CTV’s Cova advised not to push Ortega’s case too far in Geneva

www.vheadline.com Posted: Sunday, March 16, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

CTV general secretary and fellow AD member, Manuel Cova says he's traveling to Geneva to visit the International Labor Organization (ILO) to discuss Ortega’s case and has given his full support to Carlos Ortega’s "diplomatic asylum" claim.

“Ortega’s decision is completely justified because of threats against his life from some sectors of the government and the closing dragnet of security forces … legal insecurity and the total bias of the public powers, combined with the action of paramilitary groups are sufficient reasons to prevent a crime being committed against our leader.”

The CTV general secretary confirms that he has received calls from trade union leaders throughout the world expressing solidarity with Carlos Ortega. Some political observers forecast that Cova will take over from Ortega as CTV president.

The government had questioned Ortega’s legitimacy as top CTV leader accusing him of vote-rigging ... whereas in Cova’s case, the CNE had ratified the construction workers’ union leader as a legitimately-elected trade union official.

It would seem that Ortega’s removal has given the CTV more legitimacy to confront the challenge of a new trade union central from the left and it is expected that Cova will advise in Geneva not to press the issue of Ortega’s alleged political persecution too far, since European trade union members had expressed concern after April 11 about Ortega’s blatant monopoly of the CTV for unclear political and personal objectives.