Powell lays out the kind of democracy the US considers best for Venezuela

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

US Secretary of State Colin Powell has been turning his attention south of the border and says Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias has an excellent chance of showing that he is indeed a democrat if he commits himself to a recall referendum. 

Powell admits that he has had doubts about the Venezuelan President's democratic record, and wants to make it quite clear that when he talks about democracy, he means US democracy. 

If Chavez Frias is ready to submit to a recall referendum and accept the active role of the Organization of American states (OAS) and the Carter center, Powell hammers home, the Venezuelan President would be "demonstrating a commitment to the kind of democracy that we consider correct in our hemisphere." 

Ignoring the 1999 Constitution's emphasis on participative democracy, Powell adds that it's up to the Venezuelan people to decide the type of democracy that it wishes to develop in Venezuela.

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