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

Boston.com-Associated Press By Jorge Rueda, Associated Press, 4/12/2003

CARACAS -- A year after soldiers temporarily ousted President Hugo Chavez, Venezuelans find themselves steeped in economic crisis, bitterly divided, and with Chavez's hold on power stronger than ever.

''I know it's a contradiction, but the coup, and Chavez's return -- even if things are worse now -- renewed my faith that we can develop our democracy,'' said Jesus Mendoza, a 45-year-old businessman who says he is opposed to Chavez.

Most Latin American governments condemned the April 12-14, 2002, ouster of Chavez. The leftist former army paratrooper led a failed 1992 coup, was jailed for two years, and then was elected president in 1998 on a platform that criticized Venezuela's corrupt democratic system.

Chavez was arrested in the early hours of April 12 -- military commanders said he resigned -- after 19 people died the day before during an opposition march to the presidential palace. Videotape shows gunmen firing recklessly into the crowd. The march occurred after opposition labor and business leaders called a general strike to denounce what they called Chavez's Cuba-style economic policies. Both pro- and anti-Chavez supporters died that day. But under a Venezuelan justice system subject both to Chavez's influence and its own institutional corruption, no one has been convicted in the slayings.

An interim government led by Pedro Carmona, head of Venezuela's leading business chamber, dissolved Congress, the courts, and the constitution -- angering hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, who took to the streets to demand Chavez's return.

A loyalist army general sent his troops to a Caribbean island where Chavez was being held and brought him back to the presidential palace in triumph.

Once restored, a seemingly chastened Chavez called for reconciliation among Venezuelans. Soon, however, he saw conspiracies everywhere and moved to crush them. He purged the military of dissidents. He has repeatedly assailed the private sector, opposition political parties, the news media, labor unions, and the Catholic Church, repeatedly calling them ''terrorists.'' In November, his government agreed to talks with the opposition, mediated by the Organization of American States. In principle, the two sides have agreed that a popular referendum on Chavez's presidency may be held halfway into his current term, which ends in 2007. But no formal pacts have been reached, and no single opposition candidate has emerged.

In December and January, Chavez weathered a devastating two-month general strike, one called by business and labor to demand that he resign. The strike failed, though it briefly crippled Venezuela's crucial oil industry and left the economy in ruins.

Many analysts and citizens wearily cite Venezuela's paradox: a state of permanent conflict under Chavez that has rendered the nation virtually ungovernable and a lack of immediate alternatives to his populist, authoritarian tendencies.

<a href=www.riyadhdaily.com.sa>Riyadh Daily Caracas

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez challenged his foes on Friday to try to oust him through the ballot box as his government and the opposition agreed to work to hold a referendum on his rule after Aug. 19. The left-wing former paratrooper on Friday commemorated the first anniversary of a short-lived coup against him by rebel military officers. He said his brief overthrow a year ago was like "losing my virginity" and that he would not allow any new coup to succeed. The referendum announcement by government and opposition negotiators, meeting in Caracas under the auspices of the Organization of American States, boosted hopes for a peaceful, electoral settlement to Venezuela’s political crisis, although a date for a poll still has to be fixed. The United States welcomed the agreement as "positive."

"We call on all Venezuelans to support this carefully negotiated agreement and to work assiduously over the coming months to turn it into a reality," US State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said in Washington. While Chavez hailed his survival of the April 2002 coup as a "victory," several hundred opposition protesters rallied in east Caracas on Friday to mourn the deaths of 19 people who were shot to death during a big anti-Chavez march a year ago. On April 11 last year, generals and admirals opposed to Chavez’s self-styled "revolution" in the world’s No. 5 oil exporter took the populist leader prisoner after the killings of opposition supporters near the presidential palace. Loyal troops and supporters restored Chavez to power after 48 hours. He later survived a crippling two-month strike by opponents that slashed the country’s oil production and exports in December and January, plunging the economy into recession.

In Friday’s demonstrations, opposition protesters, many wearing black and carrying crosses and coffins, occupied a highway, chanting "Justice! Justice!" and "Freedom! Freedom!" Chavez, who was democratically elected in 1998 on a platform of fighting poverty, urged his foes to collect signatures to hold a recall referendum on his rule after Aug. 19. They accuse him of ruling like a dictator and of trying to install Cuban-style communisn in Venezuela. The constitution allows for such a referendum halfway through his current mandate, which is due to last until early 2007. The opposition must collect the signatures of at least 20 percent of the electorate to trigger such a recall poll. "Let them collect the signatures, one by one. If I lose the referendum, I’ll go, but they have to beat me fair and square," Chavez told a news conference. Describing his dramatic reinstatement last year as a "kind of miracle," a buoyant Chavez vowed that he would not be caught out again by another attempt to overthrow him by force. "I was a bit like a virgin. We lost our virginity on April 11," he said. He added that both the armed forces and supporters living in poor neighborhoods around the palace now had plans to respond to any new coup attempt.

Reuters, alerten.org NEWSDESK 12 Apr 2003 13:41:20 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela, April 12 (Reuters) - A bomb ripped through an office building early on Saturday in Caracas, where hours earlier Venezuelan government and opposition negotiators had agreed to hold a referendum on President Hugo Chavez's government, police said.

No one was injured in the blast, which badly damaged the lower floors of the Caracas Teleport building, including the basement where the negotiators had met with Organization of American States officials.

Only two people were in the office block at the time of the explosion, which bent metal girders, blew out chunks of masonry and shattered windows, scattering debris outside. Police investigators picked through the rubble.

Police said the explosion was similar to Feb. 25 bomb attacks in Caracas at a Spanish Embassy technical office and the Colombian consulate.

"The people who did this are trying to cause terror and trauma in Venezuela's population," said police detective inspector Carlos Medina.

Saturday's blast followed several bomb explosions in the past six weeks in Caracas and other Venezuelan cities, which have been gripped by political feuding and violence between supporters and foes of the left-wing Chavez.

It occurred on the first anniversary of a short-lived coup last year against the populist president, who is accused by his political foes of ruling like a dictator and trying to install Cuba-style communism in Venezuela.

OAS representatives said Friday that negotiators from Chavez's government and the opposition had agreed to work toward holding a referendum on Chavez's rule after Aug 19, halfway through his current term.

The agreement, to be formally signed by both sides April 22, did not set a date for the poll but boosted hopes for a peaceful, negotiated solution to the political crisis that has rocked the world's No. 5 oil exporter for more than a year.

Thursday, April 10, 2003 · Last updated 11:12 p.m. PT By JORGE RUEDA <a href=seattlepi.nwsource.com>ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER   Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, right, and journalist Ignacio Ramonet smile, during the opening ceremony of the "world meeting in solidarity with the Bolivarian revolution" at the Teresa Carreno theater in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, April 10, 2003. Chavez was surrounded by intellectuals and activists who support his "revolution," as he celebrated his return to power after a short-lived coup one year ago.

CARACAS, Venezuela -- A year after soldiers temporarily ousted President Hugo Chavez, Venezuelans find themselves steeped in economic crisis, bitterly divided - and with Chavez's hold on power stronger than ever.

"I know it's a contradiction, but the coup, and Chavez's return - even if things are worse now - renewed my faith that we can develop our democracy," said Jesus Mendoza, a 45-year-old businessman who says he's opposed to Chavez.

Most Latin American governments condemned the April 12-14, 2002, ouster of Chavez, a leftist former army paratrooper who led a failed 1992 coup, was jailed for two years and then was elected president in 1998 on a platform that criticized Venezuela's corrupt democratic system.

The United States initially blamed Chavez for his own downfall before joining other members of the Organization of American States in condemning the ouster of a democratically elected president.

Chavez was arrested in the early hours of April 12 - military commanders announced he resigned - after 19 people died during an opposition march to the presidential palace on April 11. Videotape shows gunmen firing recklessly into the crowd.

The march came after opposition labor and business leaders called a general strike to denounce what they called Chavez's Cuba-style economic policies. Both pro- and anti-Chavez supporters died that day. But under a Venezuelan justice system subject both to Chavez's influence and its own institutional corruption, no one has been convicted in the slayings.

An interim government led by Pedro Carmona, head of Venezuela's leading business chamber, dissolved Congress, the courts and the constitution - angering hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, who took to the streets to demand Chavez's return. Cuba, meanwhile, steadfastly insisted that Chavez hadn't resigned.

A loyalist army general sent his troops to a Caribbean island where Chavez was being held and brought him back in triumph to the presidential palace.

"It wasn't a matter of whether you were for or against Chavez, even if I believe we're better off without him," said Carlos Isturiz, a 22-year-old university student. "It was about defending democracy."

Carmona's one-day presidency was marked by persecution of Chavez allies and ruling party members, recalls Desiree Santos, a pro-Chavez legislator who went into hiding during the police manhunt for so-called "Chavistas."

"They chased us down like dogs," Santos said of the raids. "But we were certain the president hadn't resigned."

Once restored, a seemingly chastened Chavez called for reconciliation among Venezuelans. Soon, however, he saw conspiracies everywhere - and moved to crush them. He purged the military of dissidents. He has repeatedly assailed the private sector, opposition political parties, the news media, labor unions and the Catholic Church, repeatedly calling them "terrorists."

In November, his government agreed to talks with the opposition, mediated by the Organization of American States. In principle, the two sides have agreed that a popular referendum on Chavez's presidency may be held halfway into his current term, which ends in 2007. But no formal pacts have been reached, and no single opposition candidate has emerged.

In December and January, Chavez weathered a devastating two-month general strike, one called by business and labor to demand that he resign. The strike failed, though it briefly crippled Venezuela's crucial oil industry and left the economy in ruins.

The economy shrank 9 percent last year and may contract by as much as 40 percent this year. The bolivar currency lost more than 30 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar before Chavez suspended dollar sales in this import-dependent nation. Annualized inflation surpassed 30 percent. Poverty is persistent, afflicting at least 70 percent of Venezuela's 24 million people.

Many analysts and citizens wearily cite Venezuela's paradox: A state of permanent conflict under Chavez that has rendered the nation virtually ungovernable - and a lack of immediate alternatives to his populist, authoritarian tendencies.

"Chavez only knows how to talk about projects that never materialize while we suffer increasing poverty, unemployment and fear," said Amarilis Soto, a 68-year-old retired accountant.