Venezuela refuses int'l mediation

www.japantoday.com Friday, March 14, 2003 at 09:20 JST

CARACAS — Venezuela's polarized political crisis does not need a binding mediation by the OAS secretary general, the Chavez administration said Thursday.

"We consider him (OAS chief Cesar Gaviria) a facilitator, not a mediator. Mediation introduces a binding element which we believe Venezuela's situation does not warrant," said Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel.

Rangel told journalists that an eventual change in Gaviria's functions - which the opposition proposed during the last meeting of the Friends of Venezuela group - would introduce "an element of binding international mediation," that is it would obligate the parties to accept the Organization of American States' head's decisions.

Gaviria has been sponsoring a dialogue between President Hugo Chavez's administration and the opposition since Nov 8 to seek an electoral, democratic, constitutional and peaceful solution to the ongoing political conflict between government supporters and opponents.

Rangel said that the opposition's efforts during the second Friends of Venezuela meeting that took place in Brasilia last Monday failed because its proposal to have Gaviria mediate in the conflict, instead of merely facilitating the talks, was rejected.

Administration and opposition representatives at the negotiating table are presently discussing two proposals tendered last January by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Carter's first proposal calls for a constitutional amendment to reduce the presidential term from six to four years, the institution of a runoff presidential election and a number of other changes.

The second proposal calls for a referendum to be held on Aug 19 - which is the midway point in Chavez's presidential term - to determine whether the Venezuelan leader should step down. Although the opposition prefers the constitutional amendment, the administration reiterated Tuesday in a written document its desire that a referendum be called on Aug 19 as the Constitution currently establishes.

If the administration's option wins out, the opposition would need only to file a formal request to set the referendum process into motion.

Rangel noted that any electoral option would be the exclusive concern of the National Electoral Council, "which is an autonomous and independent power." But "in order for any electoral process to take place in Venezuela, the National Electoral Council must first be formed," Rangel said. (EFE News)