By Peter Wilson

Caracas, April 25 (<a href=quote.bloomberg.com>Bloomberg) -- Talks between Venezuela's government and the opposition for a referendum on President Hugo Chavez have stalled, Organization of American States Secretary General Cesar Gaviria said.

A tentative agreement reached April 11 is no longer valid, and will have to be renegotiated, Gaviria told reporters last night.

``There are major differences between the two sides,'' Gaviria said. He gave no indication when talks would resume. They started eight months ago.

A referendum may end two years of protests and strikes by the opposition demanding that Chavez, a former army lieutenant colonel, resign or call early elections. Opponents agreed to a binding referendum to be held after August, the midpoint of Chavez's six-year term, after a two-month national strike failed.

Chavez's Fifth Republic Movement political party said earlier this week it had at least six objections to the 22-point election accord, which calls for a referendum by Nov. 19. to force a non- binding vote in February. Among the objections was the use of international observers to oversee the vote.

``What happened with the agreement is just another heightening of the confrontation between those who want an electoral resolution, and the government that doesn't,'' opposition negotiator Alejandro Armas told reporters. The opposition will review the government objections and present their response to Gaviria later today, he said.

Venezuela's dollar bond due 2027 fell 0.35 cents on the dollar to 63.75, pushing the yield up to 14.77 percent, according to J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. at 10:50 a.m. in New York.

The Caracas Stock Exchange's general index fell 0.1 percent to 8423.95. Last Updated: April 25, 2003 11:08 EDT

By Peter Wilson

Caracas, April 25 (<a href=quote.bloomberg.com>Bloomberg) -- Organization of American States Secretary General Cesar Gaviria said talks between Venezuela's government and the opposition for a referendum on President Hugo Chavez have stalled.

Gaviria told reporters last night that a tentative agreement reached April 11 is no longer valid, and will have to be renegotiated.

``There are major differences between the two sides,'' Gaviria said. He gave no indication when talks would resume. They started eight months ago.

A referendum may end two years of protests and strikes by the opposition demanding that Chavez, a former army lieutenant colonel, resign or call early elections. Opponents agreed to a binding referendum to be held after August, the midpoint of Chavez's six-year term, after a two-month national strike failed

Chavez's Fifth Republic Movement political party said earlier this week it had at least six objections to the 22-point election accord, which calls for a referendum by Nov. 19. to force a non-binding vote in February. Last Updated: April 25, 2003 09:26 EDT

CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, <a href=www.sfgate.com>SFGate.com-Associated Press Writer Thursday, April 24, 2003
(04-24) 19:40 PDT CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) --

Venezuela refused to sign an internationally brokered agreement Thursday for a referendum on President Hugo Chavez's presidency.

The refusal cast doubt on prospects for any vote on Chavez's six-year term, which ends in 2007. Venezuela's opposition staged a two-month general strike this winter to demand the plebiscite.

Chavez didn't budge, but after five months of negotiations, the Organization of American States announced on April 11 the two sides had agreed on a plan for a referendum.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said Thursday the government objected to several points of the agreement, including that the vote be monitored by international organizations.

"We reject all pressure coming from here and abroad," Rangel said. "Venezuela is not a colony."

Venezuela's opposition wants to ask citizens whether Chavez, whose presidency has been marked by political and economic turmoil, should resign.

A former army paratrooper, Chavez was imprisoned for two years for leading a failed coup attempt in 1992. He was elected in 1998 on an anti-poverty, anti-corruption platform and re-elected in 2000.

Secretary of State Colin Powell recently said that if Chavez agreed to a vote, "then he will be showing a commitment to democracy of the kind we believe is the correct form of democracy for our hemisphere."

The Organization of American States said the vote should be overseen by its own monitors, as well as the United Nations and the Atlanta-based Carter Center.

Rangel spoke after meeting with OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria. Gaviria said the opposition would evaluate the government's objections.

Opposition negotiator Rafael Alfonzo said Chavez's opponents would press ahead to get an early vote.

Chavez said Thursday that before a referendum can held, Congress must select a new elections council,voter rolls must be updated, and opponents must collect signatures to demand the vote.

Venezuela's opposition already has collected more than 2.5 million signatures, more than enough to call the vote. Chavez claims the signatures are invalid because they were gathered before the midpoint of his term, or August. The case is before the courts.

"We can't allow them to constantly change the rules of the game," Alfonzo told Union Radio. "The referendum will be held whether the government wants it or not."

Meanwhile, two army officers discharged for allegedly keeping Chavez in custody during last year's brief coup requested asylum Thursday from the Dominican Republic, a dissident general said.

Captains Alfredo and Ricardo Salazar cited "political persecution" in their asylum requests, National Guard Gen. Felipe Rodriguez told The Associated Press.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuelas's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, April 13, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

US State Department for Latin American Affairs official, Ricardo Pardo Maurer has announced that it is highly possible that Chilean and Argentinean military will join peace-keeping activities in Afghanistan, while Nicaraguan and El Salvador soldiers will be doing the same in Iraq. 

Pardo Maurer has made it clear that of the Latin American armies ready to take part in US peace-keeping missions Venezuela is the exception.  "There is a world scarcity of military officers for peace-keeping missions ... Latin America is undertaking a very effective job in prevention and working closely with Washington to make sure that Islamic terrorism does not become a problem." 

Elaborating on the Venezuelan problem, Pardo Maurer comments that President Chavez Frias is attempting to subvert the Venezuelan military bribing some officers to support his government ... "that is one of the most disturbing aspects I have seen ... the military as an institution has been able to resist but Chavez Frias is seeking officers that accept bribes." 

On a side note, the US Armed Forces (USAF) press office has welcomed the offer of Chile, Argentina, El Salvador and Nicaragua to take part in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as an "excellent sign from Latin America."

The War in Iraq, effects and consequences discuss the role of the United Nations towards an equitable solution for the Iraqi people

<a href=www.voanews.com>VOA News 13 Apr 2003, 00:59 UTC

Venezuela's government and opposition are blaming each other for an explosion at a Caracas office building early Saturday.

The high-intensity explosion occurred before dawn at the Caracas Teleport office building. No one was injured in the blast, which shattered windows, twisted steel, and destroyed a conference area in the building's basement.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said there is reason to think opponents of President Hugo Chavez may have planned the explosion, which occurred in a building that hosted key political negotiations on Friday.

But earlier, police said Saturday's explosion was similar to February blasts at the Spanish Embassy and the Colombian Consulate. Those attacks came shortly after Mr. Chavez accused Spain and Colombia of meddling in Venezuela's affairs.

Two men were in the building at the time of Saturday's explosion. A watchman escaped injury because he was sleeping under a desk, and a technician was several floors above the explosion.

The bombing comes one day after government and opposition representatives met in the building with negotiators from the Organization of American states. The two sides agreed Friday to work toward a referendum to support or reject the presidency of Hugo Chavez.

Mr. Chavez's opponents say he has destroyed the country's economy, and have been calling for him to resign.

Friday also marked the one-year anniversary of a short-lived coup against the president. Mr. Chavez returned to power within two days.