US Ambassador suggests that informal sessions on all levels could break Venezuela deadlock

www.vheadline.com Posted: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

US Ambassador to Venezuela Charles Shapiro is promoting what he calls informal meetings with all sectors in the current dispute in an attempt to break down the wall of silence.

“Society is completely polarized … somebody said that there is a kind of invisible Berlin Wall running through Caracas and it’s true … people aren’t talking to each other.”

Shapiro says elections are not enough to heal the deep rift in Venezuelan society and any potential political agreement between government and opposition leaders could make things worse instead of better.

Shapiro suggests that people start looking at the reconciliation process in South Africa as a possible model … “they accomplished a civil consensus vis-à-vis the political breakdown of a white minority … informal committees were a key element in the process.”

• Members of the US Congress Venezuelan Caucus are in Venezuela holding informal sessions on a parliamentary level as part of the Ambassador's new policy.

Shapiro insists that informal sessions will help the official negotiating team to reach an agreement, especially a non-aggression pact … “grassroots and community groups must also be included in the process … if agreements can be reached at that level, it will help a great deal.”