Financial Times Venezuela gets a hand from nimble Castro The US is being outsmarted by Cuba's leader in its own back yard, writes Moisés Naím, former minister of trade and industry in Venezuela and editor of Foreign Policy magazine. By Moisés Naím

Originally published in the Financial Times January 20, 2003

Oil and beauty queens: for decades, those were the only stories from Venezuela to catch the attention of the international media. Now, with its oil industry paralysed, the economy in free fall and President Hugo Chávez stepping up his Bolivarian revolution, Venezuela's disintegration is a story the world can no longer ignore.

The greatest surprise of the crisis is how little Washington has mattered. Fidel Castro's Cuba - small, poor and isolated - has been far more influential in Caracas than George W. Bush's mighty US. Indeed, few episodes better illustrate the limits of US power than the outmanoeuvring of Uncle Sam by Fidel in a country that is one of the largest suppliers of oil to the US.

While the US government was once closely involved in any Latin American political intrigue, it now seems strangely slow to appreciate what is happening in its back yard. In only a few years President Chávez has transformed one of most reliable partners of the US in South America into one of its most adversarial neighbours. Last year, and despite common perceptions to the contrary, the US was taken by surprise when a cabal of military officers and business leaders hijacked a massive civil protest in Caracas and ousted Mr Chávez - albeit briefly.

The clumsy, anti-democratic behaviour of the plotters and the swift, effective reaction of Mr Chavez's supporters returned the president to power, leaving White House spokesmen spluttering awkwardly about their hesitation to condemn the coup unequivocally. More recently, Washington was caught unawares by the strike that is blocking exports of Venezuelan oil, just as the US prepares for war in Iraq.

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11 2001, Latin America all but disappeared from the map of top US policymakers. Without Islamic terrorists and nuclear capabilities, the region could not compete for attention. Moreover, as long as Mr Chávez, a thuggish but democratically elected president, did nothing to trigger an international reaction or threaten US interests, the options for intervention available to even a superpower were very limited. Washington's authority was further curtailed by its hesitant and ambiguous reaction to the attempted coup, a reaction denounced by Democrats in the US Congress.

In contrast, Cuba's attention to Venezuela has been sustained and effective. There is no foreign policy goal more fundamental to Cuba's economic well-being than ensuring that Mr Chávez stays in power. Venezuela's oil, sold at highly advantageous terms to Cuba, is an important reason but not the only one. An alliance with Venezuela has helped Cuba to ease the political and economic stranglehold the US has maintained since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Indeed, Venezuelan air force pilots report that the equivalent of an airlift between Caracas and Havana has been established.

The Cuban regime is extending its influence by sending thousands of government employees - among the health workers and sports trainers are intelligence officers - to Venezuela for extended periods. Meanwhile, large numbers of Mr Chávez's supporters are being sent to the island for training. Commenting on the abortedcoup, one European ambassador in Caracas said: "I don't know which was a bigger factor in returning Chávez to power - the ineptitude of his enemies or the effectiveness of the Cubans - but I do know that both played a role."

Havana has the motives and means to prop up the Venezuelan leader. Its intelligence is highly active and effective. The US authorities believe the Cuban secret service has infiltrated some of the most sensitive intelligence facilities in the US. Historically, Cuban agents either were directly involved or had front-row seats in almost all the revolutions, coups and guerrilla movements in the developing world.

Cuban diplomacy supported by Venezuelan oil money has also made significant inroads in the island nations of the Caribbean, which control an influential voting bloc in the Organisation of American States. Such ties may well complicate the organisation's role as mediator in the talks between Mr Chávez and the opposition.

The Venezuelan crisis can be solved only by Venezuelans. But, as the crisis deepens, the role of other countries will be crucial. The world's last remaining superpower will have to avoid being outsmarted again by the western hemisphere's sole cold war dictator.

The writer is a former minister of trade and industry in Venezuela and is editor of Foreign Policy magazine

usinfo.state.gov 24 January 2003

(Recommends proposals offered by former President Carter) (1230)

The United States believes the only solution to the current crisis in Venezuela is a peaceful, constitutional, democratic and electoral process agreed to by both the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the political opposition, says Secretary of State Colin Powell.

In January 24 remarks to a special session of the Organization of American States (OAS), Powell reiterated U.S. support for OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria's efforts to facilitate a dialogue to resolve the Venezuelan impasse. He encouraged the recently-formed "Group of Friends" -- consisting of the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Spain and Portugal -- to quickly reaffirm its support for Gaviria's efforts and to work for a constitutional solution to the Venezuelan crisis.

Given what he described as the "grave" and deteriorating situation in Venezuela, Powell suggested that "time is of the essence" in reaching an accord. He said that the two proposed resolutions to the crisis offered by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter "represent the best paths available to Venezuelans."

Under the terms of one proposal outlined by Carter, Venezuela's government and opposition would agree to a recall referendum -- consistent with the Venezuelan constitution -- to be held in August to determine if Chavez should leave office.

Under the alternative proposal, the two sides would agree to a constitutional amendment to permit early general elections in the summer.

Once the two sides have reached an agreement, Powell said, the Friends Group should establish a mechanism to ensure its full implementation.

"At the end of the day, it is the Venezuelans themselves who must find solutions to their problems," Powell concluded, adding: "it is my profound hope, and my confident belief, that the Secretary General's continued work, the Friends Group's sustained efforts, and President Carter's valuable contributions will help them do so."

Following is the text of Powell's remarks, as prepared for delivery:

(begin text)

U.S DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 24, 2003

REMARKS OF SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL TO THE SPECIAL SESSION OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES

Secretary General Gaviria, Assistant Secretary General Einaudi, Ministers and Permanent Representatives, distinguished guests.

I would like to thank Secretary General Gaviria for convening this meeting and, even more, for his tireless efforts to reach a peaceful and democratic way out of the current impasse in Venezuela.

Tragically, however, the situation in Venezuela grows worse by the day. Venezuelans of all stripes see their democracy and their hopes for prosperity growing ever weaker. All of us in the region and, indeed, in the international community, recognize that Venezuela's woes are our concern, too, lest they set back the march toward economic and political stability elsewhere in the hemisphere.

Colleagues, the situation is grave. We must help our Venezuelan friends find a way out of their current crisis.

We are here today to do just that.

We are here to underscore our strong support for the people of Venezuela and for the democracy they have cherished for over four decades.

Specifically, we are here to help the Venezuelan people find a democratic solution to their immediate problems.

The United States believes that the only way out of the crisis in Venezuela is through a peaceful, constitutional, democratic, and electoral process, one that the government and the opposition have both agreed to.

We also strongly believe that the dialogue led by Secretary General Gaviria remains the best opportunity for Venezuelans to achieve such a result.

We are not alone in our conviction. The entire membership of this body endorsed these principles when it passed Resolution 833, by consensus, last December.

It is by supporting these principles, and the Secretary General's determined efforts to secure an agreement based upon them, that we believe the Group of Friends can help. Indeed, I suggest we call the group the "Friends of the OAS Secretary General" to emphasize our commitment to helping the Secretary General in his mission to bring the two sides to a peaceful resolution of their differences.

I would like to thank President Lula of Brazil for his leadership in the creation of the Friends Group. We look forward to working with our colleagues in the Group from Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Spain, and Portugal.

The Friends of the OAS Secretary General initiative is firmly embedded within the OAS. The Inter-American Democratic Charter recognizes the central importance of democracy in our countries and gives the OAS a special role in its protection and promotion in our region.

Time is of the essence. To facilitate the process for reaching an accord, Secretary General Gaviria has detailed the points of agreement between the opposition and government.

Now, the Friends must act quickly to reaffirm the group's mandate to support the Secretary General and work for a "peaceful, constitutional, democratic, and electoral" solution to the current crisis in Venezuela.

We have two good proposals to work with, both tabled by former President Carter. Each offers an electoral way out of the present stalemate.

Under one proposal, the government and opposition would agree to a recall referendum, consistent with the constitutional provision for such a referendum, to be held this August.

Under the alternative proposal, the two sides would agree to a constitutional amendment to enable early general elections this summer.

The Carter proposals represent the best path available to Venezuelans. They provide the badly needed basis on which both sides can bridge their differences on the immediate issues. They offer a way out of the current impasse, and it is our job, as the Friends of the Secretary General Group, to urge both sides to agree to one of them.

Once the two sides have agreed to a political process, the Friends should establish a mechanism to monitor and ensure full implementation of the agreement.

The situation in Venezuela requires urgent action, and the Friends should send high-level representatives to Caracas as soon as possible, even as early as next week. This Friends delegation should act, under the guidance of Secretary General Gaviria, to press both sides to accept one of the proposals currently on the table.

Finally, we believe the Friends' OAS missions here in Washington and embassies in Venezuela should form working groups to enhance the Group's coordination and communication as our efforts move forward.

My friends, the Venezuelan people need to direct their political aspirations into constructive and democratic channels. President Chavez and the leaders of the opposition must understand that the current situation is untenable. An electoral process will allow the Venezuelan people to resolve their problems in an orderly, fair, and transparent manner. Without an electoral process, nobody wins; everyone loses.

It is important to end the current stalemate, but that step alone will not solve Venezuela's problems. Today's impasse arose from, and reflects, the deep divisions that remain in Venezuela. Even after the electoral process is underway, Venezuela's deeper problems will remain. Until those problems are addressed, Venezuelans will not be able to move confidently into a brighter future.

At the end of the day, it is the Venezuelans themselves who must find the solutions to their problems. It is my profound hope, and my confident belief, that the Secretary General's continued work, the Friends Group's sustained efforts, and President Carter's valuable contributions will help them do so.

(end text)

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

www.weeklystandard.com by Thor L. Halvorssen 01/23/2003 12:00:00 AM

VENEZUELA IS NOW an abyss where there is no rule of law. A rogue government tortures innocent civilians with impunity while paying lip service to democracy and buying time at the "negotiation" table set up by the Organization of American States. Venezuela's foreign minister, Roy Chaderton, has funded an effective multi-million dollar public relations campaign to smear the opposition as coup-plotters and fascists intent on bringing about violence.

Jesus Soriano has never met Roy Chaderton or Hugo Chavez. Soriano supported President Hugo Chavez's meteoric rise, volunteered during the election campaign, and is now a second-year law student in Caracas. His law-school peers describe the 24-year-old as a cheerful and happy young man.

Soriano, a member of the Chavez party, is part of a national student group called "Ousia," a group that brings together moderates who support the government and opposition members seeking a peaceful resolution to the current crisis.

On December 6, Soriano witnessed the massacre that occurred during a peaceful protest in Altamira, a neighborhood in Caracas where the opposition has a strong presence. The killer was Joao De Gouveia, an outspoken supporter of Chavez who has an unusually close relationship with mayor Freddy Bernal, a Chavez crony. Gouveia randomly began shooting at the crowd. He killed three--including a teenage girl he shot in the head--and injured 28 people. As Gouveia kept shooting, several men raced toward him to stop the killing. Soriano was one of the men who wrestled Gouveia to the ground and prevented further killing. Soriano also protected Gouveia from a potential lynch mob that swarmed around the killer.

Soriano's heroic accomplishments did not cease that day. He became a national figure in Venezuela when he brought a small soccer ball (known in Venezuela as a "futbolito") to a sizable protest march organized against the rule of Lt. Col. Chavez. Soriano and other pro-Chavez partisans made their way towards the march intending to engage the opposition members in dialogue.

That hot afternoon, Soriano kicked the futbolito across the divide at the members of the opposition. They kicked it back. The magical realism of the event is evident in the extraordinary television footage of what occurred next. By the end of the match the anti-Chavez protestors and pro-Chavez partisans were hugging and chanting "Peace! Unity! We are Venezuela! Politicians go away! We are the real Venezuela!" In one particularly moving part of the footage, Soriano and a member of the opposing team trade a baseball hat for a Chavez-party red beret.

In one hour this sharply divided group of strangers accomplished more than the high-level negotiation team that seeks to defuse a potential civil war. Chavez was reportedly furious with the televised soccer match and even angrier that the reconciliation was a product of the efforts of one of his supporters. Soriano was declared an enemy of the revolution.

Last week Soriano organized another soccer match. On Wednesday he visited the Universidad Central de Venezuela, the main university in the capital, to attend a meeting of the student government. Violent clashes erupted as members of the Circulos Bolivarianos, an armed militia sworn to protect the revolution, began throwing rocks and tear gas grenades at the students. The militia identified Soriano and captured him. They then tied his hands and feet, lifted him up, and paraded him through the street like a sacrificial lamb chanting "Judas! Judas!" The entire spectacle was recorded by a cameraman who works for the official government television entity. Soriano was beaten so severely that he was left at the hospital emergency room. At the hospital he was detained by the DISIP, Chavez's secret police, and taken to their headquarters for questioning.

During his interrogation, fingernails in his left hand were torn out. After being further tortured and injected with drugs, the secret police took him into the bowels of the building and placed him in a cell. His cellmate: Joao de Gouveia.

Gouveia has the keys to the cell and comes in and out of the secret police headquarters at will. His only restriction is that he must sleep in the precinct, lest Chavez's police are revealed as allowing a confessed killer to roam free. Soriano's mother (who is also a Chavez supporter) tearfully claimed that Gouveia sodomized Soriano and beat him with such force that Soriano cannot open his eyes.

Soriano was released last Friday afternoon after Roy Chaderton advised Chavez that the case could filter out of Venezuela and could become a "human-interest story" with the potential to derail their PR campaign.

The government denied that Soriano had been mistreated. A thorough medical examination by a civil surgeon reveals that, beyond lacerations, severe bruising, and cracked ribs, Soriano had been repeatedly raped while in custody. His right arm shows that he has been injected. Nails are missing from his left hand. Soriano's internal organs have been crushed to the point that he urinates blood, and he cannot walk without assistance.

Once the medical report was made public, the secret police immediately began saying that Soriano was a member of a "right-wing paramilitary organization." This tactic, engineered by Chaderton, is used frequently to disqualify and discount opponents of the regime. All enemies of the "revolution" are coup plotters and fascists. The government now circulates a photo of Soriano in military fatigues. Carlos Roa, Soriano's attorney, showed me that the picture is a yearbook photo from when he was a schoolboy in military academy.

Although it was obvious that Soriano had been tortured, Iris Varela, a Chavez congressional representative, offered no apologies: "I am glad they did this to him. He deserved it." That such savage treatment is what greets government supporters who seek a peaceful resolution to the current crisis speaks volumes about Chavez's ultimate intentions. Soriano, now recuperating at home, must wonder why he ever supported the Chavez regime.

Thor L. Halvorssen is a human rights and civil liberties activist who grew up in Venezuela. He now lives in Philadelphia.

Asunto: 8 Grandes Mentiras de la Propaganda Chavista De: "Guillermo Esteves" gesteves@supercable.net.ve Fecha: Vie, 24 de Enero de 2003, 11:29 am

Estimado Profesor:

Le anexo un artículo muy bueno de Manuel Caballero que tenía guardado en mi computadora, y que casualmente lo tengo ya traducido al inglés. Tambien quería invitarlo a que visitara mi página web www.estaeslaruta.com y que puede usar cualquier archivo y documento que tengo ahi.

Atentamente, Guillermo Esteves

eluniversal.com - Daily news and summary

Eight big lies told by the Chavista propaganda. by Manuel Caballero Special for El Universal (this is an excerpt; please see the original article for full information)

European spheres see Venezuelan reality from the point of view sold by Mr. Chávez. For them we are racists and face a struggle between rich and poor; businessmen are fascists and the media are putschist; therefore, the nationalist government has not been able to fight corruption and work for the popular classes who put up with a minority’s outrages intended to destroy its peaceful and revolutionary project

1. There is a white minority against a dark majority who supports president Chávez in Venezuela. False: Venezuela is one of the few countries in the world where there is no racial or religious hate.

2. There is a conflict between poor and rich in Venezuela. False: It would be stupid to say that in Venezuela, like everywhere else, there are no classes opposing and struggling. But today the boundary is not between upper and lower classes but between the personalist authoritarism of Mr. Chávez’s government and the democratic collectivism of the opposition.

3. The popular classes are the support pillar for Hugo Chávez. This is a half-truth: Chávez effectively got the majority of his votes in the big cities’ poorest sectors, mainly thanks to a frantic demagoguery. However, the answer to this propaganda assertion needs further elaboration.

4. The opposition to Chávez is putschist and fascist. False: Denying this is not enough –it is certainly the biggest and at the same time the most shameless lie told by a government. It must not be forgotten that lieutenant-colonel Hugo Chávez Frías came to light politically in 1992 after having led two bloody military coups: if there is someone to be properly called putschist it would be him (who, by the way, took good care not to risk his neck).

5. Chávez’s government is civilian, legitimate, legal and stemming from popular sovereignty. Another half-truth: Or, at this point, less (a lot) then that. Chávez was elected with the popular vote –nobody intends to deny that– the same way Hitler, Mussolini and Fujimori were. But the process of his delegitimization started at the beginning of his mandate: he had the rules of the game changed so that his term, originally a non-extendible five year period, would be lengthen to six years with an immediate re-election, and which everyday he threatens to stretch until 2021.

6. Chávez fights against corruption. False: Chávez’s is one of the most corrupt governments Venezuela has had in its republican history.

7. There is freedom of speech in Venezuela. Another half truth: In Chávez’s Venezuela, thanks to a long tradition dating from 1936, there is freedom to express one’s opinion, and I attest this. But there is no freedom to inform –no other Venezuelan regime has witnessed so many outrages against media, ranging from attacks on media headquarters to aggressions against reporters in the street.

8. Chavez’s is a nationalist government. False: Like all fascisms, the Chavista regime exploits, ad nauseam, a blatant patriotism, focused on the idolatry of Liberator Simón Bolívar, whom it cites pell-mell to the same extent tyrant Juan Vicente Gómez used to in his day. But in fact, no one has strived more to give away Venezuelan interests to foreign capitals. posted by JoAnne 6:54 PM

Asunto: Por Venezuela De: angrl ven tacupai@7metasearch.com Fecha: Vie, 24 de Enero de 2003, 11:53 am

Uno de los temas de los cuales se debe esccribir es el de la contaminacion del Lago de Maracaibo. Yo intente escribirle a Greenpeace desde su webpage en Ingles pero creo que no redacte muy bien el documento en ingles, ademas no tenia suficientes fotos del hecho para mandarselas. Me parece que se le deberia escribir un documento bien redactado en ingles contandoles lo que esta pasando en el Lago de Maracaibo y sus implicaciones en la fauna marina asi como tambien sus implicaciones Internacionales tanto en la fauna del Mar Caribe como en las islas y Colombia, asi como tambien mandar fotos y direcciones electronicas como la de los lideres de la oposicion para que ellos se puedan comunicar o pedir mas informacion. La idea es que un organismo internacional como Greenpeace tambien se pronuncie por lo que esta pasando no solo en el Lago sino con el aire. Ayer se produjeron cuatro nuevos derrames asi que se deberia hablar con alguien de PDVSA para ver si se pueden mandar fotos y cuando se tenga algun contacto con ellos, videos en helicopteros. Tambien hay un partido nuevo en Mexico llamado el Partido Verde compuesto por puros jovenes mexicanos que ademas tambien defienden el ambiente... seria bueno tambien ponerlos al tanto a ellos porque como estan empezando esto les daria mas trayectoria internacional y al mismo tiempo contribuuirian con el medio ambiente MUNDIAL. Mientras mas gente se contacte mejor para que puedan pronunciarse por los crimenes a la naturaleza. Gracias por su atencion y espero que mi idea contribuya en algo a salvar nuestro pais y su ecosistema.