Arias Cardenas says parting goodbye to comrade Chavez Frias

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Author Alberto Garrido traces the rough relationship between the two main February 4, 1992 (4F)  coup leaders: Lt. Colonel (ret.) Francisco Arias Cardenas and President Lt. Colonel (ret.) Hugo Chavez Frias.  "It has always been conflictive." 

Arias Cardenas, Garrido recalls, was linked to Ramon Guillermo Santeliz, a militant of the Air Force revolutionary movement ARMA led by William Izarra. Santeliz was the group's liasion with army officers. 

Arias Cardenas and Chavez Frias met up in the army's "Bolivarian Army" Group. Chavez Frias then founded the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement (MBR-200) without Arias Cardenas.  The two came together again in 1986 and agreed to plan a coup according to Arias Cardenas' vision, namely silently as opposed to Chavez Frias' call for a revolutionary approach. 

Arias Cardenas went to Colombia to study and reappeared several years later.

Although Chavez Frias had command over his people, Arias Cardenas had more military officers and designed the 4F plan which Chavez Frias didn't like, namely that Arias Cardenas would take Miraflores if successful and Chavez Frias march to Fuerte Tiuna. 

"Chavez Frias preferred to stay put at the Military museum because among other reasons, he did not want to be a museum piece."

In prison, Arias Cardenas defended Chavez Frias against other officers and with Chavez Frias at his side negotiated peace terms. 

Once they left jail, both went their separate ways. Arias Cardenas learned that Chavez Frias would never stop thinking like Chavez Frias. 

They crossed swords electorally and Chavez Frias won. 

On April 11, Arias Cardenas wanted the military to let Chavez Frias leave the country but the active service officers refused. When he discovered that he had been left out of the equation, Arias Cardenas called on Baduel and defended Chavez Frias.  Commenting on the former Lt. Colonel's  last article, Garrido concludes that in asking the Armed Force (FAN) to vote against Chavez Frias in the recall referendum, Arias Cardenas is in effect saying goodbye to Chavez Frias.