Several injured in Caracas clashes
Monday, December 30, 2002 Posted: 6:46 PM EST (2346 GMT)
CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- Several people were injured Monday in clashes between supporters and opponents of President Hugo Chavez, and police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Such clashes have been a daily occurrence in Caracas and other parts of the country.
Monday's violence in the capital followed an anti-government demonstration demanding the release of Carlos Alfonso Martinez, a National Guard general.
Martinez is a controversial figure who rebelled against the government several months ago. He and other members of the military have been holding out at a plaza in Caracas, appealing to other members of the military to join the opposition to Chavez' leftist government.
Police detained Martinez suddenly Monday. It was not known what the charges against him will be.
In the ensuing clashes, the two sides threw stones and bottles at each other, and riot police followed with tear gas.
Chavez opponents have been staging demonstrations since December 2, when the opposition declared a national strike aimed at forcing him to resign or call early elections.
Workers at the state-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., have defied government orders to return to work.
Chavez said his government has managed to keep PDVSA open and hoped to return production to normal levels within 15 days.
Before the strike, Venezuela produced about 3 million barrels of oil a day. Since the walkout began, government officials said, production dropped to 200,000 barrels a day before climbing back up to its current rate of between 600,000 and 700,000 barrels per day.
The strike is costing Venezuela about $50 million a day in lost oil revenue.
"We think that by mid-January we will normalize the operations of PDVSA," Energy Vice Minister Bernardo Alvarez said Friday.
Government officials said the Puerto la Cruz refinery east of Caracas was running at about 70 percent of its capacity, but the refinery is one of Venezuela's smallest. And striking workers said the government lacks the manpower to resume normal production levels.
Police officer separates Chavez supporters, left, and opposition demonstrators Monday in Maracaibo in western Venezuela.
"They're trying to run the company, but they are not enough," said Alfredo Gomez, a PDVSA technical analyst who has joined the strikers. "They are not qualified or skilled enough to do that."
Chavez, a former paratrooper who led an unsuccessful coup attempt in 1992, was elected president in 1998.
His fiery populism has polarized Venezuelans. Much of the country's poor support him, but he has antagonized wide segments of the middle class and was forced from office in April in an abortive coup that lasted two days.
Cesar Gaviria, secretary-general of the Organization of American States, has been trying to mediate between the government and its opponents. Talks between the sides are continuing, but Gaviria is not scheduled to rejoin them until Thursday.
The strike, coupled with fears of a war in the Middle East, has pushed oil prices above $30 a barrel in the United States.
Three protesters have been killed this month, and government troops have used rubber bullets to break up crowds of protesters who have been blocking highways.
CNN Correspondent Lucia Newman contributed to this report.