www.miami.com Posted on Wed, Feb. 26, 2003 BY PHIL GUNSON Special to The Herald

HEAVY DAMAGE: The facade of the Colombian Consulate in Caracas, Venezuela, is in ruins after early-morning bomb blasts Tuesday struck it and a Spanish facility.

CARACAS - Two powerful bombs exploded outside foreign diplomatic missions Tuesday, deepening the climate of violence in a nation already on edge because of a prolonged political crisis swirling around President Hugo Chávez and his critics.

The bombs went off in the early morning, within 20 minutes of each other. Although there were only four slight injuries -- two caused by flying glass -- the property destruction was considerable.

The four-story Colombian Consulate in the Chacaito district was wrecked, and the Spanish technical cooperation mission -- next door to the Spanish Embassy -- suffered major damage to its gate and exterior wall.

The blast shattered windows in many nearby buildings and showered the streets with debris.

''The consulate is completely devastated,'' said Leopoldo López, mayor of the Chacao municipality, where more than 80 percent of Caracas' diplomatic buildings are located. ''We haven't seen this type of attack in Venezuela before,'' the mayor noted after inspecting the building's interior.

Police sources said the blasts had probably been detonated by remote control using C-4 plastic explosives.

They came just 36 hours after President Hugo Chávez bitterly criticized the Colombian and Spanish governments for expressing concern over the arrest of a leading member of the opposition whose detention was widely seen as part of a political crackdown by Chávez.

The president also denounced the United States and the Organization of American States' secretary-general, César Gaviria.

The Bush administration linked this week's ''sharp verbal attacks'' by Chávez to the upsurge in violence, suggesting that the Venezuelan leader was reneging on a Feb. 18 pledge to curb fiery remarks likely to incite violence.

CONFRONTATION

''The confrontational rhetoric is unwarranted, is unnecessary and is not helpful,'' White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. ``Inflammatory statements by President Chávez are not helpful in advancing the dialogue that is necessary to maintain peace in Venezuela.''

Asked if the Bush administration believed there was a link between fiery remarks by Chávez and the new round of violence, State Dept. spokesman Philip Reeker recounted how Chávez had lashed out at his critics this week.

On his regular Sunday morning TV and radio show Aló Presidente, Chávez at times appeared almost speechless with anger as he denounced those he accused of violating Venezuela's sovereignty.

COUNTRIES' CONCERN

All had expressed concern over the jailing last week of Carlos Fernández, chairman of the business association Fedecámaras and a leader of the recent, 63-day strike aimed at forcing an early election. Additionally, Colombian Interior Minister Fernando Londoño had accused Chávez of having links to Colombia's leftist guerrillas.

''Aznar -- please!'' said Chávez, referring to Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar, whose government, he said, had ''applauded'' last April's abortive coup attempt. Both Aznar and César Gaviria, he said, should stick to ``their place.''

Gaviria, a former president of Colombia and now OAS secretary-general, has been attempting since November to achieve a negotiated settlement of the country's political crisis.

To the government of Colombia, he angrily declared: ``Concentrate on governing your own country! And on solving your own problems, which are many! We'll solve ours!''

Flyers attacking foreign ''intervention'' were found at the scenes of the bomb attacks Tuesday.

They bore the names of the Bolivarian Liberation Force -- FBL -- and the Simón Bolívar Coordinator, the CSB, two radical groups that support the Chávez government but which are not known to be linked.

The FBL is a shadowy guerrilla organization which operates near the Colombian border, while the CSB has a public presence in the slums of western Caracas, where it carries out ``community work.''

''Gaviria, Carter, OAS, CIA -- the revolution does not need your self-interested intervention,'' one of the flyers read.

There were several other messages, all apparently laser-printed and in color.

Juan Contreras, leader of the CSB, said the organization condemned the attack, which he attributed to ``some elements of the opposition which are desperate to return to power.''

''I don't think anyone with any sense would carry out an attack like this and then say they did it,'' Contreras added.

The opposition Democratic Coordinator, or CD, has accused the Chávez government of violating the terms of an antiviolence agreement signed last week -- the first concrete achievement of the talks chaired by Gaviria.

ALREADY UNHAPPY

Even before the bombings, Timoteo Zambrano, a member of the opposition negotiating team, said the CD might ''withdraw its signatures'' from the agreement.

In the aftermath of the attacks, opposition leaders accused Chávez of contributing to a climate of violence by using the kind of ''wounding language'' specifically ruled out by the agreement.

Government spokesmen dismissed the charge. ''We don't believe this is a result of comments and affirmations by the president,'' said the interior minister, Gen. Lucas Rincón.

Herald staff writer Tim Johnson contributed to this report.

www.tuscaloosanews.com By FABIOLA SANCHEZ Associated Press Writer February 26, 2003

A Venezuelan national guard soldier stands in front of the damaged Colombian Consulate Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2003, after an early morning explosion in Caracas, Venezuela. Two powerful explosions damaged the Spanish Embassy and the Colombian Consulate minutes apart in the Venezuelan capital early Tuesday, injuring four people and raising tensions in a city still recovering from an anti-government strike.(AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Venezuela tightened security at embassies Wednesday after two bombs ravaged Colombian and Spanish diplomatic missions, injuring four people and generating fears that the nation's political crisis was entering a more violent phase. The United States, Colombia and other nations demanded a swift investigation into Tuesday's bombings, which came 15 minutes apart at the Spanish embassy and Colombian consulate. Venezuela suggested the bombings were meant to destabilize the government of President Hugo Chavez, who on Sunday criticized Spain and Colombia for allegedly interfering in Venezuelan affairs. "There are elements thinking of taking the route of terrorism" to oust Chavez, said Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel. Chavez had just weathered a two-month strike seeking his ouster and has vowed that strike leaders, including prominent business and labor chiefs, will be prosecuted. Colombia and Spain expressed concern over the arrest of Carlos Fernandez, head of Venezuela's largest business chamber. Rangel announced the creation of an anti-terrorism task force and played down the importance of pamphlets left at the bombing sites swearing allegiance to Chavez and his so-called "Bolivarian revolution." The attackers, Rangel said, merely neglected "to leave Chavez's photo" to implicate the president. Rangel expressed Venezuela's solidarity with both Colombia and Spain. Interior Minister Lucas Rincon said C-4 plastic explosive may have been used in the pre-dawn blasts, which also damaged stores and apartment buildings. Spanish Ambassador Manuel Viturro de la Torre refused to speculate on a motive for the attacks. Colombia used the incident to request Venezuela's cooperation in its decades-old war against leftist Colombian rebels, whom Bogota said often seek haven in next-door Venezuela. On Sunday, Chavez criticized several nations for their concerns about Fernandez's arrest. He also singled out Cesar Gaviria, secretary general of the Organization of American States, who has spent three months trying to mediate a solution to Venezuela's conflict. Gaviria was returning to Caracas to resume those talks Wednesday. In Washington, State Department spokesman Philip T. Reeker condemned the bombings, saying they underscored the need for all sides to honor a Feb. 18 nonviolence pledge, refrain from "confrontational rhetoric" and create a truth commission to investigate violent incidents. "We note that those bombs follow some sharp verbal attacks by President Chavez on the international community, as well as individual Venezuelans and institutions," Reeker said. The Atlanta-based Carter Center, co-sponsor of the peace talks, urged all sides - including Venezuela's opposition news media - to abandon hate-filled rhetoric that has stoked tension this South American nation. "We call on the leadership of the country to hear the demand of the Venezuelan people for reconciliation and an end to violence in their country," the center said in a statement. Former President Jimmy Carter has supported Gaviria's efforts to broker an electoral solution. Chavez, elected to a six-year term in 2000, accuses Venezuela's traditional elite of seeking his ouster and foiling his efforts to distribute Venezuela's oil riches to the poor. His opposition accuses the former army paratrooper of imposing an authoritarian regime and ruining the economy. Fernandez, the business leader, faces rebellion and other charges for leading the 63-day general strike against Chavez. Police are searching for strike co-leader and labor boss Carlos Ortega. The strike, which ended Feb. 4, hobbled the world's fifth-largest petroleum exporting industry and robbed the feeble economy of billions of dollars.

www.voanews.com Phil Gunson Caracas 26 Feb 2003, 05:54 UTC

Venezuelan authorities are searching for those responsible for two bomb attacks that took place early Tuesday against the Spanish embassy and the Colombian consulate in Caracas. The blasts followed a verbal attack on both foreign governments by President Hugo Chavez.

In the course of his weekly TV and radio show, Hello, Mr. President, Hugo Chavez last Sunday launched a bitter attack on foreign leaders who had expressed concern over the jailing of an opposition figure. The United States, Spain, Colombia and the Organization of American States, in the person of secretary-general Cesar Gaviria, were all subjected to a tongue lashing by the president. Mr. Chavez said they should mind their own business and stop interfering in Venezuela's sovereign affairs.

Just 36 hours later, someone set off two large bombs apparently using plastic explosive detonated by remote control - outside buildings belonging to two of the countries concerned, Spain and Colombia. The interior of the Colombian consulate was 80 percent destroyed, while the building housing the Spanish technical cooperation mission suffered severe damage to its gate and exterior wall. In both cases several nearby buildings lost all their windows, and four people were slightly hurt.

Had the explosions taken place during daylight, the death toll would have been heavy. This is the first time that such attacks have taken place in Venezuela, although grenades have been thrown at diplomatic missions in the recent past.

A member of the bomb squad looks at the area where a bomb exploded in Caracas, VenezuelaFound at the scene Tuesday were flyers critical of alleged foreign intervention, signed by two radical groups which support the Chavez government. But there is considerable doubt that they were in fact responsible.

The interior minister, General Lucas Rincon, denied that the president's verbal condemnation had triggered the attacks. Vice president Jose Vicente Rangel criticized some opposition figures for immediately blaming the government. Some supporters of the Chavez regime said the opposition had more to gain, since it wanted to oblige foreign countries to take a more active role.

Whoever was in fact responsible, few believe they will be caught. So far not a single case of political violence has been resolved since the Venezuelan crisis began about 18 months ago, and the fear is that the escalation will continue. Although government and opposition signed a non-violence pact a week ago, the situation has worsened since then, and some in the opposition are even talking of withdrawing their signatures from the agreement.

news.bbc.co.uk

The Venezuelan authorities have pledged to increase security around foreign buildings after bomb attacks on the Spanish and Colombian embassies.

The blasts took place early on Tuesday local time injuring three people and causing some damage.

The Venezuelan Vice President, Jose Vicente Rangel, told the BBC the Venezuelan government would to anything in its power to avoid further acts of what he called macro-terrorism.

A US State Department spokesman condemned the attacks, saying: "We not that those bombs follow some sharp verbal attacks by President (Hugo) Chavez on the international community, as well as on individual Venezuelans and institutions".

On Sunday, Mr Chavez lambasted the international community for "meddling" in Venezuela's affairs and singled out Colombia for its criticism of the president's contacts with Colombian rebels.

Leaflets

Leaflets from a pro-Chavez group, the Bolivarian Liberation Force, were found at the scene of the blasts.

If this had been at two in the afternoon instead of at two in the morning we would have had a lot of dead

Mayor of Chacao district

"Our revolution will not be negotiated, only deepened," one leaflet read, according to Reuters news agency.

The Venezuelan deputy foreign minister vowed to find those responsible for the attacks.

"If this had been at two in the afternoon instead of at two in the morning we would have had a lot of dead," said the mayor of Caracas's Chacao district, Leopoldo Lopez.

Opponent's arrest

Tension has been rising again in Venezuela following the arrest last week of one of the leaders of long-running protests against Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez.

Carlos Fernandez, who is now under house arrest, has been accused of treason and civil rebellion.

His arrest provoked protests in Venezuela and international concern.

In his weekly broadcast on Sunday, Hello President, Mr Chavez told the world community to stop interfering in Venezuelan affairs.

Speaking to the governments of Colombia, Spain and the United States among others, Mr Chavez said: "We don't meddle in your affairs; please don't meddle in ours."

He warned Cesar Gaviria, chief mediator in fractious talks aiming to end the country's recent strike - and former Colombian president - not to step "out of line".

"This is a sovereign nation," he said.

abcnews.go.com — By Patrick Markey

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Two bombs tore into Spanish and Colombian diplomatic missions in Caracas on Tuesday, injuring five people less than 48 hours after President Hugo Chavez accused the two nations of meddling in Venezuela's political crisis.

Three people, including a 4-year-old girl, were slightly wounded when the blast near the Colombian Consulate sprayed shards of debris and ripped off the building's steel and glass facade at around 1:15 a.m. EST.

Fragments from a smaller explosion minutes earlier at the nearby Spanish Embassy cooperation office hurt two people, authorities said. None of the injured were in serious condition and no one claimed immediate responsibility for the attacks.

"If this had been at two in the afternoon instead of at two in the morning we would have had a lot of dead," Chacao district Mayor Leopoldo Lopez told reporters.

Chavez, whose self-styled "Bolivarian revolution" promises to ease poverty, accused Spain and the United States on Sunday of siding with his enemies and warned Colombia he might break off diplomatic ties over accusations that he met with that country's Marxist rebels.

The timing of the blast was not lost on Washington, which has since tightened security at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.

"We note that those bombs follow some sharp verbal attacks by President Chavez on the international community, as well as individual Venezuelans and institutions," said State Department spokesman Philip Reeker. He declined to draw an outright connection between the rhetoric and the attacks.

Police refused to comment on possible motives or the type of explosives used by the bombers.

Leaflets scattered at both sites were signed by the "Bolivarian Liberation Force -- the Coordinadora Simon Bolivar urban militias." The Coordinadora Simon Bolivar is a known radical Pro-Chavez group.

"Our revolution will not be negotiated, only deepened," one leaflet read.

BITTER CONFLICT

The twin bombings appeared to be the worst attacks in the Venezuela's recent history. The bitter political struggle between Chavez and his opponents has often flared into violence and street clashes; media outlets critical of the president have been the targets of grenade attacks.

His mostly poor supporters see Chavez's populist reforms as the path to a better life. Opponents accuse the former army paratrooper of ruling like a dictator and inspiring violence with his fiery speeches laced with class warfare rhetoric.

Venezuela's government quickly denied its sympathizers were behind the blasts and suggested that some elements of the opposition had more to gain by isolating the oil-rich nation.

"We believe this is about a plan to create problems between Venezuela and two amicable nations," Deputy Foreign Minister Arevalo Mendez told reporters.

Explosives experts in blue and gray camouflage fatigues picked though the wreckage at the Spanish Embassy site and Colombian Consulate, where they were looking for bomb parts.

An official from the DISIP state security police told local radio that a powerful plastic explosive was placed at the Colombian Consulate, leaving a small but deep crater in the concrete driveway outside.

"All indications are it was a bomb.... They were looking for an alternative site in an isolated area to launch a night-time attack," Colombian Consul General Juan Carlos Posada told Reuters, bits of broken glass crunching under his shoes.

Chavez's criticisms of the United States, Colombia and Spain on Sunday followed their statements questioning the arrest of Carlos Fernandez, a prominent opposition businessman charged with rebellion for leading a two-month strike against the leftist leader. Chavez said they had no right to comment on his nation's internal affairs.

Venezuela's crisis has drawn in the international community, with leaders fearing the world's fifth-largest oil supplier could slide deeper into violence as Chavez allies and enemies face off.

Nobel peace prize winner and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter along with a six-nation group including the U.S. and Spain have backed so-far fruitless talks by the Organization of American States (OAS) to defuse the crisis. Those negotiations are aimed at early elections, fiercely opposed by Chavez.

Another leaflet found at the blast sites criticized the OAS chief Cesar Gaviria and Carter, saying the "revolution" did not need their help in the peace talks.

STRUGGLE SINCE COUP

Chavez and his foes have been locked in a fierce political struggle over his rule since April when he survived a short-lived coup by rebel military officers. The president has hardened his stance against critics he brands "terrorists" trying to oust him by sabotaging the oil industry.

The opposition strike began on Dec. 2; it severely disrupted the vital oil exports that account for half of Venezuelan government revenues. The shutdown fizzled out in February, although the oil sector still struggles to recover.

The president's self-styled "revolution" mingles left-leaning policies, such as land reform and cheap credits for the poor, with nationalism styled after 19th century South American liberation hero Simon Bolivar.

Tuesday's explosions are not the first incidents involving foreign missions in Caracas. A grenade exploded in January at the residence of the ambassador from Algeria, who had promised technical aid to help Chavez stem fallout from the oil strike.