Venezuela's Chavez Defiant; Troops Take Ship with Foreign non-Spanish Speaking Crew

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan army commandos on Sunday stormed aboard an oil tanker and arrested its striking crew, as President Hugo Chavez vowed to break a two-week-old opposition strike that has crippled shipments by the world's No. 5 oil exporter.

Rejecting intense pressure from home and abroad to call early elections, the embattled left-wing president told foreign governments not to meddle in his country's crisis.

The outspoken former paratrooper, who survived a brief coup in April, remained defiant despite a huge opposition march in Caracas on Saturday in which more than a half million people clamored for his resignation.

The protest followed a call by the United States, echoed by other governments, for Chavez to hold early elections.

Sunday's military takeover of the strike-bound Pilin Leon tanker in western Lake Maracaibo was the latest attempt by the government to regain control of ships and refineries halted by the opposition shutdown that has paralyzed the oil industry.

The troops escorted aboard the Pilin Leon a new crew, including a number of foreigners, to replace the strikers. The tanker is carrying gasoline for domestic use.

In a broadcast Sunday, Chavez dismissed the general strike, launched by his foes to press him to quit and hold early elections, as the work of what he called "a traitorous, unpatriotic fifth column" linked to foreign interests.

The shutdown involving state oil firm executives, refinery managers and oil tanker captains has cut Venezuela's oil output to less than a third and virtually halted oil exports, including shipments to the United States, the biggest client.

"I'm not going to leave here because of any pressure from a group of (oil) managers, coup mongers, fascists, businessmen or media owners," Chavez said during his weekly "Hello President" television and radio show. "I'm in the hands of Christ, the Lord of Venezuela. He's my commanding officer," he added.

His foes, who include labor and business chiefs, rebel military officers and media owners, accuse him of ruining the economy and dragging the nation toward Cuba-style communism.

Moving against the strikers, Chavez has sacked executives in the giant state oil firm PDVSA and used troops to try to restart halted oil tankers, refineries and oil loading terminals. "We are breaking the strike," he said.

But several previous attempts to move the Pilin Leon tanker have failed because the government has been unable to find qualified substitute crews. The same problem has dogged its efforts to restart refineries and oil loading terminals.

Shipping sources said the foreign crew members brought aboard the Pilin Leon could not speak Spanish and it was not clear whether they would be able to move the vessel.

Opposition leaders reacted with fury to the boarding and vowed to intensify the strike. "We are living in a state of emergency," anti-Chavez union boss Carlos Ortega said.

In his broadcast Sunday, Chavez rebuffed foreign calls for early elections. Washington is worried about the Venezuelan oil drought, which has cut off some 14 percent of its energy imports at a time when it is considering a war against Iraq.

"Venezuela can't accept any other country trying to interfere in its affairs," Chavez said.

Chavez was elected in 1998 and won a fresh endorsement for his mandate in another vote in 2000. He says the constitution only allows a binding referendum on his rule after August, halfway through his current term, due to end in early 2007.

"If I called early elections I'd be violating the constitution," he told foreign reporters on Sunday.

Chavez said the strike had failed but said his government was importing gasoline, milk and rice to offset shortages.

"We have $15 billion of international reserves to cover whatever kind of imports the country might need," he said.

He added that domestic gasoline supplies and export shipments were being restored. But strike leaders accused the government of lying and insisted the shutdown was holding firm.

Shipping sources could only confirm the departure of two tankers loaded with oil for international destinations. They said more than 40 remained anchored at Venezuelan ports.

The president's self-styled "revolution," including cheap credit and land handouts, has won a strong following among the poor. However, his national popularity has fallen sharply over the last year, according to opinion polls.

The oil shutdown has cut off income to state coffers from petroleum exports, which account for about half of government revenues. Fearing economic mayhem, foreign rating agencies have cut Venezuela's already shaky credit standing.

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

Opposition protesters caravan in boats in support of oil tanker 'Moruy' that has been anchored with two other oil tankers, the 'Pilin Leon' and 'Morichal' for sixteen days in support of the general strike seeking the ouster of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, as a coast guard boat patrols, background, in Maracaibo Lake in western Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2002. (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch)

Opposition protesters caravan in boats in support of the crew, above, on oil tanker 'Morichal' that has been anchored with two other oil tankers, the 'Pilin Leon' and 'Moruy' for sixteen days in support of the general strike seeking the ouster of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, in Maracaibo Lake in western Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2002. (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch)

Venezuelans in small boats show their support for the crew members of the oil tanker 'Pilin Leon' after troops took control of the tanker, which lies anchored in Lake Maracaibo, December 7, 2002. Venezuelan troops swarmed aboard the state-owned oil tanker whose captain had joined a six-day-old opposition strike against President Hugo Chavez that has virtually stopped oil shipments from the worlds' fifth largest petroleum exporter. (Mariana Bazo/Reuters)

Venezuela's strike tests foes' resolve, resources …….. ''To be honest, when I got here I did not plan to stay 51 days,'' said Daniel Comisso, a navy rear admiral who came to Plaza Francia on Oct. 22 in an act of rebellion -- and still hasn't left. ``But I'm prepared to be here 51 more days.'' The admiral's tough talk and the support of other officers who have joined him in Plaza Francia have invigorated the opposition, whose leaders say Chávez has both polarized the nation by using divisive rhetoric to wage class warfare, and scared his countrymen by claiming to lead a political ``revolution.''

But even as the open acts of rebellion go unpunished and a prolonged national strike cripples the economy, all indications are that Chávez is willing to hold out even longer, and he has a considerable array of political and institutional weapons to call upon. Despite the rebellion of Comisso and others at Plaza Francia, the armed forces seem unwilling to abandon the president. The armed forces' institutional loyalty to the president and the Constitution he fashioned is bolstered by the intensity of feeling among civilians who support Chávez and say they would fight any effort to remove him. And while Chávez has few true friends among other presidents in the region, none would favor the violent overthrow of an elected head of state for fear of domestic repercussions.

Virtually all sectors agree the resulting stalemate cannot last much longer, but no one is willing to forecast how long it will go. ''Venezuelans are geniuses at ad hoc solutions,'' one U.S. official said. ``They can muddle through things in a pretty spectacular way.'' The tents and mattresses set up at Plaza Francia -- where dozens of protesters and dissident military officers are living -- are a sign of the kind of endurance that has marked Venezuela's political crisis.

ENEMY TIME

One of Chávez's biggest enemies may be time. ''Chávez isn't doing too badly with this strike. Each day the strike is getting weaker,'' said Janet Kelly, a political science professor here. ``He's holding on, but he can't hold on forever.'' In many ways, the work stoppage now in its 15th day has become a game to see who folds first.***

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.