abcnews.go.com The Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela Feb. 3 —

Workers in all sectors but the vital oil industry returned to their jobs Monday abandoning a two-month general strike that devastated Venezuela's economy but failed to oust President Hugo Chavez.

As life began returning to normal in stores, factories and banks, the government made gains toward restoring oil production to pre-strike levels in a nation that is a major supplier of crude to the United States and the world's fifth-largest petroleum exporter.

The fear of bankruptcy and shortages of gasoline and other essentials prompted leaders to end the strike, which began Dec. 2, said Albis Munoz, vice president of the country's biggest business chamber, Fedecamaras.

Chavez, elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000, vows to defeat his opponents in the streets and at the ballot box. He said Sunday he will prosecute strike leaders for sabotaging the economy.

Venezuela's opposition still hopes to generate international pressure for new elections.

The United States, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Spain and Portugal joined the Organization of American States in mediating 3-month-old talks. Over Chavez's objections, they endorsed an early election.

After meetings here Friday, diplomats from the six nations said early elections were the best way to restore stability.

Seeking to capitalize on the strike's momentum, the opposition organized a massive signature drive Sunday for early elections the strike's original goal. Organizers claimed 4 million people signed the petitions, a claim that could not be verified.

Strike leaders are a mix of conservatives, leftists, business associations, labor unions and civic groups. Their often conflicting petitions reflected their various agendas.

One called for a constitutional amendment declaring Chavez's term over. Another would cut his term from six years to four, allowing elections this year. A third would create a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution and call general elections.

Yet another option: A binding referendum halfway into Chavez's term, or in August, as permitted by the constitution. That idea was supported recently by former President Carter.

Chavez says he prefers the August option a referendum he could win because the opposition, while condemning political and economic unrest, has yet to present an alternative to his populist "revolution" for the poor.

While Manuel Cova, secretary general of the Venezuela Workers Confederation, claimed some sort of vote could be held as early as March, Venezuela has no one to organize a vote.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that the Chavez-dominated Congress must appoint a new board of directors for the National Elections Council. Without a council, no one can verify the signatures collected Sunday.

The strike reflected "the disorganization of the opposition," said Riordan Roett, director of Western Hemisphere studies at Johns Hopkins University.

"It was anti-Chavez but never pro-anything. What were they going to replace Chavez with?"

Lines disappeared at banks, traffic jams reappeared, and janitors swept the halls at Caracas' multistory Sambil shopping mall Monday in anticipation of a Tuesday opening.

The strike "lasted too long and now we are paying the consequences," said Luis Lange, 24, manager of an electronics store.

Like Lange, hundreds of thousands of businessmen had counted on holiday sales to make up for last year's poor sales.

According to the Fedeindustria business chamber, the fallout from the strike and continuing recession will cost 200,000 jobs and close more than 20,000 small- and medium-sized businesses by August.

Chavez also fired more than 5,000 striking oil workers.

Lack of oil and tax income forced Chavez to cut 10 percent from Venezuela's $25 billion budget for 2003. Economists forecast the economy will shrink 25 percent this year after an 8 percent contraction in 2002.

Venezuela's crude oil output rose to 1.2 million barrels per day Monday, compared with 1.1 million barrels over the weekend, according to dissident staff at the state owned monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A.

That is about a third of normal production, but Venezuela is expected to add 200,000 more barrels per day in the coming weeks, the staff's daily report said.

www.granma.cu Havana. February 3,  2003

ON February 2nd, President Fidel Castro attended the launch of the second edition of El Golpe Fascista Contra Venezuela (Fascist Coup against Venezuela), a book containing speeches and public statements by the country’s leader, Hugo Chávez.

Published by Ediciones Plaza, the volume contains the Venezuelan president’s reiterated exposés, including his recent contribution to the 3rd World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque described the book as a weapon for combat and thought, and went on to emphasize that the coup in Venezuela has been totally defeated now, thanks to the heroism of the Venezuelan people and their leader Hugo Chávez.

Pérez Roque reflected on the events that occurred in that Bolivarian nation last April and December and pointed out that the solution to a dilemma is being played out in Venezuela, not just for that country but for Latin America as a whole.

He added it will be increasingly difficult for transnational corporations and the oligarchy to impose their designs and interests on the Venezuelan people.

During the launch Julio Montes, Venezuelan ambassador in Havana, stressed that the battle against the coup has been decisively won. He explained that the deceptionally termed "general strike" has been called off, amounting to an admission of defeat. He also noted the resulting profundity of awareness within the Bolivarian process.

Twice-published in record time – less than 48 hours – the release of this key testimonial relating to the truth of recent events in the Andean nation was made possible by Ediciones Plaza, who carried out the project on the initiative of President Fidel Castro.

Pedro Alvarez Tabío, editor of the publishing house, stated that this expanded edition is published in English, French, Italian, German, Russian and Arabic.

From Caracas, President Hugo Chávez praised the Cuban edition of the book, reported Prensa Latina. The head of state applauded the speed with which his most recent public statements have been collated and printed.

english.pravda.ru 23:58 2003-02-03

On Sunday night, the Venezuelan opposition movement decided to terminate the strike which had lasted almost two months. The strike was intended to topple the government of President Hugo Chavez, who has been democratically elected to be Head of State until 2006, something which it has failed to do.

Timoteo Zambrano, the spokesperson for the “Democratic Coordination”, the organism controlling the opposition to Hugo Chavez, declared to the Press that he would not abandon the thousands of workers dismissed by the Venezuelan State Oil Company, Petroleos de Venezuela, SA (PDVSA) due to their support for the strike.

He added that the opposition will adopt a new strategy, working together with the President of the Organization of American States, Cesar Gaviria.

Marcia MIRANDA PRAVDA.Ru BRAZIL

news.ft.com By Andy Webb-Vidal in Caracas Published: February 3 2003 21:01 | Last Updated: February 4 2003 1:39

Venezuela's opposition alliance claimed on Monday to have collected 4m signatures supporting fresh legal attempts to remove President Hugo Chávez from office, marking the symbolic end of a two-month strike that has failed to unseat him.

Among a range of options, the petition aims to press for a constitutional amendment that would shorten Mr Chávez's mandate and allow early elections, and to appeal for a referendum to end his four-year rule. Hundreds of thousands of Chávez opponents gathered at makeshift polling centres on Sunday for what the so-called Democratic Co-ordinator called the "Big Sign-up".

The new initiatives will have to overcome a series of hurdles, such as approval by a yet-to-be-appointed electoral board and challenges by the government in the courts and the national assembly. But it could be months before the initiative bears fruit, if at all.

José Vicente Rangel, the vice-president, said yesterday that he saw no reason to believe that the electoral authority should validate the petition and that the government had already ruled out early elections.

A petition filed last November for a non-binding consultative referendum on whether Mr Chávez should resign, slated for Sunday, was in effect ruled unconstitutional by the supreme court, which opponents allege is tightly controlled by the president.

Diplomats from a six- nation "Group of Friends" - Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and the US - urged both sides at the weekend to end the conflict through talks under the auspices of César Gaviria, the secretary-general of the Organisation of American States.

Businesses not bankrupted by the two-month strike prepared to open for trade on Monday - tacit acknowledgment that the stoppage has failed to dislodge Mr Chávez, who might be even stronger today. But an employee strike at Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the engine of the world's fifth largest oil exporter, has wreaked huge damage on the economy.

Economists predict that Venezuela will face a contraction of between 10 and 20 per cent this year, coupled with inflation in excess of 50 per cent and a sharp rise in unemployment.

Alí RodrÍguez, the chairman of PDVSA, said loyal employees had managed to increase oil production to 1.5m barrels per day - half of pre-strike levels - and that the company would be back to near-normality by the end of this month. But dissident PDVSA managers, 5,600 of whom have been dismissed, say oil output is currently at just 1m b/ d and the government does not have the technical capability to lift it beyond 1.5m b/d.

world.scmp.com Tuesday, February 4, 2003

Opponents say 3.7 million have signed a petition for the president's term to be cut

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Caracas

   The Venezuelan opposition has officially declared an end to a 63-day general strike that has crippled the economy, but said a poll of voters' desire to see President Hugo Chavez's mandate cut had been an overwhelming success.

The petition is aimed at allowing opponents of the president to voice opinions about possible options for cutting short his term, which is scheduled to last until 2006.

Although the strike is formally ended, it will continue in the oil sector, according to opposition leaders, who say the struggle against the Chavez government is entering a new phase.

"The Democratic Co-ordinating Committee announced that tonight we are entering a long-expected and more trying new phase in our struggle," opposition spokesman Timoteo Zambrano said on Sunday night.

He said although the strike was ending, the protesters intended to stand by thousands of employees of Petroleos de Venezuela, the state-run oil company, who have been dismissed by the government. "Our struggle will now assume new forms, and we will pursue our goals at the negotiation table," Mr Zambrano said.

The strike has caused Venezuela billions of dollars in losses, largely because it slashed oil shipments from the world's fifth largest oil exporter.

Before the strike the oil sector produced 2.8 million barrels a day.

Mr Chavez said on Sunday that production had reached 1.8 million barrels a day and that the world's largest refinery, in Amuey, had come back on line. Oil prices fell in early London trading yesterday on news of an end to the general strike.

The price of reference Brent North Sea crude oil for March delivery dropped to US$30.77 (HK$240) at the close of trading on Friday. In New York, benchmark light sweet crude March-dated futures lost 34 US cents on Friday to US$33.51.

The Organisation of American States and former US president Jimmy Carter, meanwhile, have tried to bring the government and opposition to the negotiating table.

But clashes between Chavez supporters and police left at least five people injured as opponents queued to sign the non-binding petition aimed at cutting short his term. The opposition had garnered more than 3.7 million signatures, comfortably above expectations, leaders said.

A mid-term recall for Mr Chavez could come as early as August 19, and it is the only vote he has said repeatedly that he will accept if it is requested at the polls.