Organization of American States Situation in Venezuela April 9, 2003

Venezuela is making “substantive progress” in the political dialogue between the government and the democratic opposition,” Ambassador Jorge Valero, that country’s Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, told the Permanent Council today.

Recalling the coup d’état against President Hugo Chavez’ government on April 11 last year, the Ambassador said “thanks to the courageous and noble Venezuelan people, the coup leaders were defeated when the legitimate President was restored to power,” as “the OAS and the international community condemned the coup and hailed the return to democracy."

According to Ambassador Valero, “the plan to sabotage the oil industry had inflicted 7.36 billion dollars in damage—equivalent to 33 per cent of the national budget.” The Ambassador said that despite the economic setback and the political excesses, “Venezuela is gradually returning to normal.”

Explaining the surprisingly rapid recovery in the oil industry, Valero said crude oil production currently exceeds 3 million barrels a day, with exports of 2.8 million barrels to meet OPEC quotas. He said “Venezuela is moving towards full recovery of the productive capacity.”

The Venezuelan Ambassador told the Permanent Council that last year’s coup in his country had put the Inter-American Democratic Charter to the test for the first time. He said OAS Permanent Council and General Assembly resolutions have reaffirmed the Organization’s commitment to democracy, and “encourage the Venezuelan government to continue expanding the frontiers of democracy.”

De: "Jessica Rosenberg" jessica@obraweb.com Fecha: Mie, 9 de Abril de 2003, 7:44 pm Para: jessica@obraweb.com

Copio dos excelentes cartas escritas a la BBC con respecto al documental "Chavez: Inside the Coup" o "The Revolution will not be Televised".

Este documental tendrá un efecto muy negativo sobre la imagen que se tiene de la oposición en el exterior. ¿Por qué es importante la opinión pública internacional? Una oposición legítima es un sustento a las potenciales acciones de la OEA, del Grupo de Amigos, de los tribunales internacionales y de los organismos y personalidades en general. Es un pilar fundamental de nuestra lucha... Mientras no surja un documental justo que le haga contrapeso a éste, debemos al menos tratar de expresar nuestro desacuerdo masivamente para que entiendan que no es una élite contra el "pobre" Chávez sino un país entero manifestando su descontento. Jessica Rosenberg

Pueden escribirle a los productores directamente a chavezthefilm@hotmail.com. Si prefieren contactar a la BBC, pueden hacerlo a este mail: storyville@bbc.co.uk o en: www.bbc.co.uk

Dear Mr. Fraser,

Have you ever been to Venezuela?

In your review of "Chavez: Inside the Coup", you write: "On one side stand the Versace wearing classes, rich from many decades of oil revenues, and on the other the poor in their barrios and those within the armed forces who support Chavez." Are you aware, Sir, that all polls indicate that between 70% and 80% want Chavez out of power? At the same time, are you aware that 70% of our country is poor? (and that number is increasing.) So how do those numbers jive to you? Could it be that plenty of the poor want Chavez out too?

I'm going to assume that even if you've been to Venezuela, since many British people can afford to travel and wear Versace (and from the looks of your photo, so can you), you haven't attended a protest against the government. If you had, you would have noticed the middle class and poor marching side by side. What, no mention of rich? Oh, I forgot to say that only a tiny fraction of the country is rich. Do you think that Chavez would have come to power if the majority were rich? Who are the millions that march against him on a day's notice, by the way? Who are the millions who left their house to sign petitions asking for a recall referendum? Are those millions the Versace-wearing bunch? Because if they are, then the world's economists have focused on the wrong countries to emulate. Even the United Nations should take notice.

Do you understand our economic structure? How is it that a tiny class can get rich from our oil revenues, when our oil industry is nationalized? Nationalized means that the state, not a small group, owns the oil industry. Those who grow wealthy from it are either corrupt bureaucrats, politicians, or hardworking contractors. Upper and middle level managers also make a nice living, as anyone who is educated and works hard should. Don't you agree? However, I've yet to see a PDVSA professional in a Donatella design. Have you?

The events of April 11 are lamentable, because people died. However, a president is always responsible for what happens in his country. It's an issue of governability, and no one has the right to blame anyone else when governability disappears, especially the media. (I'm shocked I have to point this out to someone who writes on a BBC site!) The opposition made some mistakes that day, but it was precisely because no one was expecting something so horrible and despicable to happen. Everyone acted in desperation, because the military removed Chavez from power when people started dropping like flies. What would you do if someone handed you reign of an entire country? Wouldn't you make mistakes? Or are you a icon of British perfection?

This video that you rave about will cleverly try to pin the April 11 deaths on the opposition, saying that the victims were government supporters. Have you heard of Mohammed Merhi? His son was shot in the head. Mr. Merhi has camped in front of the Supreme Court on hunger strike, demanding justice for his son, who was protesting against the government on April 11. Are you aware that the families of the victims are suing Chavez, that a Spanish Court recently referred the cases to an International Court, since it deemed his actions too severe to be tried in Spain? Have you seen any of the footage of that day, or the days that followed, or are you basing your slick opinions of a country's pain on a documentary by "some young Irish filmmakers?"

An Internet posting is serious business these days, Mr. Frazier. Over time, the world will know what truly happened in Venezuela on April 11-13. You make your living from people like me, who read your stuff. Your credibility is all you have. Without it, you are like background noise or a Pop-up that people click out. I'm certain you wouldn't want to reduce yourself to that level, by basing your opinions solely on one documentary.

I would encourage you to visit Venezuela. Even London has a healthy opposition, so why not sit down with Alek Boyd, president of Proveo.org, and discuss this issue? Unless you have an agenda, which I'm sure you don't.

Remember, Mr. Fraser, that one documentary does not history make. The last thing that you'd ever want is for Storyville to be perceived as Liesville.

Alexandra Beech

Dear BBC and Mr.Nick Fraser,

I saw your program about Venezuela last night, and with great disbelief I saw how you too wasted the opportunity of a lifetime. We, the civil society of Venezuela missed the chance to rid ourselves of an authoritarian man who advocates destruction in order to accumulate personal power. You lost the opportunity to be praised for serious journalism. It's sad to see the strength of the division and polarisation in Venezuela, but sadder to see how it can permeate to outsiders who, like us can no longer see any good in the other side.

It was very weak journalism to try to build a case against the Venezuelan opposition and the local private media for being biased against the president by simply being biased against them. I really expected better from the BBC. If you are going to criticise one-sidedness you can't be one sided yourself, so don't expect any respect from your viewers when using that logic.

I believe BBC owes Venezuelans an apology for interfering in a conflict rather than reporting about it, for leaving more than half of the facts out, for promoting more hatred and division in a conflict that it is not yours. I don't expect you to understand what Venezuela is going through, but I do expect respect and journalistic integrity, so if you are going to tell the story, at least have the courage to present both sides of it. If not, I would really appreciate it if you just stayed out of it. We have enough poison amongst ourselves, we really do not need you fuelling it.

I agree that your journalists had a once in a lifetime opportunity to be at the presidential palace the night of April 11th 2002. It was a pity they didn't have the chance to be outside to see over a million people marching for democracy, something never before seen in Venezuela. It's a pity they weren't there long enough to see how in the four years since Mr. Chavez took office, oil income was at an all-time high, poverty and unemployment levels increased to levels unknown before and corruption multiply a hundred fold.

It's unfortunate that as your journalists were trapped in the presidential palace with all the chaos, they didn't have the chance to hear the head of the military at the time, Mr Lucas Rincon,a very close ally and friend of the president, read a statement informing the nation that the president had resigned.

Unfortunately your journalists missed so much of the story that they wasted their opportunity of a lifetime, and their version lacks credibility and deserves no praise. They are simply two more Chavistas telling their story, no more no less.

If the BBC was ever serious about doing a documentary about the situation of Venezuela please feel free to contact me and I would be glad to help so you can have first hand accounts for both sides. You can make history by choosing to share both sides of the story, therefore you still have an opportunity of a lifetime.

Kindest Regards,

Cristina Granier London

De: ProVeO info@proveo.org Fecha: Mie, 9 de Abril de 2003, 4:31 pm Para: ProVeO Members members@proveo.org

Estimados, Caigamosle ahora a CBC y la universidad de Calgary. Aleksander Boyd

Just a reminder that if you have been putting off registering for our luncheon on Venezuela, now is the time to act. The event is a week away and once the full media coverage starts, the few remaining tickets will be gone in a flash. CHECK THE END OF THIS MESSAGE FOR INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION FORMS

Also, here are the details on the upcoming CBC documentary on Chavez and the Coup.

Please note THE PASSIONATE EYE documentary Venezuela: Anatomy of a Coup, originally scheduled for Sunday, April 13 at 10 p.m. ET (10 p.m. PT), is being replaced by Chavez - Inside the Coup, an extraordinary access-oriented film that examines the role the media played in orchestrating last year's attempted coup in Venezuela, shot by the only crew inside the palace at the time. It's a timely lesson about media manipulation and how NOT to attempt a "regime change" in one of the world's largest oil-producing countries.

A year ago, on April 11, 2002, the world awoke to the news that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had been removed from office and had been replaced by a new self-appointed "interim" government. News report after news report carried stories of the mayhem in Caracas, where 11 people had been killed in what were alleged to have been bloody street battles between Chavez supporters and an opposition march. Viewers all over the world were led to believe that Chavez had ordered the killings, and had therefore been forced to resign. What in fact took place was the first coup of the 21st century, and probably the world's first media coup. Private media had manipulated the story and the images they were broadcasting on TV to create support and justification for the coup.

Venezuela is the world's fourth largest exporter of oil, and the third highest supplier to the United States. In 1999, a landslide majority had democratically elected Hugo Chavez president, promising to end corruption and redistribute the oil revenue to the 80 per cent of the population who lived in poverty. But from his first day in office Chavez faced powerful enemies both inside and outside Venezuela.

Just over 12 months ago, two Irish documentary-makers, Kim Bartley and Donnacha O Briain, travelled to Venezuela to make a film about this charismatic and unorthodox world leader. They met with Chavez and secured his permission to have full access to film what was to be an up-close and personal profile. It turned out to be something completely different. Chavez - Inside The Coup is a thrilling insight into Chavez, charting the last seven months in the run up to the coup and his dramatic return to power some 48 hours later.

Chavez - Inside the Coup is nominated for a 2003 Rocky Award for Best Documentary at the Banff Television Festival.

Chavez - Inside the Coup is a Power Pictures production. It was produced by David Power and directed by Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Briain. Catherine Olsen is the series producer for THE PASSIONATE EYE.

ON THE LUNCHEON

Latin American Research Centre at the University of Calgary

Sponsored by: CBC – Radio Canada Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade MAGIC TOURS and TRAVEL Calgary Herald Editorial Board

Latin American Research Centre Proudly Presents SPOTLIGHT ON VENEZUELA Award-Winning Venezuelan Writer Margarita López-Maya At a Luncheon, Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Alberta Room, Fairmont Palliser Hotel

Registration 11.30 a.m. Lunch 12.00 noon Presentation 12.30 p.m. Discussion 1.15 p.m.

The current political situation in Venezuela is at best, fragile. This state of affairs should concern us all. Through its oil company and its subsidiaries, Venezuela has a considerable stronghold on the US energy supply. In several sub-sectors, such as exports of petroleum products to the US and the production of heavy crude, the country is a direct competitor of Canada. At the same time, the intense demand for specialized personnel and equipment in Venezuela creates a unique opportunity for Alberta companies – that of doing abroad what they do best at home.

Political observer Margarita Lopez-Maya will give luncheon guests a privileged insider’s overview of the current situation. Her insightful comments are guaranteed to provide a perspective that Calgarians have seldom, if ever, been exposed to. This is a rare opportunity not to be missed by anyone with an interest in South America.

Information or Sponsorship Opportunities: Contact Annette Hester, ahester@ucalgary.ca or Patricia Ongpin 220-7203, pongpin@ucalgary.ca

EVENT REGISTRATION

Name(s):

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Total Number Attending: __ ___ x $_ ____ + ( 7% gst) = $ _____ _ ___

Phone: ________________ Fax: _________________ E-mail:

Method of Payment: O Cheque O VISA

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Cardholder Name: __________________ __________Signature: __________

Text Box: Price: LARC sponsors, CERI, Economics Society of Calgary, ESAA, CIPNG, Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta, and the Venezuelan Canadian Association of Calgary members, and students, $35.00 + gst = $37.45 all others $50.00 + gst = $53.50 tables of 8 are availabe at $500 + gst = 535.00 Registration: Fax your registration to (403) 282-8606 Or Email: Patricia Ongpin pongpin@ucalgary.ca MAKE CHEQUE PAYABLE TO: University of Calgary, SS 554, 2500 University Drive NW, CALGARY T2N 1N4

I look forward to seeing you there!

Annette Hester Director Latin American Research Centre University of Calgary phone: (403) 220 8636 fax: (403) 282 8606

<a href=www.falkland-malvinas.com>MercoPress

Venezuela is resuming shipments of unleaded gasoline from the Paraguana refinery complex, with a first U.S.-bound ship currently being loaded

Paraguana general manager Ivan Hernandez said the initial shipment consists of 360,000 barrels of unleaded gasoline, with each barrel holding 159 liters (42 gallons) of gas.

The refinery, one of the world's largest, is located on Venezuela's central coast. Hernandez told the state news agency Venpres that the shipment would leave for the United States on Wednesday aboard the Nico Cuarto tanker.

The shipment will be the first to leave the Paraguana complex since an opposition-led general strike paralyzed the oil sector from Dec. 2 to Feb. 2.

Additional shipments of 250,000 and 300,000 barrels are planned for the coming days, Hernandez said, adding "We are returning to normal export levels." The complex's refineries are operating at optimal conditions and are able to meet the demands of the domestic gasoline market, despite the disruption caused by the 63-day strike, he said. The strike was organized by opposition labor and business groups to force President Hugo Chavez to resign or call early elections.

The opposition blames Chavez, an avowed leftist, and his policies for the country's economic problems.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic news Posted: Friday, March 28, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

According to Organization of American States (OAS) secretary general Cesar Gaviria, progress is now being made in the search for an agreement on a revocatory referendum during the OAS-led negotiations between government and opposition representatives.

"We are moving forwards in a satisfactory fashion," and an agreement on an electoral solution to the political crisis now seems much nearer.

This comes after comments by Executive Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel that the government would be willing to sign an agreement to hold a revocatory referendum if certain conditions were included, particularly one allowing President Hugo Chavez Frias to stand in general elections if he was to lose the referendum.

During the talks agreement was reached that Rangel and opposition National Assembly deputy Alejandro Armas would be jointly responsible for helping to create the environment necessary within the media to hold such a poll.