Government No-Show Strains Venezuela Peace Talks
reuters.com Thu February 27, 2003 09:46 PM ET By Pascal Fletcher
CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's negotiators failed to show up for talks with the opposition on Thursday, and foes accused the leftist leader of resisting efforts to discuss how to end a long-running political conflict.
Government negotiators cited security concerns in explaining why they stayed away from a second consecutive day of talks being brokered by Organization of American States Secretary General Cesar Gaviria.
Angry opposition representatives accused the government of deliberately stalling the talks to thrash out an agreement on elections to end the feud between Chavez and his foes in the world's No. 5 oil exporter.
"Once again we were left waiting for the government. ... You can see that there isn't much interest," negotiator and anti-Chavez union leader Manuel Cova told Reuters.
Chavez, a populist former paratrooper who was first elected in 1998 and survived a coup last year, has been resisting pressure to step down. His opponents accuse him of ruling like a dictator and of trying to install Cuban-style communism in oil-rich Venezuela.
The government delegation did not speak to reporters Thursday. But sources close to the talks said they had referred to anti-government student demonstrators outside the talks venue in Caracas as the reason for not turning up.
"They argued security problems," one source, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters. The talks were due to be held at the Caracas headquarters of the Latin American Economic System, a regional economic advisory body of 28 countries.
On Wednesday, the government used a similar argument to stay away after several thousand anti-Chavez protesters marched past the building where the negotiations, which have dragged on since late last year, were scheduled to take place.
Negotiations were scheduled for Friday, sources said.
The opposition wants the president to agree to elections before or on Aug. 19. The government has refused to set a firm day for elections. Chavez's term legally ends in 2007.
Tensions have been running high since the arrest last week of anti-Chavez business leader Carlos Fernandez, one of the organizers of a recent two-month strike that slashed oil output and pushed Venezuela deeper into recession. He is now under house arrest.
Chavez, who calls his foes "terrorists" and "coup mongers," has ordered the arrest of other alleged strike leaders.
SECURITY FEARS
Security was tightened around foreign embassies after bomb blasts early Tuesday badly damaged the Spanish embassy cooperation office and the Colombian consulate in Caracas.
Tuesday's bombings came after Chavez sharply criticized Colombia, Spain and the United States on Sunday, accusing them of meddling in his country's crisis.
His government denied any link between his remarks and the blasts. No one claimed responsibility for the bombings but leaflets signed by a radical pro-Chavez group were found at the scene. They expressed support for Chavez's "revolution."
The U.S. embassy was closed to the public on Thursday after officials said Wednesday they had received a threat. U.S. officials said the embassy would re-open Friday.
A telephone bomb threat Thursday forced the evacuation of the control tower and other parts of Maiquetia international airport that serves Caracas. Flights were delayed, airport officials said. No explosive device was found.