Daily Review

www.veninvestor.com March 8-9, 2003 Good Day,   During the past few days, the United States has stepped up pressure on the Venezuelan government to set a timetable for elections. Yesterday, the US State Department issued a press release with comments by U.S. Under Secretary of State Alan Larson, who spoke at a March 4 energy conference in New York. "Conflict in Venezuela has damaged its reputation as a reliable oil supplier, and all parties to the ongoing political turmoil there must work together to restore confidence, stability and rule of law" The United States is signaling to Chavez that it will not support Venezuela's oil industry if he does not agree to elections.  ""And when the Venezuelan parties show a commitment to seek reconciliation and restore their position as a reliable partner of the United States, they will find a willing and ready partner in the United States."   Under Secretary Larson also said that the US planned to continue seeking energy alternatives, to diminish dependence on a volatile oil market. "In the long run we need new technologies that can fuel our economy without posing threats to the environment or our national security."  Finally, Larson said that the US was seeking new oil suppliers around the world, once again to diminish the impact of crisis from countries such as Venezuela. "We intend to engage intensively with energy partners all over the world to diversify supplies, improve investment opportunities and assure that market forces work as transparently and efficiently as possible."      Further,  during his daily press briefing, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said that in a phone conversation between President Bush and Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, "a close friend and ally"  both presidents "expressed concerns about threats to democracy in the Andean region", as well as "the need to support Organization of American States Secretary General Gaviria in finding constitutional, democratic, peaceful and electoral solutions to the crisis in Venezuela."    Yet another group of seven US State representatives wrote a letter condemning the Venezuelan government, following this week's letter to Colin Powell by US State Representative Diaz Balart and six other Republicans, yet another group of seven US House representatives presented a letter critical of the Chavez regime. The letter, (see below) is directed at Chavez and states: "We are disturbed by the recent punitive actions taken by your government against the leaders of the opposition to you, and we are particularly concerned by the recent murders of people identified with that opposition." The letter is signed by the same US Congressmen who wrote a letter to President Bush condemning any US "involvement in any unconstitutional effort to overthrow [Chavez's] government."  The letter was a blow to Chavez, who said this week that Diaz-Balart's letter only the reflected the opinion of one person, as well as "international conspiracy" against his government, while claiming that other US Congressmen supported his government.    Finally, Associated Press reports that the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela said Friday that "The United States is concerned that international terror groups have established bases in all Latin American countries."  Shapiro's statements follow comments earlier this week in Miami by the U.S. Southern Command's Gen. James Hill, who said that "that terror organizations, including the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah, were operating in border areas of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay and on Venezuela's Margarita Island."   The Associated Press reports: "The Organization of American States and other mediators have so far failed to get the two sides to agree on the new elections sought by the opposition or to convince the political rivals to curb their harsh rhetoric." She states that the Carter proposals "failed to give impetus to the talks," which are in their fourth months of little progress.  The only agreement reached so far, to curb violence, was violated almost immediately with the gruesome slayings of three dissident soldiers and one political activist, and "the Feb. 18 arrest of opposition leader Carlos Fernandez and bomb blasts outside Spanish and Colombian diplomatic missions last week have further complicated the impasse."     Opinions   Today's opinion is an article in Business Week, titled "Oil and War", which describes all the reasons besides a war with Iraq why oil prices have increased. "First is Venezuela. After a devastating strike, it's still producing far below its previous output, and it may not come back for months or years, if ever."    Our second opinion article is "la oposicion se radicaliza", by Luis de Lion. (www.luisdelion.net)

E-mails   Our e-mails today both concern the Bolivarian Circles. Sydney Hedderich of Toronto describes the formation of a Bolivarian Circle in Toronto, and Liz Mata provides a letter that she wrote to the Miami Herald's Andrea Elliott, who featured them in yesterday's edition.     Events   On March 6, Dr. Margarita Lopez Maya of the Universidad Central de Venezuela will offer a talk titled "Venezuela on the Brink: Popular Protest and Civil Society in a time of Conflict" at 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM at The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Lucha Democrática, Resistencia CiviI de Venezolanos en el Exterior (RECIVEX) , SAVE Venezuela and PROVEO would like to invite all Venezuelans to participate in the "Global Day in Repudiation of the Violence and Abuses of the Hugo Chavez Regime", which will take place on March 9 in cities around the world, including Washington DC and London. For upcoming events, please check www.11abril.com, www.proveo.org, www.aveny.com and www.veninvestor.com.   I hope you are safe, content, and peaceful, wherever this e-mail finds you,   Alexandra Beech   Research Staff Carlos Penug (international news) Sol Maria Castro (local news) Conchita Fernandez (Research and Translations)