Venezuela to boost diplomatic security after grenade attack

www.abc.net.au Posted: Sat, 11 Jan 2003 8:24 AEDT

Venezuela to boost diplomatic security after grenade attack The Venezuelan Government is promising to increase security for diplomats after a grenade attack on the Algerian embassy and bomb threats against other diplomatic posts, including Australia. Caracas is becoming an increasingly dangerous place as Venezuela slides towards civil war on the back of a six-week-old general strike.

Overnight, the Government of President Hugo Chavez promised to increased security after a grenade exploded in the grounds of the Algerian Embassy.

Algeria is one of the nations that is sending workers to try and break the strike which has crippled oil production.

The Australian Embassy was forced to close temporarily this week after it received a bomb threat.

Three other diplomatic posts were also threatened.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post has reported that the United States will unveil a new plan to try and resolve the dispute in the next week.

The strike has cut oil supplies to the US and raised world crude oil prices.