Venezuela: National Assembly approves anti-terrorist law
www.granma.cu BY MARIA VICTORIA VALDES-RODDA —Granma International staff writer—
WITH the imperative of achieving a new Venezuelan economic model mainly benefiting a large part of the population, President Hugo Chavez has assured that his government "is ready to neutralize any intended terrorist act."
This refers to the recent attacks in the Spanish and Colombian diplomatic offices in Caracas and the failed sabotage of the oil industry in Zulia state. "Terrorism in this country will be defeated in the same way that Bolivarians put an end to last December’s strike," insisted Chavez on his "Alo Presidente" program of Sunday, March 2.
"If we have to repel the terrorists with weapons, then they will be repelled with weapons," he asserted, later stressing that such people will not get their way in Venezuela. In this context, he appealed to the ministries of defense, the interior and justice to "fulfill the sacred duty of protecting the homeland." The Venezuelan leader put the same request to the heads of garrisons.
THE GUILTY WILL BE FOUND
After the late February events that attempted to blame on the Bolivarian revolution of encouraging a climate of chaos and lack of security, Venezuelan Vice president Vicente Rangel recalled that "Venezuela is a country that does not have a history of terrorism like other countries and we are concerned about what precisely happened in the early morning of the 25 (February), because it seems to us that it is a kind of unprecedented macro neo-terrorism."
He announced that the national assembly had approved an anti-terrorist law, and in his own words: "This now obliges us to act in the light of these new circumstances, for what we are going to create is an anti-terrorist mechanism in Venezuela."
The law consists of five points and, according to PL, emphatically and unequivocally rejects the bomb attacks on the Spanish and Colombian facilities. It likewise condemns all forms of terrorism and calls on the relevant authorities to carry out effective investigations that end with the capture and sentencing of the guilty parties.
The body of the new legislation advocates for a national campaign in favor of democratic rights, human rights and peace, aimed at achieving understanding and conciliation among all social sectors.
On February 26, Rangel warned U.S. State Department spokesman Phil Reeker to "be more careful with his rhetoric." He was alluding to the Washington government’s opinions on the embassy attacks that painted Chavez as instigating violence.
UNSUCCESSFUL TERRORIST ACTIONS
In a long explanation on radio and television given during the first weekend in March, Venezuela’s leader accused the opposition of being happy with its attacks on the foreign embassies and of continuing with its tentative attempts to boycott the oil industry.
He denounced how they had sealed the valves of gas ducts en route to the Paraguaná refinery complex and that were it not for timely intervention by the National Guard, the plant’s workers and other security organizations, the plant would have exploded.
Cable dispatches datelined March 3 referred to the fact that 30,000 barrels of unleaded gasoline had been produced at the Paraguaná refinery, which experts mark as an important recovery for the sector.
Ivan Hernandez, the plant’s general manager, assured that in the first 15 days of the current month, the definitive reactivation process of the Paraguaná (the world’s largest refinery complex of its type) would be complete, allowing the country to stop importing gasoline.
PL reports that in his words on Sunday, Chavez referred to the attacks on the Colombian Consulate and the Spanish Office for Ibero American Cooperation, stressing: "There are very few people in the country who are trained in the use of explosives and those who are, we have registered.
"After the failure of the April 2002 coup, some destabilizing sectors are now placing their money on terrorism and also on attempts to paralyze the oil industry," he declared.
Nevertheless, the president affirmed that the opposition has not managed to affect the government’s good relations with friendly countries.
"The leaders of these incidents are trying to endanger links with Spain and Colombia, aiming to create international conflict; but they have not achieved their objectives and, conversely, representatives of these countries have rejected all forms of violence," highlighted Chavez.
REACTIVATING THE ECONOMY
Although the anti-terrorism fight was one of the main aspects analyzed in the president’s speech, he also touched on other topics of national interest, such as reactivating the economy.
Chavez reiterated the people’s will to move towards building a new development model, mentioning a new hydro-electrical center in Caruachi. The project is vital for generating 2.1 million kilowatts in 2005.
"Caruachi is one of the largest and most important projects in the continent and will create great economic and employment benefits for the entire Guayana region," he explained.
During his weekly radio and television program, Venezuela’s leader repeated the project’s outlines: more employment, incomes and work plus a guaranteed better quality of life for Venezuelan people.
"The time has come to transform the economic model, we have to supercede the 20th century economic model, a model that created wealth for a minority and poverty for the majority; a model based on inequality that has created unemployment and poverty; it was the model of exclusion," he emphasized.
Despite his concerns, Chavez said he had no intention of "getting rid of the country’s business class, rather to call on businesspeople to reflect."
"I call on all honest businesspeople in Venezuela to reflect. They cannot let themselves be used by coup plotters, by fascists and terrorists, because the future belongs to all Venezuelan people," concluded Chavez.