Massive turnout expected to call for expulsion of US Ambassador Shapiro from Venezuela
<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Thursday, May 22, 2003 By: David Coleman
Citizens for the Defense of the (Venezuelan) Constitution are calling for a massive demonstration of force tomorrow, Friday, to demand that the government should unceremoniously kick US clown prince Ambassador Charles Shapiro out of Venezuela for allowing the political opposition to insult the Head of State in a clearly inappropriate opposition rally at his embassy residence in La Florida last week.
Demonstrators are scheduled to gather in the vicinity of the National Pantheon in downtown Caracas from 10:00 a.m. and delegations are already on their way from all across Venezuela to take part in the anti-Shapiro rally.
"We are going to manifest our categorical and most absolute rejection of the disrespectful event which was approved by the Ambassador of the United States of America in Venezuela. Mr. Shapiro should be made painfully aware that his behavior in our country is not conducive to good diplomatic relations ... it is not the first time that he has over-stepped the mark and he is now considered to be an enemy of the Venezuelan people. We urge that his superiors should immediately remove him before he does any more damage to Venezuela-USA relations and to replace him with someone who has some respect for the role s/he should play as a diplomatic representative ... he is in clear violation of principles outlined in the Vienna Convention. Perhaps he thinks that the United States does not need to observe such international niceties..."
"Shapiro has abused Venezuelan sovereignty and self-determination by sticking his nose in where it has not been warranted, much less wanted. Venezuela has always given diplomatic representatives from other countries a warm and cordial welcome ... but Shapiro has incited to discord, bad blood, ruin, pain and greater division among Venezuelans ... he has been responsible for a string of situations adding to political and economic instability in Venezuela, he is always lurking in the background of every attempt to sabotage Venezuela."
Friday demonstrators will deliver a letter to President Hugo Chavez Frias calling for executive action to kick Shapiro out of Venezuela at the earliest possible date for having "caused great offense and smearing the dignity and national pride of our great country, Venezuela ... we also urge the government of the United States to immediately and dishonorably discharge Shapiro as Ambassador of the United States, being mindful of the fact that Venezuela is in its full right to exercise its sovereign right to declare Shapiro 'persona non grata' and to immediately leave our country."
Ciudadanos por la Defensa de La Constitucion organizers say they urge ... but realistically do not expect ... Washington to issue a sincere apology for Shapiro's "bovine" behavior and to give assurances that any replacement they send will be pledged to leave aside Shapiro's assumed functions to conspire against the lawful government of Venezuela and its institutions. "Venezuela is not a puppet, nor a robot or an appendix or a servile instrument of the United States, neither is it a colony of any foreign power which seeks to impose its economic and military power over us."