-Caveat Lector- After the coup, Venezuelan president ponders mystery of American plane Reuters in Caracas Tuesday April 16, 2002 The Guardian
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said yesterday he would investigate the mysterious presence of a US plane at the island prison where he was briefly detained during last week's abortive military coup. The military high command took Mr Chavez and demanded his resignation last Friday, blaming him for the deaths of at least 11 unarmed protesters killed during a massive anti-government demonstration on Thursday. But power slipped from the inexperienced grasp of a newly appointed civilian government over the weekend as Chavez supporters demanded his return and army units came out in favour of the colourful president. Mr Chavez said he was fascinated by the presence of a plane with US markings on the Venezuelan Caribbean island of Orchila where he was held after Friday's coup. At the time the military were trying to persuade him to resign and fly into foreign exile. "I saw the plane. It bore the markings of a private plane from the United States, not an official plane. This is being investigated. What was it doing there?" Mr Chavez asked at a news conference. But Mr Chavez, who was democratically elected in 1998, said he was prepared to give Washington the benefit of the doubt over its ambiguous statements appearing to welcome his shortlived downfall. "I think they were victims of misinformation," he said, adding that he guaranteed no interruption of Venezuelan oil supplies to the US. American officials made it known they were not unhappy to see the back of Mr Chavez, a close friend of Cuba's Fidel Castro who is fond of anti-American rhetoric. They greeted his swift return to the helm of the world's fourth-largest oil exporter with reservation. A US state department spokesman, Philip Reeker, said yesterday: "We want to see a return to democracy." Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
