By Pascal Fletcher

CARACAS, Venezuela, April 30 (Reuters-alertnet.org) - Retired U.S. army colonel Robert Helvey has trained pro-democracy activists in several parts of the world so he knows something about taking on military regimes and political strongmen.

Now he is imparting his skills in Venezuela, invited by opponents of President Hugo Chavez who accuse the leftist leader of ruling like a dictator in the world's No. 5 oil exporter.

Helvey, who has taught young activists in Myanmar and Serbian students who helped topple the former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, is giving courses on non-violent opposition tactics this week at an east Caracas university.

Secrecy surrounds the classes. A sign outside the door, apparently there to deflect the curious, reads: "Seminar on strategic marketing".

But the strategies Helvey is sharing with some of Chavez's foes focuses not on balance sheets but on how to resist, oppose and change a government without the use of bombs and bullets.

After initially declining to answer questions, Helvey, a former U.S. military attache in Burma and now a consultant with the private U.S. Albert Einstein Institution that promotes non-violent action in conflicts, told Reuters non-violence was the key to the tactics he taught.

"In every political conflict, there is a potential for violence, and it is incumbent on leaders to make sure they don't cross the threshold of violence," he said.

Organizers of the seminar did not welcome journalists. "This is a private meeting of friends", one said.

The attendees included representatives of Venezuela's broad-based but fragmented opposition, who are struggling to regroup after failing to force Chavez from office in an anti-government strike in December and January.

Chavez, a fiery populist first elected in 1998, survived a brief coup last year by dissident military officers who now form part of the opposition movement, which also includes labor and business chiefs, politicians and anti-Chavez civic groups.

CHAVEZ, DEMOCRAT OR DICTATOR?

Opposition sources said Helvey was invited to Caracas by a group of businessmen and professionals. They in turn organized the course involving a broad cross-section of the opposition.

Helvey's presence comes at a time when a debate is raging inside and outside Venezuela about whether Chavez is a democrat or a power-hungry autocrat. That debate is important for the United States, which is a major buyer of Venezuelan oil.

Chavez's critics portray him as a dangerous, anti-U.S. maverick who has extended his personal political control of the country's political institutions, judiciary and armed forces.

They say he has strengthened his country's ties with anti-U.S. states like communist Cuba, Iran, Libya and -- until the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein -- Iraq.

Since the April 2002 coup that briefly overthrew him, Chavez's relations with the United States have remained edgy. The U.S. government has fiercely denied accusations from some Venezuelan officials that it encouraged or supported the coup.

Chavez fiercely condemned the invasion of Iraq. But Venezuelan oil shipments to the U.S. have kept on flowing.

The Venezuelan leader, who was elected to office six years after failing to seize power in a botched coup, denies he is a communist, says his government is democratic and regularly pillories his opponents as "terrorists" and "coup-mongers".

His foes have staged huge, anti-Chavez street protests over the last 18 months. He portrays them as a wealthy, resentful elite opposed to his self-styled "revolution" which he says aims to benefit the oil-rich nation's poor majority.

Neither Helvey nor the organizers of the Caracas seminar would give details of exactly what opposition tactics were being taught. But in his work in Serbia before Milosevic's fall, Helvey briefed students on ways to organize a strike and on how to undermine the authority of a dictatorial regime.

In the mid 1990s, he traveled to the Thailand/Myanmar border to give classes in non-violent resistance to exiled Burmese students opposing the military junta in their country.

His former students remember him as "Bob".

"He used his military skills in strategic planning for non-violent protest methods ... Everybody was fascinated by Bob, because he was a military man and was applying that to non-violence," Aung Naing Oo, former foreign secretary for the All Burma Students Democratic Front, told Reuters.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Caracas told Reuters the embassy knew nothing about Helvey's visit and had nothing to do with the secretive seminar. (Additional reporting by Dan Eaton)

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Tuesday, April 22, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Presidential candidate, Lt. Colonel (ret.) Francisco Arias Cardenas relates how a lady in the provinces approached him and said "our poor President (Chavez Frias)  ... they won't let him govern ... help him ... don't let traitors convince you."

Arias Frias insists that the opposition must take such pleas into account so that ordinary folk do not see "motives of sadness or shame in what we propose to do  ...  there can be no regret at the President's leaving office." 

The former Zulia State Governor and February 1992 coup d'etat Western Front Commander swears that nothing will happen to the President or allow anyone to harm him. "We cannot keep him in office because his errors, unnecessary confrontations and slow pace in the learning the art of governing is destroying us." 

There can be no room for sorrow or feelings of loneliness, Arias Cardenas contends, because "we have the strength and conscience to push ahead towards a better Venezuela." 

Arias Cardenas says that Venezuelans must decide at the ballot box and that there was no reason to be afraid because "we can vote for several options and the recall referendum will open the way." 

The recall referendum is for an early change and the reason for it is that the President hasn't changed in five years. "The President must learn from his mistakes but from the opposition bench ... he could meditate on his shortcomings, and deceits ... he could rethink and piece together a new proposal because his revolution has brought us hunger and misery." 

"Yes to the referendum with sure hope in the future!"

Forums

Referendum 2003 discuss the pros and cons of a revocatory referendum

President Hugo Chavez Frias express your opinions on the Presidency of Hugo Chavez Frias and his Bolivarian Revolution

Bolivarian Circles Are Bolivarian Circles a Venezuelan form of Neighborhood Watch Committees or violent hordes of pro-Chavez thugs?

Venezuela's Opposition What is it? Is a force to be reckoned with or in complete disarray?

Our editorial statement reads: VHeadline.com Venezuela is a wholly independent e-publication promoting democracy in its fullest expression and the inalienable right of all Venezuelans to self-determination and the pursuit of sovereign independence without interference. We seek to shed light on nefarious practices and the corruption which for decades has strangled this South American nation's development and progress. Our declared editorial bias is pro-democracy and pro-Venezuela ... which some may wrongly interpret as anti-American. Roy S. Carson, Editor/Publisher Editor@VHeadline.com

Tuesday April 22, 2003 - 07:21:05 PM, PDT Last Updated Apr 22, 2003 at 16:31 Sierra Time SierraTimes.com, An Internet Publication for Real Americans By R. A. Hawkins

It is quite apparent that Iran was not interested in Saddam's "Please take a Baath" program because they told the escaping leadership to take a hike. Syria however seems to have a suicidal tendency just like Saddam's government. Now that the cash cow for the Palestinians is gone, maybe the parents of the children there can find better things for their kids to do than blow themselves up to line their parent's pockets. Saddam isn't around anymore to send them money. Syria's Assad might be dumb enough to take up where Saddam left off however. The only neighbor they have invaded is Israel which is cool with the Democrats unless they are in New York and have to court that Jewish vote.

Syria poses a bigger problem for all of us here because they actually have a rather nice missile program. I suspect that missile program is what prompted Sharon to go to the Al Aksa mosque. He knew exactly what he was doing when he went there, make no mistake. He was also aware that Arafat had violated everything he agreed to in the Oslo Accords. When Israel finally pushed back after Arafat let the inmates out of the asylum, they found all sorts of weapons and explosives that the Palestinians had promised not to keep or buy ever again. They seem to have a bit of trouble keeping their word. Rather than just attack them, Sharon simply pushed their little buttons and they acted accordingly. He knew the other side was depending on a bunch of loonies to do their dirty work. The problem with loonies is they have no self control and lots of buttons.

To all of the antis who have chanted "Not in our name", right you are. Nothing was done in your name at all. Those who have helped us in Iraq are better Americans then a lot of the antis. Those people are leaders and glad to have gotten rid of Saddam's sleazy regime. If Europe and all of the antis had gotten their way those people wouldn't have even had the chance to help get rid of Saddam. They probably would have ended up with a wife's or daughter's severed head on their porch.

Yes Syria is building an ICBM and they even have a base for it. Nice pictures we took of it to say the least. You can find them over on Newsmax.com. China and Russia have been helping with that for quite a while now: They are such great world partners. Russia and China have been quietly undermining us for a long time. Anybody ever hear of Yamantau mountain? Anybody ever seen the Chinese bases in the Bahamas? They are setting us up and the funny part is the rhetoric is all too familiar.

They are in Venezuela and blaming us for having tried to remove Chavez. If we had been involved in that, the guy would be pushing daisies. It wouldn't have had the stink and haunting familiarity of the phony kidnapping/coup in Russia. That was such a well orchestrated joke it was laughable. The really amazing part is the number of people, small though it is, who believe the Russian and Chinese lies in all of this. They are so contrary they will believe the government of the enemy before they will believe their own. When the WMD's are finally located those dullards will say we snuck them in. Never mind the fact that Saddam was probably smart enough to realize we were going to pound them with bombs and it might not be a very bright idea to keep those vials of VX next to the old head board or on his nightstand, or anywhere near him. They are buried and hidden, nice, safe and deep.

The funny part about all of the rhetoric lately is that it is quite familiar. All one has to do is change the scapegoat and it all sounds the same. That belies a single source. Anybody ever read any of Zhirinoffsky's comments? They sound like they are from 'Mein Kampf'. The same is true with a lot of the radicals here. In Ambrose Evan Prichard's book, 'The Secret Life of Bill Clinton', he had an interview with Mahon from Elohim city. He stated Iraq was helping to fund their movement. Now the amount of money wasn't much and he said they quit sending money the moment the OK bombing happened, but he said they were sending money up until then. Isn't that interesting? To those who think that bombing was a great and patriotic American achievement I would like to point out what was accomplished by that one act in OK city. Clinton had done such an incredible job he had just lost Congress to the Republicans. His loss was probably due to the assault weapons ban for one thing. Then there was that little fundraiser for the BATF in Waco. When that bomb went off he managed to regroup against the Republicans and started an open war on the real conservatives in this country. Nice Job! So if we look at that one act and ask the rather basic question of 'Who gained?', Bubba's name pops up on the screen doesn't it? I have noticed people have forgotten that Bubba is now gone and it will take years to root out all of the nasty people he installed. All of the really sleazy acts occurred after that incident. We had our nuclear secrets stolen and in the next election we suffered from China syndrome. It only got worse after that.

My view is that we have an alliance with Israel and we should stick to it. Any nation that dumps its allies when the going gets tough is doomed to have no allies. I don't back the European approach that said a long time ago "Send them down there and we can get rid of them later." That approach is just more Nazism with a stupid little smiley face pasted on it. Since my view makes me a neo-con that makes those who hold the European view Neo-whats?

Comments are always welcome. Please send them to ironwyng@aol.com.

R.A. Hawkins is the author of "Through Eyes of Shiva", available through amazon.com. Visit Entropical Paradise for more commentaries and editorials by R.A. Hawkins.