Explosion damages negotiations site in Caracas- No once injured in blast

CNN Saturday, April 12, 2003 Posted: 3:20 PM EDT (1920 GMT)

CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- An explosion early Saturday ripped through an office building that contains the headquarters for negotiations between the Venezuelan government and opposition leaders.

No one was injured in the blast, which shook the Teleport building in downtown Caracas around 3 a.m. local time. The building was almost empty at the time. Many rooms were severely damaged.

Only hours earlier, opposition leaders and the Venezuelan government, in internationally sponsored negotiations, had agreed on a timetable for scheduling a vote on the rule of President Hugo Chavez. An oil industry strike, which ended in February, was aimed at forcing him to resign or hold early elections.

Friday was the one-year anniversary of a military coup that temporarily ousted Chavez from power for two days.

In February, the Colombian Consulate and the Spanish Embassy in Caracas were hit by bombs on the same day.

From Journalist Adrian Criscaut