Posted on 11/16/2002 6:28:01 PM PST by Dallas
CARACAS, Venezuela, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday sent troops and armored vehicles to seize control of the Caracas city police from the capital's anti-Chavez mayor, drawing furious condemnation from political opponents.
Earlier, gunfights broke out between rival police factions before National Guard troops backed by personnel carriers armed with machine guns deployed to take over police headquarters and other major stations around the city.
The takeover inflamed the long-running political feud between the leftist Chavez and foes opposed to his self-proclaimed "revolution" in the world's No. 5 oil exporter.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello ordered the autonomous, 8,000-member city police to report directly to Chavez's government instead of to Caracas Mayor Alfredo Pena, a die-hard foe of the populist president.
Around police headquarters in Caracas' northern Cotiza neighborhood, officers loyal to Pena and opposed to the government takeover exchanged fire with colleagues inside the building who supported the move. Heavy gunfire echoed in the streets around the headquarters.
No injuries were immediately reported.
As the National Guard troops, carried by trucks, deployed later at police stations, residents outside one station beat pots and pans to protest against their presence.
The government said the "exceptional and temporary"
takeover was necessary to guarantee law and order in the capital and the smooth running of the city's police, which had been hit by a strike by some officers.
The move followed several violent battles this month between the Caracas police under Pena and militant supporters of Chavez opposed to the mayor. Two people were killed and several dozen injured by gunfire in those clashes.
'A COUP D'ETAT BY THE GOVERNMENT'
Opposition leaders condemned the takeover of the city police as an illegal "coup" against the autonomous authority of Pena, the Caracas metropolitan mayor. They said it could disrupt ongoing peace talks between the opposition and the government.
"I'm the victim of a coup d'etat by the government," Pena said, refusing to accept the takeover of his police force.
Chavez, who was democratically elected in 1998 and survived a short-lived coup by rebel armed forces officers in April, is resisting intense opposition pressure to hold an immediate referendum on his rule.
Opposition leaders appealed to Ibero-American presidents meeting on Saturday in the Dominican Republic to condemn the takeover of the Caracas police, which they called an "attack against the rule of law." Chavez was attending the summit.
Adding to the confusion, the new city police chief initially named by the government to take over the force abruptly resigned and declared his continued loyalty to Pena.
The government promptly named another chief, Gonzalo Sanchez, who urged all members of the force to lay down their arms and accept the government takeover. "Now is the time for us to return to peace and tranquillity," Sanchez said.
But confusion reigned within the ranks, and it was not clear whether all officers would accept the command change. The previous commander, Henry Vivas, said he still was in charge.
Interior Minister Cabello said National Guard troops and military police, who were deployed this week after the recent clashes between police and Chavez supporters, would continue patrolling the streets up to and during Christmas.
'A SNUB TO THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS'
Chavez's foes accused him of assuming autocratic powers.
"This situation is a snub to the negotiation process," the opposition Coordinadora Democratica coalition said in a statement. It vowed to step up protests against the president.
Opposition leaders accuse Chavez of ruining the economy and of trying to impose Cuban-style communism. He says his reforms, including land redistribution, are aimed at helping the poor.
The opposition called on Organization of American States Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria, who is brokering the government-opposition peace talks, to oppose the takeover.
"The government is talking peace at the table and pushing the conflict on the streets," opposition negotiator Timoteo Zambrano said. He said, however, that the opposition would stay at the peace talks, which were due to resume on Monday.
Opposition leaders accused the government of seeking to block its initiative to call an immediate referendum on Chavez's rule. The president, who has refused to quit, says the constitution does not allow such a poll until next August.
Chavez Takes Control of Police*** CARACAS, Venezuela- President Hugo Chavez ordered the federal takeover of the Caracas police force Saturday, sending soldiers and armored vehicles to stations throughout the capital. His opponents vowed to block the move and mounted street protests. Thousands jammed a central highway, while other Venezuelans demonstrated in city streets. The police chief refused to resign and the man appointed by the Chavez government to replace him refused the post.
Citizens gathered outside at least one police station, banging pots to protest Chavez's move and yelling "Get out!" at soldiers in armored vehicles who aimed their rifles at the building. It wasn't clear by late Saturday night if Chavez's takeover order had been fully carried out. But the move overshadowed efforts by the Organization of American States to broker a democratic solution to the increasingly violent conflict between Chavez and the opposition in a major oil supplier to the United States.
Chavez's Deputy Citizen Security Minister Alcides Rondon said the government was taking command of the 9,000-strong police force to end a 1 1/2-month dispute among officers. He cited laws that allow government intervention in times of crisis. ***
I realize that doesn't fit the profile of a power-hungry dictator to do something like that, but.........
He knows he would lose. Dictators don't care about sheding other people's blood.
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