[Cincinatus' Wife]

Chávez vows to beat strike; experts scoff*** Even if Chávez does obtain foreign oil workers to break the strike, they may not be able to replace Venezuelan workers. ''The wells are different. The fields are different. The production techniques are different. Venezuela . . . has very heavy crudes,'' Felmy said.

Venezuela is reeling from the strike, which began Dec. 2. The state oil company has suffered $2 billion in losses, Energy and Mining Minister Rafael Ramírez said this week, and lost oil revenue has cost the government as much as $700 million. As the strike drags on, analysts said problems would mount in attempting to resume production.

''When wells sit idle, they have sediment problems. They require two to three months to get refurbished. Sometimes you have to re-drill parts of them,'' O'Grady said. ``It's not like turning on a water faucet.'' Perhaps more serious, he said, is that long-term foreign investment in Venezuela's oil fields may diminish even if Chávez resolves the strike.***

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Venezuela Police Fire Tear Gas at Protest***Police separated marchers and hundreds of Chavez supporters, some of whom launched powerful fireworks at officers and threw rocks at opposition protesters from surrounding hillsides. A white cloud of tear gas engulfed tree-lined avenues outside the base. Martinez, one of about 100 officers who revolted last fall, was arrested Dec. 30. A judge ordered his release, but he remains under house arrest. His attorneys have urged the Supreme Court to force his release.

"We are ready to wait as long as necessary," said marcher Miguel Angel Urbano, 49. About 300 Chavez supporters rallied at a nearby subway station and cheered when a gasoline truck drove by. The strike has virtually shut down the oil industry and created severe gasoline shortages.***