Posted on 04/11/2002 2:34:47 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Labor and business foes of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called on Wednesday for a two-day-old general strike to last indefinitely, launching the most determined challenge so far to his three-year-old rule.
In a calm but conciliatory response, Chavez's left-wing government criticized the move as an irresponsible "leap in the dark," and predicted it would fail. But it ruled out emergency measures and offered dialogue to its opponents.
The general strike in the world's No. 4 oil exporter was declared after thousands of anti-Chavez demonstrators, braving persistent rain, clamored in the streets for a second day, calling on the president to step down.
Adding his voice to the protests, an army general appeared on local television and denounced Chavez as a lying traitor, telling him to resign. The call echoed similar demands earlier this year from other active military officers.
"We have agreed on an indefinite general strike," Carlos Ortega, head of the CTV (Venezuela Workers' Confederation), the country's largest union group, told a news conference.
Ortega cited what he called Chavez' "provocative attitude" and lack of response to labor demands and other disputes, such as a six-week-old internal revolt in the state oil company PDVSA which has severely disrupted oil output and shipments.
Giving the government's response in a broadcast to the nation, Defense Minister Jose Vicente Rangel said there were no plans to declare emergency measures to counter the strike.
"We are not experiencing an emergency," he said.
"President Chavez is open to dialogue and we want to resolve the nation's problems through dialogue," he added.
Leading business association Fedecamaras, which had backed the initial two-day stoppage that shut shops and companies across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday, said it would join the indefinite strike, the first of its kind called against the populist president.
UNUSUAL ALLIANCE
CTV and Fedecamaras said they would hold a joint anti-government march through Caracas Thursday.
This unusual alliance of workers and bosses has spearheaded mounting domestic opposition against Chavez, whose critics accuse him of trying to install a Cuban-style left-wing authoritarian regime in Venezuela.
Chavez, a tough-talking former paratrooper, has dismissed his opponents as "corrupt oligarchs and petty politicians."
Following the general strike call, it seemed unlikely Chavez would attend a summit meeting of the Rio Group of Latin American presidents, scheduled for Thursday in Costa Rica.
While anti-Chavez protesters chanting "general strike" and "Not one step backward" staged two big demonstrations in Caracas on Wednesday, scattered clashes were reported in the capital and some other parts of the country between followers and foes of the president.
In a surprise appearance on national television, army Gen. Nestor Gonzalez made a blistering attack against Chavez, accusing him of dividing the nation with his policies and of showing disrespect to the armed forces.
"We are a worthy country which deserves someone better than you ... Mr. President, go," Gonzalez said.
The call follows criticism from a group of military officers in February who called on Chavez to resign. The president played down the criticism at the time, insisting he had the military's support.
Another officer, National Guard Gen. Rafael Damiani, also appeared on television to appeal to the military high command not to use force against opposition protesters.
In his broadcast, Rangel said the criticism by Gonzalez and the other officers did not signify splits in the country's armed forces, which he said were fully behind the government.
"There will be no coup against Chavez, Chavez will not be toppled," he said.
CUBA TIES CRITICIZED
Wearing his beige military uniform, Gonzalez accused the president of lying to the country by repeatedly denying Colombian leftist guerrillas had penetrated across the border into Venezuelan territory.
"He's more interested in his relation with (Cuban President) Fidel Castro (news - web sites) and communism," Gonzalez said, adding the Venezuelan government had clear evidence Colombian rebels were infiltrating across the border.
A Colombian army general said last month Marxist FARC rebels had attacked his forces from a base in Venezuela.
For the second consecutive day Wednesday, the streets of Caracas, normally one of Latin America's most bustling capitals, had reduced levels of vehicles and pedestrians, although there was a clear pick-up in activity from Tuesday.
Many shops and companies stayed shut and PDVSA (Petroleos de Venezuela) executives and employees maintained their protests against management changes made by Chavez.
I bet you that when the rioting breaks out, the people beating the crap out of the anti-Chavez protesters will not be in any sort of uniforms, they will be wearing street clothes, and guided by Cuban operatives.
In the suitcases?
Find Chavez's Swiss bank account, it must be growing by leaps and bounds.
To commie hell.
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