<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Friday, May 30, 2003 By: David Coleman

No date has yet been set for a revocatory referendum on the rule of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias, but government and opposition negotiators have signed an agreement which obliges both sides to put aside a political conflict and to abide strictly by the terms of the 1999 Constitution to hold the referendum in a process which may be initiated after reaching the half-way point in the President's 6-year mandate this coming August 19.

Under the Constitution, which was itself approved by a democratic majority on December 15, 1999, a recall referendum can be held if Presidential opponents are able to collect signatures from at least 20% of duly registered voters.

Chavez Frias was first elected in December 1998, but opposition diehards -- who staged a violent but abortive coup d'etat on April 11, 2002 -- claim he may try to avoid a referendum. Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) deputy Felipe Mujica says "this a President who permanently fails to keep his word."

Nevertheless, Organization of American States (OAS) secretary general Cesar Gaviria was at the signing ceremony Thursday with Executive Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel and opposition representatives.  He said "this is a good agreement for all Venezuelans."

President Hugo Chavez Frias

Rabid opponents to President Chavez Frias' reform government accuse him of assuming near-dictatorial powers after he gaining majority support in the National Assembly (AN), quote a few nutters even go so far as to claim Chavez Frias is attempting to install Cuba-style communism in Venezuela despite abject denials from all quarters in government.

While opposition warlords maintain their vicious grip over much of what is going on in the provinces, the Venezuelan opposition is now pledged with the government to avoid violence in the run-up to the Constitutionally-mandated referendum process which is seen most likely to get off the ground in November or early December.

• But first the National Electoral College (CNE) must designate its own board of directors, verify valid signatures in a traditionally out-of-date roll of registered voters and set a target date for the referendum to be held.

Meanwhile, a series of hurdles must be surmounted even though they are not of the President's making ... voter records are said to include listings corruptly included of deceased voters from several decades back and political parties have yet to appoint representatives to monitor the vote when, and if, it happens...

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Friday, May 30, 2003 By: Jose Gregorio Pineda & Jose Gabriel Angarita

VenAmCham's Jose Gregorio Pineda (chief economist) and Jose Gabriel Angarita (economist) write: The economic agents in search of a way to meet their avid demand for US dollars have resorted to buying telephone company (CANTV) shares as a way to get around the total absence of legal foreign exchange availability. The shares, bought on the Venezuelan capital market, are brought together in a portfolio of 7 and turned into American Depositary Receipts (ADR), CANTV securities listed on Wall Street.

The arrangement is as follows: Once the shares have been converted into an ADR, it is sold in the United States and the value of the transaction deposited in an overseas account belonging to the seller.

This has three important consequences: An effect on the price of CANTV stock, an effect on the Caracas Stock Exchange (BVC), and the reaction of authorities responsible for operating the exchange control system.

First, the price of CANTV stock has risen 54% so far in 2003, according to figures published by El Universal, to 3,785 bolivares.  Second, stock trading in Venezuela has grown and the BVC Index had climbed to a record 11,532.92 points by Wednesday, May 28. But the most controversial of these consequences is the reaction of public officials responsible for regulating the economy.

Finance (Hacienda) Minister Tobias Nobrega announced that an important announcement on these transactions will be made in the next few days, but made it clear that they are in no way illegal. On the contrary, he acknowledged that this procedure is not regulated in the exchange control rules. Members of the CADIVI board, on the other hand, said these transactions are not authorized by the rigorous exchange control system and criticized their speculative nature.

For the time being, the transactions show that the price of a dollar on that market is in the neighborhood of 2,300 Bs./US$ ... but if they came to be regulated, the foreign exchange market's shutdown would be more complete, and hence, the negative effects of the exchange control regime would become even stronger, driving up the black-market exchange rate.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Friday, May 30, 2003 By: David Coleman

President Hugo Chavez Frias' brother, National Lands Institute (INTI) president Adan Chavez is categorically denying spurious opposition claims that the National Executive and/or his department is promoting or facilitating the invasion of productive lands by peasant squatters.

Chavez points out that government efforts under "Plan Zamora" are wholly directed towards promoting proper and productive land use and to put unproductive lands into the hands of poor peasants and small- to medium-sized agricultural producers through land registration, a system of agricultural credits, farm machinery and technical assistance towards increased production on state-owned land which has hitherto not fulfilled any social function whatsoever.

• Under the new plan, more than 739,000 hectares and more than 20 billion bolivares in finance and machinery have been contributed and it is expected that Venezuelan farms will in the short term begin to produce sufficiently to guarantee national food production.

Under Presidential Decree No.2,292 issued on February 4 and an INTI Resolution No.177 of the same date, permanent land registrations and rights of occupancies (Deeds) are extended to peasant cooperatives to organize and put unused land into fruitful production ... Adan Chavez says that land deeds groups are most definitely not extended to the detriment of private property in favor of peasant squatters as the opposition media has been screaming.  "The Law on Lands & Agricultural Development (article 24) extends certificates of land registry in accordance with the Constitution and the requirements of national food production.  We are using hitherto unregistered public lands, with full respect for private properties ... yes, we are promoting and protecting agricultural use of the land as a social function in national food production but we are also promoting national sovereignty and independence with our own (Venezuelan) food production and the rational use of land, natural resources and biodiversity to reduce the necessity of importing foodstuffs.

The law also establishes a total rejection of land invasions and squatting ... "the only thing that remains excluded under the law is any right to registration and land certifications  where those who claim rights have opted for violent and illegal means to occupy agricultural land since October 1, 2001 when the law came into effect."

Title deeds to agricultural land allotments are extended only on uncultivated but otherwise productive farmlands in Venezuelan state ownership.  Further down the line the Venezuelan government will examine the use (or lack of it) of land in private ownership, to determine if the land should be subject to compensated expropriation to be put into the hands of those who will make productive use of it ... "it is all being done in the best interests of the nation's economy, but against a backdrop of violent regional warlords who are determined to oppose the government in every way to preserve their ill-gotten privileges."

Venezuela's opposition dominated print & broadcast media has recently cited cases of alleged land invasion in Barinas State ... Adan Chavez says "they have made spurious claims without the slightest shred of evidence, claiming that where squatters have taken over some land, it has been done with the direct complicity of the National Executive ... they are playing to the gallery but the facts speak for themselves, the squatters do not have any backing of the government whatsoever."

Former Barinas Mayor Rogelio Pena says that his Santa Rita farmland has been invaded recently with the support of INTI officials and the National Guard (GN) ... Chavez, however, says that the land does not belong to Mayor Pena and that some 31,000 hectares of previously uncultivated terrain was allotted 400+ peasants belonging to the Brisas del Pasparro Cooperative.  He explains that Mayor Pena is currently under investigation for alleged corruption in the appropriation of 7,000 hectares of land he claims he acquired, but cannot substantiate, whilst holding mayoral office from 1996 to 2000.  "Pena is suspected of being one in a list of the most corrupt officials from previous governments who took advantage of their positions to steal lands that rightfully belong to the State."

DCMilitary.com - Pentagram May 30, 2003 (Editor's note: This is the second of a three part series on unsung American efforts on the war on terrorism in the western hemisphere.)

The political climate in Honduras is not as volatile as parts of South America, but conditions could lead to political upheavals such as those facing Venezuela, where oil strikes and protests have crippled the economy and the government's ability to rule. Poverty and the increasing lawliness in Honduras could create a breeding ground for terrorists.

"The economy is bad and getting worse. This creates a lot of crime. I know many people are scared and feel that something needs to be done," said Carmen Suyapa Euceda, a mother of three who lives near Soto Cano. "Things are at a point where people are not sure what can be done."

Honduran president Ricardo Maduro in April called on the U.S. to be more active in Central America, or risk the region slipping to the left after years of moving toward free-market democracies. He said the region is at "a very critical point," according to The Washington Times.

This is nowhere clearer than in Comayagua Valley, a wide cut through the mountains and home to Soto Cano. In hills east of the valley April 3, Army Chinook helicopters dumped water on forest fires which threatened to raze a mountain village. To the west ? within sight of the smoking palm trees ? thousands of demonstrators congregated in the town of Comayagua against a U.S.-led war in Iraq.

Master Sgt. Charles Warren said the U.S. military's presence is generally welcome despite such protests ? or a message spray-painted beneath a Coca-Cola sign bragging "Osama Bin Laden lives." Joint Security Forces rate the threat of terrorism against Americans low, yet they've beefed up security on Soto Cano.

"Terrorist groups have shown an ability to reach out and hit those places where the threat is considered low, or where they have not hit in the past. In that sense, you could say Central America is in the line of fire," said Warren. He believes a peacetime mission in a friendly nation advertises a "soft" target. The installation is hardening by setting up more physical barriers, installing video surveillance, increasing perimeter patrols, and improving cooperation with Honduran authorities.

Criminal danger

Authorities rate the threat of crime in Honduras high, which presents other reasons to be cautious of political violence and an emergence of home-grown terrorism.

Teen-age gangs wield machetes and home-made firearms called "chimbas" to control territories and extort or steal money. The gangs are a symptom of destitution and an element of rebelliousness similar to conditions in some Middle Eastern communities where terrorist organizations have successfully recruited.

"It is very dangerous. In every city, there are gangs. You hear about 18 or 20 people die every day because of the violence. There seems to be no control over them," said Nuri Yolany Alvarado.

Honduras is a constitutional democracy, but is staggering under the weight of widespread crime. "The judiciary is poorly staffed and equipped, often ineffective and subject to corruption and political influence," said a March 31 State Department report.

Half of Honduras' 6.5 million residents are under age 18.

Many children are turning to crime, and the prisons are filled beyond capacity.

Many businesses employ private security teams who stand guard with sawed-off shotguns, pistols and machetes, closely eyeing teenagers hollering from the beds of passing pick-up trucks.

A scenario in which Hondurans become anti-American terrorists is highly unlikely right now, yet worth U.S. concerns, especially if Americans disappear from humanitarian missions in Latin America and economic conditions worsen, Warren said.

Fuel prices in Honduras, one of the poorest nations in a crippled region, stand at over $3 a gallon, one of the highest prices in the hemisphere. With the daunting cost of owning a private vehicle, public transportation is overburdened, and relies heavily on retired school buses from the U. S.

Honduras' poverty takes a toll on public health.

Nancy Etheridge, wife of Southern Command's Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Etheridge, helped in March at several medical clinics organized through Soto Cano.

"It's overwhelming. I never dreamed there was this many people in need of basic medical care," she said. "It's good for them to see the military helping in this way, because right now they are seeing so much of the fighting in Iraq. They need to know we do more than fight."

There is also a fear that Honduras' proximity to the U.S. could kick up sibling rivalry among poor nations. Hondurans may feel their friendly ties with the U.S. are not bettering their position at a time when news reports show American soldiers handing out food and medicines to vanquished Iraqis and Afghanis.

"Wherever the Americans are, the area does better economically. The people here feel Honduras is close to America, but don't understand why that doesn't improve things for the whole country," said Alvarado.

The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have crowded front pages and video clips in Honduras' news outlets, whose reports also closely follow the humanitarian efforts in the wake of war. Many Hondurans don't grasp why so much money is spent helping the U.S.'s adversaries.

"It is a weird war. Iraq is very bad, but when they lose, the United States will help them rebuild," said Euceda.

It can be a strained logic for U.S. personnel as well as Honduran officials.

"These are our neighbors, this is our backyard. If we are going to help anywhere in the world, these are the people we should be helping," said Warren.

"We have to provide the people with some real gains quickly. However, the attention we are getting from the international community is not up to the full task," the Honduran president told Washington Times editors.

The challenges facing U.S. forces at Soto Cano steadily increase. Just over 500 military personnel on the base attempt to improve the lot of over 37 million people across Central America. To many in the region, the task force represents the U.S.'s commitment to staving off economic disaster in Central America.

This commitment can be viewed as either weak or strong.

(Wagner is a Pentagram staff writer supporting Task Force-Bravo. Next week -- Maintaining the ties.)

<a href=www.lapress.org>LatinAmericaPress Saturday,  June 7,  2003 May 30, 2003

Colombia, Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela were cited by the United States as countries with a "poor record" in the protection of human rights last year.

The US State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, published March 31, state that the four countries did not "generally respect" human rights, measured by the number of abuses committed.

The reports — published annually since 1976 — are compiled using information from the US State Department, human rights groups, international bodies, academics and the media.

The governments of Cuba and Venezuela stated that the US has no right to make a unilateral qualification of other countries’ human rights records when, against the wishes of the United Nations, it recently conducted an invasion that violated human rights, referring to the war against Iraq.

Other countries such as Peru — accused of attempted state control of the media — stated that they only recognize the UN and the Organization of American States as authorities qualified to make such pronouncements.

In brief;

Drug traffickers, according to a US government report, have destroyed some 3.6 million hectares of Andean Region tropical rainforest in the last 20 years. At the same time, chemicals used in the production of drugs have contaminated many rivers.

On May 26 in Paraguay a judge acquitted 19 people — police, politicians and members of the military — accused of attempting to mount a coup against ex-President Luis Gonzáles Macchi in May 2000 (LP, June 12, 2000).

Although the Constitution of Guatemala prohibits former dictators from running for president (LP, May 21, 2003), on May 24 the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG) chose retired Gen. Efraín Ríos Montt (1982-83), who is currently president of Congress, as its presidential candidate for the Nov. 9 elections.

The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo announced May 9 the recuperation of another child of the disappeared in Argentina, the 75th, who was illegally appropriated by a member of the military during the last dictatorship (LP, Sept. 10, 2001). Horacio Pietragalla Corti, aged 27, whose parents were killed by the Argentinean Anti-Communist Association, was kidnapped when just six months old.

The number of impoverished people in Mexico rose by two million in the first two months of 2003, according to government figures. The Technical Committee for the Measurement of Poverty calculates that 55.7 million of the country’s total 100 million inhabitants live in poverty.