Stasi
Fri, 12 Apr 2002 16:06:24 -0700
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Friday, 12 April, 2002, 19:07 GMT 20:07 UK Video: http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1925000/video/_1925347_ven09_easton_vi.ram - The BBC's Adam Easton in Caracas, Venezuela: "President Hugo Chavez's resignation has been accepted" Audio: http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1925000/audio/_1926967_venezuela_gothwald21.ra m - Protester Carmen Gothwald: "We could not stand anymore" Venezuela army blocks Chavez exile ========================= http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1926000/1926437.stm Military pressure forced Chavez from power The Venezuelan army says ousted President Hugo Chavez must be brought to account for violence in which 11 people died, and has rejected his plea to go into exile in Cuba. "He has to be held accountable to his country" Army General Roman Fuemayor Mr Chavez is being held at a military barracks in the capital Caracas after being forced to resign by the country's military. His former interior minister has been arrested in connection with the protesters' deaths. Pedro Carmona, the head of Venezuela's business association Fedecamaras, has said he will head a transitional government at the request of the armed forces. Made up of military and civilian personnel, it will be installed later on Friday, he said. He also announced an immediate end to the general strike which has crippled the oil industry in Venezuela - the world's fourth largest oil exporter. Coup accusation Oil prices dipped on Friday amid hopes that Mr Chavez's resignation would restore stability to Venezuela. "It is a lie, all lies, he said he never resigned, that a group of military took him away and he is being held incommunicado" Maria Gabriela Chavez Daughter of Hugo Chavez The end of Mr Chavez's three years in power came after a three-day general strike ended in a violent demonstration on Thursday. Eyewitnesses said snipers had opened fire on a crowd of more than 150,000. At least 11 people died and more than 80 were injured. On Friday, a mob tried to lynch former Interior Minister, Ramon Rodriguez Chacin, as police arrested him over the killings. Mr Chavez resigned following the violence, after the military high command insisted that he step down. International reaction Army General Roman Fuemayor told Venezuelan television that Mr Chavez had asked to go into exile in Cuba, but the military turned him down. "He has to be held accountable to his country," General Fuemayor said. Business leader Pedro Carmona is to head a transitional government International reaction to the former president's removal from power has been mixed. The United States said the Chavez Government had provoked the crisis by suppressing a peaceful demonstration. Several Latin American countries expressed concern, while France described it as an attack on institutional order. But the strongest criticism came from the Cuban government. The communist party newspaper, Granma, said a counter-revolutionary conspiracy by what it termed the economically-dominant classes had been responsible for bringing down Mr Chavez's Government. 'Coup' Mr Chavez is being held at the Fuerte Tiuna military barracks in Caracas, while investigators decide what charges he could face for Thursday's violence. But Mr Chavez's daughter has rejected the military's version of events, saying he was the victim of a coup. "It is a lie, all lies, he said he never resigned, that a group of military took him away and he is being held incommunicado," Maria Gabriela Chavez told Cuban television station. Chavez befriended Cuba's isolated leader Fidel Castro Mr Chavez forged close relations with Cuba during his time in power, and the Communist state became Venezuela's main trading partner. Mr Chavez won a landslide election victory in 1998, six years after he led an abortive coup as a young army officer. Thursday's opposition rally was in support of striking managers at the state oil company, who said Mr Chavez had tried to take it over by filling the board with his supporters. Military Mr Chavez appeared on the state-run television channel denouncing the protest, while independent TV channels were taken off the air by order of the government. However, Finance Minister Francisco Uson, who is an army general, and National Guard chief Luis Camacho Kairuz resigned in protest at the killings. They were joined by 10 other high-ranking military officers rebelling against Mr Chavez. --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================