abcnews.go.com The Associated Press Venezuela Feb. 8 —

Tens of thousands of Venezuelans marched Saturday in support of 9,000 oil workers fired for leading a two-month strike against President Hugo Chavez that battered the economy of this oil-dependent nation.

Tens of thousands of Chavez opponents gathered outside four Caracas office buildings of the state oil monopoly, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., or PDVSA, waving national flags and chanting anti-government slogans.

"Chavez, thief! PDVSA is not yours, it's everyone's," the crowd chanted.

Venezuela's opposition business groups, labor unions and leftist and conservative politicians this week ended a strike in all areas but the crucial oil industry. The strike began Dec. 2 and sought Chavez's resignation or early elections.

The government claims most of PDVSA's 40,000 employees have returned to work. Strike leaders deny this, saying thousands refuse to return to their posts until Chavez rehires the fired workers and agrees to an early vote on his rule.

The government gradually is recovering Venezuela's oil industry, which was the world's fifth-largest exporter and a major U.S. supplier before the strike, when production was 3 million barrels a day.

Production during the strike fell to a low of 200,000 barrels. The government says production now is at 1.9 million barrels, while dissident executives put the figure at 1.3 million.

But two of the country's three major refineries remain largely idle and gasoline is scarce nationwide. Motorists wait in mile-long lines outside the few service stations with supplies.

The strike has cost Venezuela at least $4 billion, the government estimates.

The government has spent more than $500 million on gasoline and diesel imports since the strike began. Lines dwindled earlier this week with an influx of imports. Energy and Mines Minister Rafael Ramirez said Saturday gasoline supply would return to normal next week as more imports arrive and refining continues to increase.

Caracas fire chief Rodolfo Briceno estimated that as many as 100,000 people protested Saturday.

"Venezuelans are fed up," said storeowner Carlos Herrera, 43. "While Chavez fires brave workers, the people are still suffering from gasoline shortages because he has hired a bunch of incapable mercenaries. Their only merit is being partisan to his revolution."

Chavez has taken advantage of the strike to restructure PDVSA drastically. He has split the oil behemoth into two units, one for eastern Venezuela and one for western Venezuela, to reduce bureaucracy in Caracas, where dissent ran high.

Striking workers say the restructuring will weaken the company and scale back fiscal contribution in an industry that provides 70 percent of export earnings.

Marchers planned to deliver a letter of support for the oil workers to representatives of the Organization of American States, which is overseeing peace talks between the government and opposition. They said the letter was signed by more than 2 million Venezuelans.

OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria is supported in his mediation efforts by a six-nation panel called the "Group of Friends."

On Friday, Chavez warned the United States, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Spain and Portugal to recognize the "legitimate, democratic government" of Venezuela. He urged the international community not to be fooled by "lies" spread by the opposition-dominated media, whom he labeled "coup-plotters and fascists."

Opposition negotiators are demanding a constitution amendment that would shorten Chavez's six-year term and pave the way for general elections this year.

abcnews.go.com — By Patrick Markey

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - More than 100,000 opponents of President Hugo Chavez marched through the streets of Caracas on Saturday in solidarity with oil workers staging a two-month strike against the beleaguered Venezuelan leader.

In a boisterous rally of national flags, whistles and beating drums, demonstrators joined strikers from the state oil firm PDVSA to show support for the shutdown aimed at forcing early elections in the world's No. 5 petroleum exporter.

The stoppage, which started on Dec. 2, has crumbled as private businesses reopened to stave off bankruptcy. But thousands of PDVSA employees are vowing to stay out until Chavez quits and reinstates rebel oil workers fired during a government crackdown on their protest.

"PDVSA belongs to us, not to the government," strike leader Juan Fernandez shouted from a stage to the crowds jamming a major highway in the capital. "There can be no step back."

Chavez, first elected in 1998, faces a determined alliance of political parties, unions and businesses who accuse him of dictatorial rule and mismanaging the economy. He has resisted opposition calls for elections.

Opponents, who demand that any political solution to the crisis must include the PDVSA strikers, said they had collected a petition of more than two million signatures in support of the oil workers.

Chavez has fired 9,000 oil workers and restructured PDVSA to counter the stoppage, which has battered Venezuela's economy by slashing the crude exports that account for half of government revenues.

AMNESTY REJECTED

Chavez has also firmly rejected any amnesty for the strikers. "Not even if I were mad, not even if I were crazy would I do that," Chavez told foreign diplomats.

The dispute over the oil workers and the economic crisis have complicated negotiations between the government and the opposition. Peace talks backed by a six-nation group and the Organization of American States have faltered over the timing of a possible election.

The strike fueled political tensions between Chavez and his foes, who have led scores of huge street rallies. More than nine weeks into the oil strike Venezuelans still must cope with severe domestic fuel shortages and long lines at gas stations.

Hoping to soften the strike's economic blow, the government introduced tight foreign exchange curbs and price controls to shore up its reserves and the local bolivar currency.

Officials have suspended currency markets for more than two weeks, but the bolivar has plunged more than 24 percent since the start of the year.

Venezuela's political divide over the president's rule has widened since April, when Chavez survived a brief coup by rebel military officers. At least seven people have died in shootings at political rallies and in street clashes and other violence since the strike began in December.

The government says oil output has recovered somewhat to nearly 2 million barrels a day (bpd) and exports are at 700,000 bpd. But strikers estimate that output is still at a third of the 3.1 million bpd the South American nation produced before the strike. Exports are usually around 2.7 million bpd.

www.startribune.com Stephen Ixer Associated Press

CARACAS, VENEZUELA -- Tens of thousands of Venezuelans marched Saturday in support of 9,000 oil workers fired for leading a two-month strike against President Hugo Chavez.

Chavez opponents, waving national flags and chanting anti-government slogans, gathered outside four Caracas office buildings of the state oil monopoly .

Venezuela's opposition -- business groups, labor unions and leftist and conservative politicians -- ended a two-month general strike last week in all areas but the crucial oil industry. The strike began Dec. 2 and sought Chavez's resignation or early elections.

The government claims that most of the oil industry's 40,000 employees have returned to work. Strike leaders deny this, saying thousands refuse to return until Chavez rehires the fired workers and agrees to an early vote on his rule.

The government gradually is restoring Venezuela's oil industry, which was the world's fifth-largest exporter and a major U.S. supplier before the strike, when production was 3 million barrels a day.

Production during the strike fell to a low of 200,000 barrels. The government says production now is at 1.9 million barrels, while dissident executives put the figure at 1.3 million.

Two of the country's three major refineries remain largely idle, and gasoline is scarce nationwide. Motorists wait in mile-long lines outside the few service stations with supplies.

"Venezuelans are fed up," store owner Carlos Herrera, 43, said at Saturday's march. "While Chavez fires brave workers, the people are still suffering from gasoline shortages because he has hired a bunch of incapable mercenaries. Their only merit is being partisan to his revolution."

english.eastday.com

Thousands of Venezuelan people marched in Caracas on Saturday in support of the oil workers fired by the government of President Hugo Chavez for taking part in the two- month general strike staged by Chavez's opposition forces.

The demonstrators gathered near the hotel where the government and the opposition held negotiations under the mediation of the Organization of American States (OAS) which proposed an electoral solution to the conflict.

The "Solidarity March", called by the opposition representative Democratic Coordination (CD), also included collecting signatures to demand the return of fired workers to the state-run oil company PDVSA.

The figures from the PDVSA showed that 7,000 employees have been sacked since the strike began on Dec. 2, and it was announced that 2,000 more could be dismissed.

On Friday, a representative of the Group of Friends of Venezuela suggested that the sacked PDVSA employees should be re- hired as a token of goodwill to put an end to the standoff between the government and the opponents.

President Chavez described the suggestion as impossible, noting that such a gesture had been offered to the opponents last April.

The strike was launched by opposition leaders to press Chavez to quit and call early elections. It made the Andean country suffer food and fuel shortages, and lose its position as the world 's fifth largest oil supplier. Xinhua news

Havana. February 8, 2003 www.granma.cu

CARACAS, February 7.— President Hugo Chávez today called on the world for a firm stand for Venezuelan democracy while addressing the accredited diplomatic corps in the country.

After receiving the traditional New Year greetings from ambassadors and business attachés, Chávez stated that ambiguities are not helpful when analyzing the present situation in the country.

"We are asking you to acknowledge and tell the truth, because there is a democratic, legitimate and re-legitimized government here, and a people firmly attached to the Constitution, for which reason there can be no negotiation with coup supporters and terrorists," he added.

He referred to the "savage campaign of lies" against the government being waged by the private media, which is causing confusion abroad.

"Our government has to be acknowledged for its battle for justice and equity and against poverty, and its consistent and ongoing extreme respect for liberties, but a government that is prepared to apply its laws.

Chávez stated that the government is considering adopting measures to deal with the private TV channels for legal violations and asked diplomats to tell the truth and explain the reasons for that action, without linking it to attacks on freedom of expression.

The president also referred to legal measures being taken against companies hoarding products.

He informed that members of the recently formed "group of friends" of Venezuela had requested an amnesty for managers and technical staff sacked for sabotaging the Petróleos de Venezuela Company, but discounted that possibility "given that we pardoned them last April and they used it to conspire against the nation."