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[Hour by hour news & analysis... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] [Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: John Clancy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <Africa: ;> Cc: <news: ;>; <overflow: ;>; <blindmice: ;> Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2002 6:30 AM Subject: Reuters: Rival Political Protests Jolt Venezuelan Capital.'Threats won't be fatal to the revolution' from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subject: Reuters: Rival Political Protests Jolt Venezuelan Capital. 'Threats won't be fatal to the revolution' Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-eGroups-Return: sentto-2182022-7754-1014863136- [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: "Jose G. Perez" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> X-Yahoo-Profile: jose_g_perez Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2002 21:25:45 -0500 Subject:[CubaNews] Reuters: Rival Political Protests Jolt Venezuelan Capital Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Rival Political Protests Jolt Venezuelan Capital Wed Feb 27, 2:18 PM ET By Pascal Fletcher CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of opponents and supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez paralyzed Caracas on Wednesday in noisy rival marches that revealed deep political and social tensions shaking the oil-rich South American nation. In two separate masses of yelling, banner-waving marchers, followers and foes of the left-wing populist president took to the streets of the city to measure their strength on the 13th anniversary of 1989 riots in which hundreds were killed. Former paratrooper Chavez, who is battling growing opposition to his three- year-old rule, had called out his supporters to rally behind his government on the same day that anti-Chavez union bosses held a big anti-government protest. The competing demonstrations took place at a time when the president already is grappling with a faltering economy, open defiance from a handful of military officers and a revolt against his policies within the giant state oil firm PDVSA. Shouting pro-Chavez militants, many wearing red berets, paraded through the eastern suburb of Altamira, a stronghold for rich and middle-class opponents of the president. The atmosphere crackled with class tension as the Chavez marchers, mostly from poor neighborhoods of the city, came close to blows with opponents who gathered outside glass-and- marble office towers to jeer the demonstration. "Out with Chavez," screamed the well-dressed hecklers, while the pro- government militants responded with chants of "Chavez, Chavez" and "Victory for the People." In downtown Caracas, anti-Chavez union boss Carlos Ortega led an anti- government protest by thousands of public-sector workers to the National Assembly, where they handed over a petition calling on the Venezuelan leader to resign. Opponents of the tough-talking president accuse him of trying to impose a Cuban-style leftist authoritarian regime that they say will plunge the world's No. 4 oil exporter into social chaos and economic ruin. Chavez dismisses his opponents as a resentful, rich minority and says his self-proclaimed "revolution" aims to close the wide gap between rich and poor in Venezuela. Reflecting investors' concern over Venezuela, Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday changed the country's ratings outlook to negative from stable. It cited continued loss of reserves, capital flight and political turbulence. CHAVEZ SUPPORTERS PELT OPPONENTS At Altamira's main square, Chavez supporters threw oranges, plastic water bottles and firecrackers at jeering opponents waving national flags who were protected by several cordons of riot police, some armed with automatic rifles. One policewoman was slightly hurt in the leg by an exploding firecracker. "We poor people support Chavez," Erlis Nunez, a 27-year-old street vendor, told Reuters at the pro- Chavez march. The anti-government protest led by Ortega, which was called to oppose government public-sector reforms, was peaceful. But the veteran union leader, who is a sworn political enemy of Chavez, said the opposition to the president was a sign of the crisis gripping the nation, where conspicuous wealth exists alongside widespread grinding poverty. "Everything indicates we could see serious national conflict," he told reporters. Wednesday's marches took place on the anniversary of the bloody "Caracazo" riots of 1989 in which poor slum-dwellers from the hills that surround the city descended on its center in an orgy of looting and pillaging. Troops brutally quashed the riots, triggered by protests against transportation fare hikes. The government reported 300 deaths, although the actual toll was believed to be much higher. Foes of Chavez say he is stirring up another class war with his revolutionary rhetoric against rich "oligarchs." This sense of class consciousness was repeated by many of his supporters. "The confrontation is clear. One side is marching for the rights of the people, while the other side is marching for the privileges that they are losing," said Luis Garcia Nunez, a 59-year-old retired pro- Chavez journalist. Chavez, who has introduced reforms to redistribute land to poor families and increase state intervention in the economy, has shrugged off the criticism against him from business chiefs, Roman Catholic bishops and the opposition-dominated media. To unsubscribe from this CubaNews group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ****** from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subject: 'Threats won't be fatal to the revolution' Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Le Monde / 'Threats won't be fatal to the revolution' / >'Threats won't be fatal to the revolution' Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, tells Jan Krauze that he is staying in office >Is the Bolivarian revolution under threat? >Yes, there are threats, risks, some natural, others artificially created. But I'm sure they won't be fatal to the revolution. We have the capacity, political will, people power, sufficient determination and the moral strength to overcome such dangers. Do you plan to proclaim an emergency, as some appear to be urging you to do? For the moment, nothing justifies that. An emergency is not something you get into without serious thought. Emergencies are regulated by the constitution, and there are degrees of emergencies. But I hope nothing happens to warrant such a move. Why do you think your popularity has sunk so low? Everything changes - wind speed, the sun's rays, love. And a good thing, too. Otherwise, life would be a bore. But there's also the normal wear and tear of power. In baseball when a pitcher throws the ball in the first inning, the ball could attain a speed of 96mph [155km/h]. But after a hundred throws, the pitcher's arm tires. He takes a break and then he can again throw a fastball. [He drew a graph to show how opinion polls have been behaving over the past three years]. You see, it doesn't drop below 40%. Support for the Bolivarian revolution and the president fluctuates between 40% and 60%. And if the press manipulates the data, that's part of the game. The steep drop in the value of the bolivar can only boost inflation again, diminish people's earnings and swell discontent. What do you plan to do about it? Will you change the team running the economy? I announce decisions when I've taken them. The only person who is certain of staying on is the president. Ministers - not just ministers of economy - can change. The measures to be announced on February 28 are designed to give the economy a boost. We're giving priority to the poor, not only where wages are concerned, but also in housing, the supply of drinking water, education and so on. Have you the means for financing such a policy? Don't forget, we sell 3m barrels of oil a day. We're trimming our military expenditure, our bureaucracy, and scaling down a few large infrastructure projects. Do you think all this clamour for your resignation is orchestrated? Of course I do. There's the discredited political sector, parties that don't dare act on their own behalf, but remain in the background; economic groups that carry some weight, like the Fedecamera [the Venezuelan employers' association]; the media, which play the most important role, that is, the role political parties should be playing. This is a problem in Venezuela. If I wanted to talk to the leader of the opposition, I wouldn't be able to do it. There isn't any. There's no ideological alternative either, no project. Why don't you mention the few officers who've openly called for your resignation? They're of no importance at all. I have personally taken part in a military demonstration [the aborted 1992 military coup that resulted in Chavez being jailed]. We had 10,000 men, tanks, guns. It was an organised demonstration, with a plan, a project. Today, the media are putting on a show for private reasons. So, there's no danger of a military coup? None. Zero. Do you think the United States might want to get rid of you? I don't think so. But if it ever wants me out, I think it will have to accept the situation in Venezuela, which has a legitimately elected government and the support of the people. I would even say that this support is more important than in any other country in the American continent. The American ambassador has just confirmed to me the public statement issued by the state department reiterating that the United States has not attempted, and will not attempt, to change the country's institutional life. It's said you have an ambiguous attitude toward Colombia. While openly voicing support for President Andres Pastrana's decision to break off negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, you also refuse to brand the Farc as terrorists. Do you sympathise with their cause? I feel a sense of brotherhood with the whole of Colombia. We want peace. Our position is by no means ambiguous. We have been part of the group of "facilitators" who tried to promote talks. All our contacts with the Farc leaders are part of this position. It's false to say that we support the rebels with weapons. We have been sitting down at the same table for years. It's impossible to brand someone as a terrorist when you are negotiating with him. But we've always condemned terrorist acts such as the hijacking of planes and kidnappings. February 27 >The Guardian Weekly 7-3-2002, page 25 > --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] 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 ==^================================================================
