US lawmakers offer to stand as election observers in Venezuela

By STEPHEN IXER <a href=www.newsday.com>Associated Press Writer May 5, 2003, 9:04 PM EDT

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Three U.S. legislators said they were willing to stand as election monitors in Venezuela but stressed that a stable political climate must be established before any vote can be held.

"We ourselves have expressed our willingness to participate as observers," U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said Monday after meeting with Venezuelan congressmen. "But the key is to have impartial media, negotiation between the parties and the formation of a new electoral council, which is the most important step."

Meeks, who was joined by Reps. Cass Ballenger, R-N.C., and William Delahunt, D-Mass., met with President Hugo Chavez for three hours Sunday. They encouraged Chavez to strengthen the autonomy of Venezuela's National Assembly and offered their services as independent observers in any future elections.

Chavez, whose six-year term ends in 2006, is facing calls for a midterm referendum on his rule any time after August this year. Opponents say his government is corrupt and incompetent, and claim his left-wing policies are destroying the economy.

The opposition says it has collected far more than the 2.4 million signatures _ or 20 percent of the electoral register _ required by the constitution to petition for the recall referendum.

An opposition NGO verifying names from a mass petition drive held in February said Monday it had counted almost 2.8 million valid signatures out of a total of 3.2 million names.

The signatures have not yet been officially validated by the National Electoral Council. Its board members were stripped of their election-organizing powers by the supreme court in January and the National Assembly must agree on a new council before the referendum process can advance.

The government also maintains no elections can be held while the commercial media continues in its strong anti-Chavez stance. The opposition says Chavez is not to be trusted and claim he will do his utmost to block any referendum unless it is guaranteed by international organizations.

Almost six months of peace talks sponsored by the Organization of American States have so far failed to end the fierce political standoff.

The opposition's all-out bid to oust Chavez with a two-month general strike fizzled in February without achieving its goals. The strike cost Venezuela over $6 billion and throttled oil production at the world's fifth-largest supplier.