reuters.com Thu February 20, 2003 06:57 AM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Armed men, apparently from the Venezuela state security police, on Thursday captured a business chief who led a strike against President Hugo Chavez after a judge ordered him and a union boss arrested for rebellion, opposition leaders said.

Eight heavily armed men grabbed Carlos Fernandez at a restaurant in eastern Caracas early and fired shots in the air to keep back protesters before bundling him into a car, witnesses and opposition representatives said.

Foes of Chavez quickly condemned the order to detain Fernandez, the head of the Fedecamaras business chamber, as intimidation by the leftist leader they accuse of wielding power like a dictator.

"This is one more demonstration of intimidation," said opposition negotiator Rafael Alfonzo. "This is completely outside of the law," he said.

A judge told state television that Fernandez and union chief Carlos Ortega, who spearheaded the two-month opposition strike started in December to try and oust Chavez, were ordered detained for civilian rebellion, sabotage and other charges.

An official from the security police could not immediately confirm that officers from the agency were involved in the incident.

Chavez, who was first elected in 1998 and who survived a coup in April, has taken a hard-line stance against his opponents since strike leaders lifted the shutdown in early February to ease the burden on the private sector.

Branding his enemies "terrorists" and "coup plotters," Chavez has vowed to crack down on foes he accuses of trying to topple him by sabotaging the nation's vital oil industry. He has also introduced tight currency curbs and price controls to shore up the weakened economy.

The strike briefly crippled the oil industry of the world's No. 5 petroleum exporter as part of the opposition campaign to push Chavez into resigning and accepting early elections.

But the combative Venezuelan leader has so far rejected calls for a vote. Using troops and replacement crews, Chavez has fought back against the strikers as he battles to restart the oil exports that provide half of state revenues.

Three months of negotiations between the two sides have made little progress toward hammering out an agreement on elections. But earlier this week government and opposition negotiators signed a nonviolence pact to ease tensions.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Thursday, February 20, 2003 By: W. E. Gutman

International commentarist W. E. Gutman writes: A nationwide survey released at year's end by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) shows an increase in the number of Americans manifesting anti-Semitic attitudes, reversing a 10-year decline and raising concerns that "an undercurrent of Jewish hatred persists in America."

Conducted by an independent polling organization, the nationwide survey reveals that 17% of Americans -- or about 35 million adults -- hold views about Jews that are "unquestionably anti-Semitic." Previous surveys commissioned by the ADL over the last decade had indicated that anti-Semitism was in decline.

"We are greatly concerned that many of the gains we had seen in building a more tolerant America have not taken hold as firmly as we had hoped, and have to some degree been reversed," says Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "While there are many factors at play, all of the evidence suggests that a strong undercurrent of hared toward Jews persists in America."

One of the most unsettling findings of the ADL poll concerns Hispanic Americans, the fastest growing minority in America. The poll reveals an extraordinary gap between those born in the US and those born abroad. The survey reports that while 20% of Hispanics born in the US express vague feelings of antipathy against the Jews, 44% of foreign-born Hispanics harbor hard-core, fossilized anti-Semitic convictions. This suggests that anti-Semitic views pre-exist entry into the US and that these views continue to flourish in the insular, clannish and xenophobic atmosphere pervasive in Hispanic society in the US.

The anti-Semitic propensities of foreign-born Hispanics are not surprising. Religious background and indoctrination have always played a role in determining one's attitude toward Jews. There is no doubt that this is a reflection of what is being learned about Jews in the schools, churches and communities of Latin American nations, where Jews are, for the most part, a microscopic minority.

According to human rights monitors, anti-Semitism in Latin America appears to be highest in nations that the smallest number of Jews. The larger the Jewish communities, such as in Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela, the less palpable and more diffuse are anti-Jewish sentiments. These sentiments appear to be at a peak in Mexico and Central America, as well as in Ecuador and Bolivia where where Jewish families number barely in the dozens.

Survey results conclude that:

-- Anti-Semitic attitudes are up; the most widely held stereotype is that "Jews have too much power in the US."

-- Anti-Semitism is a function of education. Less educated people are more likely to hold anti-Semitic views.

-- Anti-Israel feelings trigger anti-Semitism. For the first time, negative attitudes toward Israel and concern that American Jews wield influence over U.S. Middle East policy are helping to foster anti-Semitic beliefs.

-- Anti-Israel sentiments are used to fuel, legitimize and rationalize anti-Semitism."

-- Anti-Semitism among foreign-born Hispanics is high. Perceptions of "Jewish control," influence and power as well as more traditional canards about Jews, religion and ethical practices appear to be driving anti-Semitism among foreign-born Hispanics.

For example, more than half of foreign-born Hispanics agree with the assertion that "Jews don't care what happens to anyone but their own kind," whereas nearly half were raised to believe that "Jews are responsible for the death of Christ."

Apt to fall into the most anti-Semitic category are:

-- Those who believe that Jews have too much influence over US foreign policy in the Middle East.

-- Those who view US policy tilting too much toward Israel.

-- Those who predict that the US is more likely to be targeted for terrorist attacks because of America's support of Israel.

The tragic events of September 11 and the crisis in the Middle East have clearly had an impact on the growth of anti-Semitism in America. As these life-altering events have transformed us as a nation, they have also resurrected the anti-Semitism that lay dormant beneath the surface.

The explosive spread of Islam, which runs a formidable worldwide proselytizing machine, the spate of conversions to Islam taking place in Latin America and the unusually high rate of anti-Semitism among Hispanics in the U.S. are part of a trend issued from separate but converging dynamic processes. This alarming phenomenon, at a time of unease in a world ever closer to the brink of war, adds yet another dimension to the evil that spawned yesteryear's nightmares.

• W. E. Gutman is a veteran journalist. He lives and works in southern California.

www.news.com.au February 20, 2003

VENEZUELA President Hugo Chavez has cancelled a trip to the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Kuala Lumpur, his country's foreign minister said. Foreign Minister Roy Chaderton, who is leading the Venezuelan delegation to Kuala Lumpur, said Chavez cancelled the trip because of a heavy workload.

Chavez had planned to be in Kuala Lumpur on February 24-25 for the summit of 114 countries, which banded together in 1955 to steer a middle course between the West and the Soviet bloc.

The leftist former army paratrooper is struggling to consolidate control over Venezuela after a two-month opposition strike aimed at ousting him. The strike nearly paralysed oil production in the world's fifth-largest exporter, devastated Venezuela's economy and deepened polarisation over Chavez's rule.

"Because of the present circumstances and so many domestic commitments, he thought it would be best to stay home," Chaderton said.

The Non-Aligned bloc of mostly African, Asian and Latin American nations has sought since the Cold War to reinvent itself to confront challenges of globalisation and US military and economic might. The group is expected to denounce any US-led attack on Iraq.

Chavez is a frequent critic of globalisation and US economic dominance.

In 2000, Chavez irritated the United States by becoming the first head of state to visit Iraq after the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The Venezuelan leader offered Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein his support for ending UN sanctions against Iraq.

Chaderton said Venezuela had not decided what position to take on the Iraqi crisis at the summit. But he said the stand-off "should be resolved diplomatically and peacefully."

news.bbc.co.uk

Venezuela remains a deeply polarised country

An organiser of long-running protests against Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has been arrested on charges including treason and civil rebellion.

Carlos Fernandez was taken by members of the police intelligence service from a restaurant in the capital, Caracas, on Wednesday evening.

Speaking to the BBC, Judge Mikel Moreno said he had issued a warrant for the arrest earlier that day.

At an urgent meeting following the arrest, Fedecamaras - the business association that Mr Fernandez leads - called on the government to guarantee his safety.

The development comes only days after the government and opposition signed a non-violence pact aimed at defusing tensions following strikes which virtually paralysed the country's oil industry.

It also follows Wednesday's killing of three soldiers who had called for civil disobedience against President Chavez.

The New York-based group, Human Rights Watch, has urged the Venezuelan Government to launch an investigation.

Unrest continues

Another Venezuelan opposition leader, Carlos Ortega, has told the BBC that a similar arrest warrant has been issued for him.

Chavez claims to have ended the strike

The two men were the main leaders of the two-month-long strike by businesses and trade unions against President Chavez.

The opposition have accused the president of authoritarianism and mismanaging the economy.

The strike slashed Venezuela's vital oil exports, crippling the country's economy.

President Chavez - who has strong support in the countryside and among the poor - claimed to have ended the strike at the beginning of the month, but the unrest and the demands for him to step down continue.

www.tuscaloosanews.com By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER Associated Press Writer February 20, 2003

Venezuelan businesspeople and other members of Fedecamaras, meet at the offices of Venezuela's largest business federation, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2003. The general strike leader and President of Fedecamaras, Carlos Fernandez, was seized at a restaurant by gunmen who identified themselves as secret police agents last night. (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch) Thousands of angry government opponents chanting "This is a dictatorship!" rallied in the capital's streets Thursday, protesting the midnight arrest of a strike leader by secret police. But President Hugo Chavez triumphantly proclaimed that he authorized the arrest of Carlos Fernandez even though it threatened to re-ignite massive demonstrations and again paralyze the country. "One of the coup plotters was arrested last night. It was about time, and see how the others are running to hide," Chavez said at the foreign ministry. "I went to bed with a smile." Chavez said judges should not "be afraid to issue arrest warrants against coup-plotters." Carlos Fernandez, head of Venezuela's largest business federation - Fedecamaras, was seized by about eight, armed agents around midnight Wednesday as he left a restaurant in Caracas' trendy Las Mercedes district, said his bodyguard, Juan Carlos Fernandez. The men fired into the air when patrons tried to prevent the arrest, the bodyguard said. Carlos Fernandez faces charges of treason and instigating violence for leading the two-month strike that began Dec. 2, seeking to oust Chavez and force early elections. The strike ended Feb. 4 in all sectors except the critical oil industry. Before the strike, Venezuela was the world's fifth-largest petroleum exporter and a major U.S. supplier. Government allies warned that more than 100 opposition leaders, from labor bosses to news media executives, who supported the strike also could be arrested. "More than one hundred are on the list to be captured," ruling party lawmaker Luis Velasquez said. The existence of such a list could not be immediately confirmed. Opposition sympathizers at Thursday's rally near an air force base in eastern Caracas lambasted Chavez, accusing the leftist leader of trying to establish a Cuban-style dictatorship in this South American nation of 24 million people. "This is an escalation of violence by the government, which has arrived at the extreme of repression," said Carlos Feijoo, 88, a retired oil worker. "He wants to copy Fidel (Castro)." Fedecamaras vice president Albis Munoz warned of another nationwide strike in response to the arrest. "Definitely there will be actions, and very strong actions," Munoz said. The Confederation of Venezuelan Workers also said a 12- or 24-hour stoppage was possible. Fernandez's wife, Sonia, spoke briefly with her husband and said he was in good condition at secret police headquarters. Fernandez was meeting with his attorneys, she said. Chavez supporters gathered near the headquarters and a downtown plaza to celebrate the arrest. "It's what had to be done. These opposition leaders tried to destroy the country, now they must be punished," said Tomas Ordonez, a 49-year-old taxi driver. Carlos Fernandez called the strike with Carlos Ortega, president of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation - the country's largest labor union. Ortega was ordered to surrender on treason and instigating violence charges, magistrate Maikel Jose Moreno said, but the tough-talking labor boss said he would not turn himself in. "We have nothing to fear," Ortega told Globovision TV channel via telephone. "The only one who has a date with justice is the president." Chavez, who was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000, has accused the two opposition leaders of plotting to overthrow his government with the strike and by orchestrating "an economic coup." Chavez's allies justified the arrest. "Each member of the opposition must assume ... the legal consequences of acts of oil sabotage and the attempt to topple a legitimate government," ruling party leader Nicolas Maduro said. Opposition leaders called for more street protests and appealed to the Organization of American States, the United Nations and the Carter Center, run by former President Carter, for mediation. OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria said in a statement that Venezuelan judges have the autonomy to make such decisions, but they must respect constitutional norms and human rights. U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said officials in Washington worried that Fernandez's arrest could hinder efforts to end the stalemate between Venezuela's political rivals. "We fear the act could undermine the dialogue process," said Boucher, adding "this increases our concerns about human rights in Venezuela."