Posted on 07/31/2003 3:09:30 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday warned the United States not to meddle in his country's affairs following comments by a U.S. official about a possible referendum on his rule.
"I have to remind the U.S. one more time that they have no right to express their opinion ... we are an independent country not a colony of North America," the president told thousands of cheering supporters during a street rally.
Chavez, who survived a coup in 2002 and later outlasted a two-month opposition strike, now faces a campaign for a recall referendum from foes who accuse him of dictatorial rule in the world's No. 5 oil exporter.
The outspoken ex-army paratrooper elected in 1998 has often riled Washington with his fierce populist, anti-capitalist rhetoric and close ties with states such as Communist Cuba.
His comments followed remarks made by State Department spokesman Richard Boucher urging the government and opposition to respect an accord they signed in May on the possible referendum on Chavez's rule.
The Venezuelan constitution allows for a referendum on the president's rule after August 19 -- halfway through his current mandate. But the opposition says Chavez is trying to block and stall the vote.
Government officials have said they will accept a referendum but only after the opposition has completed the legal requirements. They say the National Assembly or the Supreme Court must first appoint a new National Electoral Council to oversee the vote.
Boucher said Tuesday a decision on the referendum lies "with the courts, the National Electoral Council and the people of Venezuela, rather than with the executive branch of the government."
He also said the United States expected the government to investigate the kidnapping of former Tachira State governor and opposition leader Sergio Calderon. The opposition charges the government is involved in his disappearance from his farm at the weekend. Officials say they are still investigating.
Flying Too High, Venezuela Shops for MiGs*** When former Colombian Finance Minister Juan Manuel Santos told a Caracas audience last week that Venezuela is trying to buy 50 MiG fighter jets from a Russian manufacturer, the Venezuelan government bitterly denounced him.
Although Mr. Santos does not represent the Colombian government and Colombian officials tried to stay out of the fray, his words risked further deterioration of the already strained relationship between the two nations.
Bad blood between these countries, sharing a 2000-kilometer border, is legendary. But things have gotten decidedly worse since Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made it clear that he believes in promoting Fidel Castro's armed struggle on the South American continent and that he sympathizes with Colombian guerrillas. The MiG issue could take relations to a new low.
The problem for Colombia is not simply a question of Venezuelan air superiority. The purchase could put pressure on Bogotá to engage in an arms race when the country has more immediate and destabilizing threat: the internal guerrilla conflict. Moreover, Colombian alarm at the prospect of Venezuelan MiGs must be considered in light of a steady stream of reports that Venezuela has been accommodating the Colombian rebels.
A little short on diplomatic skills, the Venezuelan ambassador to Colombia, Carlos Rodolfo Santiago, immediately answered Mr. Santos's assertion by calling him a "cynical and irresponsible liar." He also reportedly denied the existence of the letter that the former Colombian official had cited as proof of his assertion. "The only thing that has happened is that during a visit of Russians to Caracas, it was asked how much that could be worth," he said. "But that is not to say that there was a tender offer or something similar." Venezuelan Foreign Minister Roy Chaderton accused Mr. Santos of links to coup-plotters.
As to the letter, Mr. Santos seems to have been on solid ground. Colombian security analyst Alfredo Rangel Suárez tells me he has seen the text and in a column last week in Colombia's El Tiempo, he described its contents. Contrary to Mr. Santiago's claims, it was not a casual inquiry.
"The request from Venezuela to the Russian factory is very specific: Fifty combat aircraft, with multifunctional Zhuk-M liquid crystal 6X8 inch radar, with navigation and weapons control systems that insure the use of six types of air-to-air missiles, three classes of guided air-to-surface missiles, in addition to bombs and 30 caliber guns," wrote Mr. Rangel Suárez. "Additionally, it asks that ten of the planes be delivered within 18 months of the contract signing and also that it include a tailor-made maintenance center for MiGs in Venezuela." The letter was sent to the director general of Russian MiG Aeronautic Corporation, Nicolai Nikitin and signed by Venezuelan Air Force commander Régulo Anselmi, according to an El Tiempo report.***
(2) Migs make good target practice.
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