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--- Begin Message ----Caveat Lector- http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=22720 Published: Thursday, September 09, 2004 Bylined to: Eva GolingerUnited States government tries to cover up covert financing to the Venezuelan opposition and Sumate to the tune of US$10 million... Venezuela Solidarity Committee (New York) Eva Golinger-Moncada writes: Documents recently obtained from the US Department of State under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by www.venezuelafoia.info demonstrate that during the past 2 years more than US$5 million annually was given by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to various organizations in Venezuela, many of which are aligned with the opposition. Click here for the original Spanish text http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=22720#Espanol One of the key groups collaborating with USAID is Sumate, the organization that promoted the recall referendum campaign against President Hugo Chavez and which is now rejecting results certified by the most credible international observers and even by the US government. Sumate, despite its numerous undemocratic positions and actions, has also been a recipient of US government funds from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in 2003. However, new documents obtained by Venezuelafoia.info have all been censored by the US government despite the use of the FOIA, which is intended to ensure transparency in US government operations. The Department of State has withheld the names of the organizations receiving financing from USAID by misapplying a FOIA exemption that is intended to protect “personnel and medical files” of individuals. Such clear censorship indicates that USAID and the US government clearly have something to hide regarding their collaborations with the Venezuelan opposition. Despite USAID’s ongoing crusade to encourage transparency in foreign governments, the withholding of information that does not fall under any available exemptions clearly demonstrates a double standard applied by the US government in this case. USAID is financed by the US Congress and controlled by the US Department of State. Founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, USAID was established as a fund dedicated to humanitarian intervention around the world. Despite Kennedy’s humane intentions, USAID has more recently been used, in many instances, as a mechanism to promote the interests of the US in strategically important countries around the world. In the case of Venezuela, USAID maintains a private contractor in Caracas monitoring and facilitating its projects and funds and also has a local operating center, the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) that was established in 2002, after the failed coup d’etat against President Chavez. The private contractor, Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), manages and supervises grants approved by USAID to Venezuelan organizations. Under a program entitled Venezuela: Initiative to Build Confidence, DAI has awarded 67 grants to Venezuelan organizations in various sectors and areas of interest. These grants equal US$2.3 million ... just during 2003. In total, DAI ‘s program in Venezuela counts on US$10,000,000 in funding for the period August 2002 through August 2004 - US$5 million annually to “focus on common goals for the future of Venezuela.” According to the documents obtained under FOIA and DAI’s project description none of the project grants or programs have been in collaboration with the Venezuelan government. In fact, many of the same recipients of US government funds through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) have received USAID funding through DAI. Despite the illegal withholding of names on the USAID-DAI grants, one document apparently was skipped, at least in part. The name, Sumate appears on a grant intended to encourage “electoral participation” in the recall referendum, citing US$84,840 as the total grant amount. Combined with the NED grant of US$53,400 given to Sumate in 2003-2004, the organization that is now crying fraud about the recall referendum against President Chavez ... the results of which have been recognized as absolutely credible by the Carter Center and the US Department of State ... has received, at minimum, more than US$200,000 in just one year for promoting its attempts to remove Venezuela’s President from office. Other recipients of USAID funds through DAI which are apparent in the censored documents include the organization Liderazgo y Visión for its project, “Un Sueño para Venezuela”, (“A Dream for Venezuela”) a project created in 2002-2003 with the intent of offering an alternative vision and agenda for those opposing President Chavez’ administration. Liderazgo y Visión has also been a recipient of NED funds over the past few years. More than 6 organizations have been given funding for political and social formation and development in Petare, a poor neighborhood in the outskirts of Caracas, in Miranda State. The work in Petare and the more than US$200,000 that have been funneled into that neighborhood in the past year, appear to have been aimed at converting a community that was traditionally pro-Chavez, into one that supports the opposition. The recall referendum results from August 15, 2004, show the opposition gaining substantial numbers in Petare, and Miranda State was one of only two states in the entire nation that gave victory to the opposition in the referendum. One grant from USAID/DAI focuses on the creation of radio and television commercials during the December 2002-February 2003 strike imposed by the opposition, during which the private media dedicated its airwaves 24/7 to opposition propaganda. One of the most striking aspects of the media’s dedication to the strike was the use of anti-Chavez commercials to indoctrinate viewers’ opinions on Venezuela’s political situation. The USAID/DAI grant shows funding originating from the US government for some of these anti-Chavez commercials, collaborating with former Fedecamaras President Carlos Fernandez ... who was one of the leaders of the strike ... in the project. These new documents from USAID evidence a clear focus on two major projects in Venezuela: The Recall Referendum and the Formation of a National Agenda that would serve as a transitional government post-Chavez (assuming the referendum was won by the opposition). The documents are available for public viewing on www.venezuelafoia.info Press inquiries can be directed to Attorney Eva Golinger: [EMAIL PROTECTED] En Espanol: Gobierno de Los Estados Unidos intenta esconder esquema masivo del financimiento a la oposicion Venezolana y Sumate de mas de 10 millones de dolares Venezuela Solidarity Committee (New York) Eva Golinger-Moncada: Documentos recientemente entregados por el Departamento de Estado demuestran que la Agencia Internacional del Desarrollo de los EE.UU. (USAID) ha otorgado más de 5 millones de dólares anuales a varias organizaciones en Venezuela. Uno de los grupos claves que figura en colaboración con USAID es Súmate, la organziación que esta rechazando los resultados del referendo revocatorio contra el Presidente Chávez que han sido certificados por los observadores internacionales más confiables e incluso por el propio gobierno estadounidense. A pesar de sus acciones y posiciones no democráticas, Súmate también ha recibido fondos del gobierno estadunidense a través del National Endowment for Democracy in el 2003. Sin embargo, estos nuevos documentos obtenidos por www.venezuelafoia.info han sido censurados por el gobierno estadounidense a pesar del uso de la Ley de Libertad de Información, que tiene como objectivo asegurar la transparencia de las operaciones del gobierno de dicho país. El Departamento de Estado ha tachado los nombres de las organizaciones recibiendo financiamiento a través de USAID haciendo mal uso de una regla dentro de la Ley que protége la privacidad de los archivos medicos y de empleo de personas privadas. Tal censura indica que USAID y el gobierno estadounidense tienen algo que esconder con respeto a sus colaboraciones con la oposición venezolana. A pesar de la campaña de USAID para promover la transparencia en gobiernos extranjeros, la censura de información que no esta protegida claramente demuestra un doble estándar aplicado por el gobierno estadounidense en este caso. Despite USAID’s ongoing crusade to encourage transparency in foreign governments, the withholding of information that does not fall under any available exemptions clearly demonstrates a double standard applied by the U.S. Government in this case. USAID es financiado por el congreso estadounidense y controlado por el Departamento de Estado de los EE.UU. Creado por el Presidente John F. Kennedy en el año 1961, USAID era originalmente un fondo dedicado a la intervención humanitaria en el mundo. A pesar de esas intenciones humanísticas del Presidente Kennedy, USAID ha sido usado como mecanismo para promover los intereses estadounidenses en países claves del mundo. En el caso de Venezuela, USAID mantiene un contratista en Caracas monitoreando y facilitando sus proyectos y fondos y tiene una oficina local que se llama Oficina de Iniciativas de Transición (OIT), establecida en el 2002, después del golpe de Estado y directamente manejado por el Departamento de Estado y la Embajada de los EE.UU. en Caracas. El contratista, Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), maneja y supervisa los convenios otorgados por USAID a las organizaciones venezolanas. Bajo un programa que se llama Venezuela: Iniciativa para Construir Confianza, DAI ha entregado 67 convenios a organizaciones venezolanas de varios sectores e intereses, que suman 2.3 millones de dólares -solamente en el año 2003. En total, el programa de DAI en Venezuela cuenta con 10 millones de dólares para el periodo Agosto 2002 a Agosto 2004 5 millones al año para “promover metas comunes para el futuro de Venezuela.” Los documentos obtenidos del Departamento de Estado y la descripción del proyecto de DAI en Venezuela (www.dai.com/about_dai/about_fs.htm) demuestran que ninguno de los convenios ni programas han sido en colaboración con el gobierno Venezolano. De hecho, mucho de los mismos beneficiarios de los fondos estadounidenses a través del National Endowment for Democracy también han recibido fondos del USAID. En el 2003, USAID, a través del DAI, colaboró con al grupo Súmate, para promocionar la “participación electoral” y realizar la formación de un registro electoral paralelo al del CNE y de divulgar los resultados del anticipado referéndum revocatorio. Este convenio contó con casi 150 mil dólares. Este financiamiento es superior al dinero otorgado a Súmate por el Nacional Endowment for Democracy (NED). Por cierto, el NED daba aproximadamente un millón al año a organizaciones venezolanas, mientras USAID entrega por encima de 5 millones anuales. De los 67 convenios otorgados por USAID a través de DAI durante finales del 2002 y el 2003, sumando a los 2.3 millones de dólares, encontramos convenios entregados a Súmate, a Liderazgo y Visión, para su proyecto “Un Sueño para Venezuela”; a más de 6 organizaciones que trabajan con la formación y desarrollo político en Petare; también entregó dinero para la creación de la campaña televisiva CONVIVE; para la creación y divulgación de micros en radio y televisión, durante el paro y sabotaje petrolero en Diciembre 2002 que especifican una colaboración con Carlos Fernandez-, y varios convenios para la realización de proyectos , promoviendo el referéndum y el paro. También hay muchos convenios dirigidos a poblaciones populares (en el sector de salud, de educación y a la juventud) para promover los “valores democráticos” de los EE.UU. y la privatización. Es importante notar el énfasis puesto en el barrio de Petare, donde han realizado un experimento para ver si la intervención de USAID puede convertir una comunidad conocida por su apoyo al proceso bolivariano en una comunidad que apoya a la oposición. Tal fue el caso de Petare en el referéndum del 15 de Agosto, donde el Sí terminó con buenos porcentajes. Se puede imaginar que la intervención estadounidense y el financiamiento a programas en Petare, que suman más de 200 mil dólares solamente en el último año, originó tales resultados. Los nuevos documentos de USAID demuestran un nivel de intervención y financiamiento mucho más complejo del que ha hecho el NED. USAID busca trabajar más con la formación política de las comunidades, promoviendo valores e intereses estadounidenses y poniendo énfasis en el modelo privatizador. También, los asuntos principales de USAID en Venezuela en el último año han estado enfocados en dos temas: EL REFERENDUM y LA FORMACION DE UNA AGENDA NACIONAL. Tanto como el NED, USAID ha estado ayudando a formular la Agenda Nacional de la oposición, con la intención de implementarla una vez “salieran del gobierno actual del Presidente Chávez a través del referéndum” . Estos nuevos documentos estan disponibles en la página web: www.venezuelafoia.info Para más información, comunicase con la abogada Eva Golinger: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. 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