Defense Minister says Army not Metropolitan Police (PM) to effectively disarm civilians

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

Venezuelan Defense Minister General (ret.) Jose Luis Prieto has confirmed that the National Guard (GN) will continue to patrol Caracas and insists that the Armed Force (FAN) can guarantee the collecting and exchange of illegal weapons for food and their posterior destruction.

Speaking to members of National Assembly (AN) Defense Committee, Prieto casts doubt on the Metropolitan Police's (PM) capacity to implement the Disarming Law, saying that citizens must be able to see the process as real and effective.

"The FAN has the obligation as controlling organ in the acquisition, placement and equipping of arms for State and municipal police forces ... it is our responsibility and we have set up special operations with other forces to recover arms and proceed to destroy them once all the legal requirements have been fulfilled."

Prieto says military commanders have summonsed military officers that signed opposition petitions for a consultative referendum against President Hugo Chavez Frias in January to discover their motives for signing and warning them that they are guilty of serious breaches of discipline according to military regulations.

"It is a negative element that will be relevant in the review of promotions but there are mitigating circumstances if an officer did not understand the limits of the military's right to vote."