Leaders look for end to Venezuela strike

www.upi.com By Carmen Gentile UPI Latin America Correspondent From the International Desk Published 1/14/2003 5:01 PM

SAO PAULO, Brazil, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- South American leaders readied themselves Tuesday for upcoming meetings in Ecuador that will focus on efforts at ending the weeks-long general strike that has crippled neighboring Venezuela.

Many of the continent's presidents will be on hand in Quito for the inauguration of Ecuador's new president, former Col. Lucio Gutierrez.

While Gutierrez's ceremonial ascension will dominate the local media, international eyes will likely focus on leaders' discussion whether to officially form a regional, multi-national "Friends of Venezuela Group" (Grupo de Paises Amigos da Venezuela) to help bring a peaceful end to the strike, daily protests and clashes between supporters and detractors of President Hugo Chavez.

The proposed coalition is the brainchild of new Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a leftist with strong ties to Chavez. Opponents of the Venezuelan president allege he has taken the nation too far to the left at the expense of the economy.

Other prominent leaders expected to attend are Colombia's Alvaro Uribe and Argentina's Eduardo Duhalde.

The Lula-led meeting of regional leaders has, however, drawn the ire of Washington, which had hoped to form its own "Friends of Venezuela" group to end the more than 40-day strike that has severely handicapped Venezuela's oil production capabilities.

A Washington Post article last week noted the Bush administration was hoping to head off the left-leaning Lula government's initiative, adding U.S. and foreign diplomatic sources were concerned that the effort would ultimately be counterproductive.

The U.S.-led effort would include Brazil, as well as the United States, Mexico, Chile and possibly Spain, and a representative of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, the Post said.

U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher recently explained the Bush administration's position on regional intervention in Venezuela.

"We don't think there needs to be some separate group of friends formed," he said.

Lula, as he is known, has maintained a non-adversarial, diplomatic position on the U.S. stance while moving ahead with the proposed meeting. His presidential spokesman, Andre Singer, said Tuesday the Friends of Venezuela Group "would be to support the negotiation effort by Organization of American States Secretary General Cesar Gaviria, to resolve the crisis in that country."

Gaviria had been mediating talks between the government and opposition leaders in recent weeks with little success. The effort is currently at a standstill due to a disagreement regarding the possible ouster of Chavez.

Singer also said Brazil's new Foreign Relations Minister Celso Amorim had spoken to Secretary of State Colin Powell about the upcoming meeting, though didn't expand on the specifics of the leaders' discussion.

"There is a convergence of opinion concerning the need to overcome the crisis in Venezuela," he said, but did not elaborate.

The Bush administration initially appeared apprehensive about interfering in the Venezuela crisis. Last spring, Washington came out in support of Chavez's ouster, only to have the Venezuelan president return to power a few days later.

But now it appears Bush is becoming increasingly interested in ending a strike that has denied the United States the more than 1 million barrels of oil a day it was receiving from Venezuela.

Despite the U.S. desire to play a role in ending the strike, Venezuela doesn't appear close to reaching a solution any time soon.

Chavez has been adamant about not bowing to opposition calls for him to step down and on Tuesday ordered soldiers to seize weapons from the Caracas police force, alleging they were siding with his detractors.