<a href=www.sfgate.com>SFGate.com Thursday, April 3, 2003
(04-03) 19:44 PST CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) --

The government fired 828 more employees from the state oil monopoly for participating in a two-month strike to oust President Hugo Chavez, the company said Thursday.

The latest dismissals bring the total number of fired employees to 17,871 -- almost half the 38,000-strong work force at Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., a company spokesman said.

Most workers, including management, joined the national strike to demand Chavez's resignation or early elections. The stoppage paralyzed the world's fifth-largest oil industry and cost Venezuela $6 billion but fizzled out last month without achieving its goal.

Despite the reduced personnel, the government says it has restored crude oil production to pre-strike levels of more than 3 million barrels a day. Fired executives say output is 2.4 million.

The government also says it is taking advantage of the strike to reorganize the monopoly, reduce its excess bureaucracy and increase government control over the company.

Chavez's opponents accuse him of riding roughshod over the country's democratic institutions in his self-described "revolution" to help Venezuela's poor.

Chavez in turn accuses the opposition of incessantly conspiring to overthrow his elected government.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Friday, March 28, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

In the continuing battle of words between the Bush administration and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias, State Department Richard Boucher has dismissed allegations that the Anglo-American war on Iraq has led to a loss of US leadership in Latin America. 

President Chavez Frias says the scant support in Latin America shows that the US is losing out south of the border. 

Referring to Chavez Frias' latest challenge, Boucher says, "It's neither a logical argument nor has it an base in reality ... the fact that some countries in the western hemisphere have stood up and asked to be counted in this matter is important for us."

Calling seven Latin American countries "volunteer members of the Coalition," Boucher says the Central American countries of Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua support the Anglo-American war on Iraq, along with Colombian and the Caribbean country of the Dominican Republic. 

Boucher did not comment President Chavez Frias' allusion to Brazilian President Lula da Silva's anti-war statements and Chile's initial position on the UN Security Council.

CORRECTED 24 Mar 2003 21:16:44 GMT

MADRID, March 24 (Reuters) - A Spanish judge threw out a terrorism case against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Monday because he had immunity from Spanish prosecution, but the case was passed on to the International Criminal Court.

A group of Spanish citizens brought the case against Chavez, alleging terrorism and crimes against humanity based on violence during a protest in Venezuela last April, in which three Spaniards were injured and one Spaniard died.

The allegations against Chavez were presented by lawyers acting for some of the families of at least 19 people who were shot dead during a huge anti-government march on April 11 that came close to the presidential palace in Caracas.

The killings triggered a short-lived coup against the populist president by rebel military officers. Foes of Chavez, who survived the coup, accuse the Venezuelan leader of deploying armed supporters and troops against the April 11 protesters.

Chavez and his ministers strongly deny these accusations and say opposition gunmen started the shooting, in which more than 100 people were also wounded.

The case also refers to injuries suffered by two Spaniards in Venezuela on November 4, when more than a dozen people were wounded, several by gunfire, when thousands of Chavez opponents demanding an immediate referendum on his rule were attacked in Caracas by supporters of the left-wing president.

Judge Fernando Andreu Merelles, an investigating magistrate at the High Court, said in an 80-page ruling that Chavez enjoyed the extraterritorial immunity from prosecution that is granted to heads of state, diplomats and other high-ranking officials.

However, the judge said that although the case could not be heard in Spain, it would be passed on to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague under provisions of the Statute of Rome for its consideration.

Court documents did not give further details. --Additional reporting by Pascal Fletcher in Caracas

www.uruklink.net Baghdad, March 14, INA

Minister of Culture Hamid Yousif Hammadi has received Venezuelan solidarity delegation headed by Chief Venezuelan National Cultural Commission Ada Bostino.

Mrs. Bostino expressed Venezuelan artists and educators pro-Iraq attitude in struggling to foil US imperialist schemes . Showing admiration of Iraqi people steadfastness.

She pointed out that Venezuelan people’s different sectors have vehemently slamming US hegemonic policy on the world , saying that US evil administration is the cause of all problems and obstacles facing developing countries in their progress procession . Mr. Hammadi , for his side, welcomed the guest delegation , referring to the ministry’s endeavor to strengthen cultural ties with Venezuela .

www.washingtonpost.com Friday, March 14, 2003; Page A05

Directing unusually blunt language at Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the top U.S. military officer in Latin America said yesterday he sees a trend toward authoritarianism in the troubled country.

Gen. James T. Hill, head of the U.S. Southern Command, gave his assessment to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

He said the street protests during the two-month general strike that crippled Venezuela's economy were "for lack of a better term, democracy in action."

He said that following the strike, Chavez's "actions may portend a move toward greater authoritarianism. In my mind, that bears watching very carefully. I have directed my people to do that."

Hill also said that U.S. efforts to help Colombia fight leftist guerrillas have been successful, but that the country's conflict will not be resolved solely by military means.