Opposition's petition should be translated into action during negotiations

www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, February 03, 2003 - 2:31:19 AM By: Robert Rudnicki

According to Confederation of Trade Unions (CTV) secretary general Manuel Cova, the results of Sunday's Opposition-organized petition, which is estimated to have been signed by around four million of Venezuela's 12 million registered voters, should be translated into actions during the Organization of American States (OAS) peace negotiations.

• This should happen over the next few days and produce "the final direction that the people should take towards an electoral solution."

In Cova's opinion, Sunday's events should have a major impact on the international community and in particular the Friends of Venezuela group, made up of Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and the United States and this should now be "taken into account" during negotiations.

"We demonstrated that the opposition is in the majority in Venezuela, that President Hugo Chavez Frias has already lost the support of the vast majority of the Venezuelan people."