the largest economic contraction in its history and that oil production will be seriously hampered. The bank's projections help clarify Venezuela's economic conditions, since the assessments made by the government and private sector (which is often aligned with the opposition) have varied widely, and have sometimes been regarded as too subjective.      Washington is observing Venezuela's economic development closely. Last year, Venezuela supplied America with 13 percent of its crude oil imports. The severe economic problems could signal unabated instability and further disruptions in oil production.      According to Banco Provincial, in the first quarter of this year, Venezuela's economy will shrink 40 percent and oil sector activity will drop by 69 percent. To put this in perspective, this slowdown would be more severe than America's sharpest Great Depression contraction. The bank also said that the non-oil sector would contract by 33 percent and the unemployment rate would rise to 25 percent from the official rate of 18 percent.      Still, the situation is not as dismal as it could have been. Many analysts expected Venezuela, which last year was the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, to be producing around 1.3 million barrels of oil a day during the fourth quarter. Even oil workers sympathetic to the national strike say the national oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, is producing about 1.8 million barrels a day, while the government says this production is up to 2.6 million barrels.      Nonetheless, Venezuela's situation looks grim. Economic projections for the whole year for Venezuela vary widely, with contraction predictions varying between 9 percent to 30 percent, demonstrating how unstable the country's socio-political situation remains. And the economic problems, as Mr. Chavez is well aware, will affect not only the oligarchs (who have become the president's nemesis) but Venezuela's poor as well. In this critical regard, Mr. Chavez's ability to deliver his promised Bolivarian revolution has been undermined.      Mr. Chavez blames the strikers and "coup plotters" for causing the current problems, while the opposition points to the president's heavy-handed tactics. Beyond the finger pointing, which has mutual justifications, it would appear that parties on both sides must strike a truce and find ways to ratchet down the tensions for the good of the country. If the opposition can not see past its hostility to Mr. Chavez, there could be little left of the country at stake. Similarly, if Mr. Chavez fails to honestly review his errors and temper his dangerously polarizing rhetoric, the president will become his own worst enemy.      Thus far, the White House has watched developments in Venezuela with concern and has forged a carefully calibrated policy. But the United States and other countries involved in the Group of Friends initiative, which are striving to facilitate talks, reduced their level of engagement after the national strike was called off. The bombs that exploded last month in Caracas demonstrate that the current situation remains highly volatile. The Group of Friends should step up their efforts, and be more aggressive in calling out publicly the dangerous brinkmanship of both sides.

usinfo.state.gov 12 March 2003

(James Hill says narco-terrorism fuels radical Islamic groups in region) (2040)

Narco-terrorism is a "pervasive force of destruction" that is affecting every country in the Americas, says James Hill, commander of the U.S. Southern Command (Southcom).

In a recent speech in Miami, Hill said that narco-terrorism -- that is, terrorist activity funded by the illicit drug trade and other organized crime -- is fueling radical Islamic groups associated with Hamas, Hizballah, and Al Gamatt that are operating in such places as the tri-border area of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, and on Venezuela's Margarita Island. Such groups, he said, generate hundreds of millions of dollars through drug and arms trafficking to finance terrorist groups around the world.

"Simply put, direct drug sales and money laundering fund worldwide terrorist operations," Hill said. "That is fact, not speculation."

The Southcom commander said the threat to countries in the region does not come from the military force of an adjacent neighbor or from a foreign invading power. Rather, "today's foe is the terrorist, the narco-trafficker, the arms trafficker, the document forger, the international crime boss, and the money launderer," Hill said. The new threat, he added, "respects neither geographical nor moral boundaries."

The hemispheric community must act in concert to prevent the "continuing and increasingly corrosive spread of narco-terrorism and its connections to international and transnational terrorists, arms, drugs, and other insidious threats" throughout the region, Hill said March 3 at the North-South Center.

The goal for regional leaders, he said, is a hemisphere where children do not have to live in fear of being orphaned by terrorists, kidnapped, or pressed into service by gangs, drug traffickers and narco-terrorists.

"Our children deserve to be safe -- and if we act together, we can give them safety and security," said Hill.

Following is the text of Hill's prepared remarks:

(begin text)

Remarks by James Hill, Commander of the U.S. Southern Command North-South Center March 3, 2003

"Building Regional Security Cooperation in the Western Hemisphere"

Today's Western Hemisphere strategic environment is unique. In stark contrast to many other parts of the world, countries in the Western Hemisphere are not threatened militarily by their neighbors. Twenty-five years ago, the vast majority of the governments in Latin America and the Caribbean were under either communist or autocratic rule. Today, every country in the hemisphere except one is a democracy.

Democracy is the goal and the accepted model for government in the Western Hemisphere. This is significant because democracies tend to look out for the welfare of their people, seek positive relations with their neighbors, and most importantly, don't make war against each other.

When flare-ups have occurred in the Americas in the past decade, they've been resolved by diplomacy and regional cooperation, rather than by force of arms. Contrary to popular myth, Latin America is the least militarized region of the world, accounting for only 4 percent of the world's defense spending.

The peace between our nations should have translated into greater prosperity and more security for the people of the Americas, but for some it has not. We know that our hemisphere, like the entire world, has become a more volatile and unpredictable place, and we've got a long way to go to make it safe.

Today, the threat to the countries of the region is not the military force of the adjacent neighbor or some invading foreign power. Today's foe is the terrorist, the narco-trafficker, the arms trafficker, the document forger, the international crime boss, and the money launderer.

This threat is a weed that is planted, grown and nurtured in the fertile ground of ungoverned spaces such as coastlines, rivers and unpopulated border areas. This threat is watered and fertilized with money from drugs, illegal arms sales, and human trafficking. This threat respects neither geographical nor moral boundaries.

Nowhere is the threat more graphically and brutally active than Colombia. Last month in Bogotá, a 200-kilogram car bomb planted by the FARC exploded in a parking garage under the 11-story El Nogal social club, killing 35 people, including six children at a piñata party, and injuring 173 more. I never refer to these terrorists as guerillas, insurgents, or rebels. Neither does the secretary of state - because, in his words, those labels romanticize them. There is nothing romantic about these narco-terrorists who wreak havoc on Colombia and its people.

These are the same narco-terrorists who employ home-made propane tank mortars -- with a range of 400 yards and notorious inaccuracy. They do what they are meant to do -- kill indiscriminately. These narco-terrorists conduct violent, incessant attacks to undermine the security and stability of Colombia. They are incredibly well-financed by their involvement in every aspect of drug cultivation and production, kidnapping and extortion. They have long since lost any ideological motivation they once may have had. Today, they are motivated by money and power, protecting and sustaining themselves through drug trafficking and terror. They offer nothing of value to the state or people, no better form of government, no liberation from an oppressive dictatorship. They offer death and lawlessness.

Last year, over 28,000 Colombians were murdered -- 13 times the rate of the U.S. More than 2,900 were kidnapped -- including many children. More than 450 Colombians lost their lives last year to landmines -- the very vast majority due to the narco-terrorists, not the military. One and a half million Colombians have been driven from their homes, displaced by the war. There were more terrorist attacks in Colombia alone last year than in all other nations of the world combined.

Colombia's narco-terrorists supply almost all of the cocaine and heroin consumed in the United States. Drugs killed more than 19,000 Americans in 2001 and were indirectly responsible for another 55,000 deaths, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. By statistical definition, this makes these drugs weapons of mass destruction.

The facts: narco-terrorists and other armed illicit groups operate in and out of southern Panama, northern Ecuador, northern Peru, Bolivia, portions of Venezuela and the tri-border area; they are involved in kidnappings in Venezuela, Ecuador, and Paraguay; they smuggle weapons and drugs in Brazil, Suriname, Guyana, Mexico, and Peru. They use the same routes and infrastructure for drugs, arms, illegal aliens, and other illicit activities. There is a huge and growing market for forged and illegal immigration documents; narco-terrorists and radical Islamic groups are feeding this market.

As traffickers exchange drugs for arms and services in the transit countries, transit nations become drug consumers as well. Narco-terrorism fuels radical Islamic groups associated with Hamas, Hizballah, al Gamaat, and others. These groups, operating out of the tri-border area, and other locales, like Margarita Island off Venezuela, generate hundreds of millions of dollars through drug and arms trafficking with narco-terrorists. Simply put, direct drug sales and money laundering fund worldwide terrorist operations. That is fact, not speculation.

I say this not to point fingers at any one country; I don't have enough fingers. The reality is that narco-terrorism is a pervasive force of destruction that not only affects our region, but each and every one of our countries -- big and small, rich or poor, weak or powerful. This is a battle that must be fought together. If we don't, I fear we risk winning the battle in Colombia, but losing the war in the rest of the region.

Narco-terrorists and drug trafficking organizations have shown considerable flexibility in adjusting their operations, tactics, and locations in reaction to our combined efforts.

If we are not as flexible, if we are not as agile, or as quick to anticipate and counter these adjustments, we'll find ourselves always one step behind, with old or inaccurate intelligence, lunging at shadows, and we'll come away with incomplete results. That's why I believe we need to re-evaluate our armed forces and security forces and collective agreements in order to bring about increased coordination and cooperation.

I would never say that the day of traditional military capability has passed, but it surely must evolve to remain relevant and defeat the threats of the 21st century. We must have the courage and confidence to honestly evaluate how our armed forces are configured, trained, and equipped, and more importantly, how well they communicate with and mutually support their sister services, other security forces, and neighboring countries.

Working together in multilateral exercises and forming trust through transparency are just some of the confidence- and security-building measures that have formed a structure for multilateral security cooperation in the Americas. We must continue to build upon this edifice with even more synchronization of effort.

The U.S. government and U.S. Southern Command are currently working on initiatives to do just that -- not only to exercise together, but also to operate together in order to shut down transnational threats.

The 5th Defense Ministerial Conference of the Americas held in Santiago in November emphasized the "desire to strengthen the inter-institutional and inter-governmental coordination ... which permits the ... preservation and stability of peace." Cooperation and coordination are much more complex than just communicating with each other. They must be built on a foundation of mutual respect and trust, and they must be mutually beneficial. Without these precepts, there is no cooperation. The most basic level of cooperation and coordination must be between the branches of the armed services themselves. This entails information-sharing, planning, and training. When we train, plan and operate together, we learn each other's terminology, doctrine, limitations and capabilities, and we forge a strong, seamless, combined arms force. I believe we're slowly getting better in this area.

The next level must be between the military and the other security forces such as the police and customs, and in this area we've got a long way to go.

Armed forces must -- operating within their constitutional and legal constraints -- support and cooperate with law enforcement agencies in combating drugs and other transnational threats. And where the legal boundaries don't make sense anymore given the current threat, they should engage in an honest dialogue with their democratically elected leaders to determine if laws and restrictions need revision. That is an essential discussion that takes place in a democracy, a proper role for a military in support of a democracy.

I routinely visit military and civilian leaders throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. I talk with them about re-addressing the roles and missions of their armed forces to ensure they focus on relevant 21st-century threats, not those of the past. Our ideas must look ahead in anticipation of what can be -- and [we must] transform ourselves to meet these new threats -- new ideas that will ensure multi-national cooperation and coordination to fight common enemies.

We must act together to prevent the continuing and increasingly corrosive spread of narco-terrorism and its connections to international and transnational terrorists, arms, drugs, and other insidious threats throughout the hemisphere. It is no mean or simple task.

But let me tell you what is at stake if we do not succeed -- our children and their children. Our goal needs to be an Americas where children do not have to live in fear of being orphaned by terrorists. Children should not live in fear of being kidnapped. Children should not live in fear of being pressed into service by gangs, drug traffickers and narco-terrorists, and they should not have their lives cut short being forced to work in a coca lab, breathing and ingesting poisons.

A child, whether he or she is growing up in Bogota, Rio, Pucallpa, Guatemala City, Port-au-Prince, Paramaraibo or New York, deserves to grow up, be loved, cared for, and have at least basic needs like nutrition, education and the one thing that many of today's children are missing -- the feeling that they are safe. Our children deserve to be safe. And if we act together, we can give them safety and security.

Thank you for the opportunity to be with you tonight, God bless you and God bless each of your countries.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.Department of State. Web site: usinfo.state.gov)

This site is produced and maintained by the U.S. Department of State's Office of International Information Programs (usinfo.state.gov). Links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Pro-government parliamentarians say answers to April 11-14 deaths, looting and other incidents depend on public powers.

Speaking after a forum entitled '11 Months After', Movimiento Quinta Republica (MVR) deputy Dario Vivas says the forum is the threshold to the Americas Social Forum scheduled for April 11-14 in Venezuela.

International organizers describe it as "a chance to build up a network of solidarity with the Bolivarian process … in addition to a cultural and artistic celebration of the victory over the coup, the core of the event will be an international forum on the achievements of the Bolivarian Revolution, the enemies of that Revolution and the struggle against neoliberal globalization.” Poet of the Revolution, MVR deputy Tarek William Saab forecasts that the forum will the best way to seek the truth about April 11.