U.S. Caracas Embassy to Shut Thursday After Threat

asia.reuters.com Thu February 27, 2003 12:05 AM ET By Pascal Fletcher

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - The U.S. Embassy in Venezuela said on Wednesday it would close for one day on Thursday because of a security threat received after bomb blasts at two other foreign diplomatic buildings in Caracas.

"The U.S. Embassy in Caracas has received a credible threat to its security and will be closed to the public on Thursday, February 27, 2003," the embassy said in a statement.

"We received sufficiently reliable information of a possible attack so we decided to close for the day," embassy press counselor Phillip Parkerson told reporters.

The mission was expected to reopen Friday, he added.

Embassy officials declined to give further details or say whether the threat was related to powerful bomb attacks that badly damaged the Spanish Embassy cooperation office and the Colombian consulate in Caracas early on Tuesday.

The explosions injured five people less than 48 hours after leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sharply accused Spain, Colombia and the United States Sunday of meddling in his country's political crisis.

In Washington, U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States Roger Noriega repeated U.S. condemnation of the bomb attacks. But he also questioned the Chavez government's commitment to honoring a non-violence agreement it had signed with political opponents last week.

"There can be little doubt that President Chavez' belligerent rhetoric has contributed to a climate of tension that does not contribute to the search for a peaceful solution," Noriega told the OAS' Permanent Council.

He added the recent events in Venezuela, including the arrest of a prominent anti-Chavez business leader, "raises questions about the Government of Venezuela's commitment to honoring the non-violence agreement."

Ambassador Jorge Valero, Venezuela's representative to the OAS, said the United States was "making very doubtful interpretations" by linking the bombings to Chavez' rhetoric.

"In the name of the Venezuelan government," he said, "I categorically reject these interpretations."

U.S. OIL INTEREST

The United States, Spain and Colombia had expressed concern over the arrest last week of Carlos Fernandez, one of the leaders of an opposition strike in December and January that slashed oil output by the world's No. 5 petroleum exporter.

Clients affected included the United States, which normally got more than 13 percent of its oil imports from Venezuela.

The State Department said Wednesday it wanted to see Venezuela restore full oil production and resume its traditional position as a "reliable oil supplier" to the U.S..

"We hope that Venezuelans -- both the government and those involved in the strike -- will take the necessary additional steps to return (state oil company) PDVSA to its full production capacity," spokesman Lou Fintor said in Washington.

He was speaking after Assistant Secretary of State Anthony Wayne had talks at the State Department with Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez and PDVSA President Ali Rodriguez.

Anti-Chavez business chief Fernandez is currently under house arrest facing charges of rebellion.

Several thousand anti-government protesters marched in Caracas Wednesday in a show of support for Fernandez and Carlos Ortega, another strike leader who is in hiding after a judge also ordered his arrest.

A Caracas court issued new arrest orders Wednesday for seven other alleged oil strike leaders, local media reported.

Chavez's government has firmly rejected any link between Tuesday's bomb blasts and the president's recent aggressive criticism of the United States, Spain and Colombia.

Ministers suggested the opposition would have more to gain by trying to isolate the government internationally.

Senior government officials met with foreign ambassadors in Caracas Wednesday to coordinate tightening security at diplomatic missions in the Venezuelan capital.

Chavez, who was first elected in 1998 and survived a coup last year, is accused by foes of being a dictator and trying to drag his country toward Cuba-style communism. He says a rich minority elite is opposed to his self-styled "revolution."

No one has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attacks but leaflets were found at the scene signed by the "Bolivarian Liberation Force -- Coordinadora Simon Bolivar urban militias," a known pro-Chavez radical group. Government officials said the leaflets were intended to mislead investigators.

Noriega said the United States supported ongoing efforts by OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria to try to broker a negotiated agreement on elections between the feuding Venezuelan government and its foes.

Gaviria, who was also publicly warned by Chavez Sunday not to meddle in Venezuela's affairs, was due to chair the next session of negotiations in Caracas scheduled for Thursday.