Venezuela's Chavez, Foes Set for More Confrontation

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez headed Monday for a show-down with his foes, vowing to punish opposition strikers who have crippled the vital oil industry and who say they will defy any government crackdown.

Both sides pledged no letup in their conflict, which has plunged the world's fifth largest oil exporter into political turmoil and economic chaos. Tensions remained high following street clashes and shootings in Caracas in the last few days, which killed two people and wounded dozens.

Opposition leaders, who demand the left-wing president resign and hold early elections, say they will intensify street protests and maintain a five-week-old strike that has clamped a chokehold on the nation's oil output and exports.

In an angry broadcast late Sunday, former paratrooper Chavez appealed for calm but spent most of his 90-minute speech lambasting the opposition strikers as "criminals," "terrorists" and "traitors."

He urged the country's authorities to punish striking managers of the state oil giant PDVSA, whom he accused of sabotaging oil operations. Several hundred have been sacked.

But he insisted the strike-hit oil industry was being restored to normal by troops and loyal personnel. Strike leaders deny this, saying it will take months to recover.

Invoking "Jesus, my commanding officer," Chavez promised to press ahead with his self-styled "revolution" which is opposed by foes as a blueprint for Cuba-style communism in Venezuela.

"We have burned our boats. There is no turning back. We will carry on consolidating and deepening this Revolution," Chavez said. He brandished a small crucifix and a copy of the constitution that have become trademark props of his speeches.

The outspoken president also vowed the authorities would seek out and punish the killers of two of his supporters who were shot Friday during chaotic clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators and troops and police.

Both sides blame each other for the deaths but Chavez singled out for accusation police officers serving one of his fiercest enemies, Caracas metropolitan mayor Alfredo Pena.

Despite his tough words, he stopped short of declaring a state of emergency, as had been widely expected by opponents.

For their part, opposition leaders said they would keep up the pressure against the president, who was elected in 1998 and survived a coup by rebel generals and admirals in April.

"The people of Venezuela are out in the streets demanding Chavez's resignation. And they will not leave the streets," anti-Chavez union leader Alfredo Ramos said.

Despite the violence surrounding Friday's big anti-Chavez march to armed forces headquarters in Caracas, opposition leaders planned fresh protests in the city, including a possible march to the heavily guarded presidential palace.

The deeply polarized positions, combined with mutual anger over the recent clashes and deaths, have increased fears of fresh violence.

"We are on the brink of madness and we need to take a step backwards," Foreign Minister Roy Chaderton told reporters.

Opposition spokesmen said they would disobey and defy any emergency measures introduced by the government. Chavez said last week he would call a state of emergency if necessary.

"I am sure that the majority of Venezuelans will not recognize the state of emergency," opposition business leader Carlos Fernandez, who is one of the strike leaders, said.

Chavez said the oil strike, which has caused gasoline and cooking gas shortages, had cost the country millions of dollars in lost revenue. Without giving details, he said the government was preparing tough economic measures to compensate.

The Venezuelan oil shutdown has pushed world oil prices near to two-year highs and alarmed the international community, especially the United States, which normally receives more than 13 percent of its oil imports from the South American nation.

Chavez said his government had received offers of help from many nations, including fellow OPEC members Iran and Algeria.

The president, who purged the armed forces of opponents after the April coup, said one benefit of the crisis was that it now allowed the government to rid the state oil firm PDVSA of what he called an "unpatriotic elite" of striking managers.

"We cleaned up the armed forces. ... Now the time has come to clean up PDVSA," he said.

He defends his revolution, which includes a nationalistic oil policy and increased state intervention in the economy, as a crusade to improved the lot of Venezuela's poor majority.

Chavez Vows Justice After Deadly Rally*** Police fought to keep the two sides apart, firing rubber bullets and tear gas, when gunfire rang out. Opposition protesters insisted the shots came from Chavez supporters. But the government said it came from police who report to an opposition mayor. "How long will metropolitan police officers continue being used to repress the people?" Chavez said in his speech. "We will find the assassins of Oscar Gomez and Jairo Gregorio Moran wherever they are hiding." Chavez tried to take over the city police force last fall but the Supreme Court ordered the president to restore the force's autonomy. The current Caracas police chief is anti-Chavez. He lashed out at owners of Venezuelan newspapers and television stations, accusing them of hailing strike leaders as "heroes when they are really traitors."

Strike leader Alfredo Gomez said Sunday that Chavez fired 251 more striking oil workers but government officials were not immediately available to confirm the claim. Chavez did not mention the dismissals during his television address. Opposition leaders blame Chavez's leftist policies for a deep recession and accuse him of trying to accumulate too much power. They want him to resign or hold a nonbinding referendum on his rule, which he says would be unconstitutional. Two police officers also were wounded Saturday when gunfire broke out during Gomez Aponte's wake. Chavez supporters fired on police after the government blamed the Caracas police for the Friday deaths, police chief Henry Vivas said. Officers returned fire using rubber bullets and tear gas. The state news agency, Venpres, reported Sunday that a woman who the government had earlier claimed died from tear gas asphyxiation in fact survived.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Democratic Coordinator opposition movement called on Venezuelans to donate between $1.80 and $3.50 to hold the referendum on Feb. 2 as planned. The opposition presented a petition with more than 1.5 million signatures to election authorities Nov. 6 to call for the referendum, but the National Elections Council says the Chavez-controlled Parliament hasn't authorized $22 million needed to pay for it. Chavez, a former paratrooper who was elected in 1998 and re-elected two years later, has challenged the legality of the referendum at the Supreme Court.***

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

Marchers decry deaths; Chávez talks to nation ***Gunfire also erupted Saturday night at the viewing of the other victim, Oscar Gómez Aponte, 24. Government advocates again blamed the shooting on the police, who said mourners suddenly began firing at them. Two officers were hurt. Caracas Mayor Alfredo Peña said Morán was killed by a .40-caliber bullet, ammunition the police department does not use.

Chávez's October takeover of the Metropolitan Police helped trigger the now 36-day strike. The Supreme Court later ruled the military takeover illegal, but the army began making gestures Sunday to defy the court order and regain control of the law enforcement agency. ''The officers are totally kidnapped,'' said Luis Delgado, chief of the police motorcycle squad.

Delgado said soldiers arrived Sunday afternoon and refused police officers' access to their motorcycles. Chávez has said he is considering martial law to try to break the strike and halt escalating political violence. ``Whatever moves we have to make, we'll make them. . . . Rest assured my right hand will not shake -- much less my left -- when I have to make these decisions.''***

Friends in Caracas sent me numerous e-mails last night with updates of Chavez rantings, thought you might enjoy...

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"Chavez just took over all the airwaves 15 minutes ago: All radio, all TV. The program has a clock in the upper left hand corner, but that is added later (just an electronic overlay). It is very obviously a recorded program. So a) either something is up, or b) he is just paranoid about letting people know where he is at any given time. (Why? = if there is a coup on the Miraflores right now, because the opposition thinks that he is speaking live on TV, he wants them to get a surprise because he is not there. The program was recorded earlier today)."

"Chavez is back at his usual violent rhetoric. He is threatening everyone with prison, saying that the state will not accept their behavior, and that the firm hand of the law will hit hard on the traitors, saboteurs, killers, etc etc etc. Don't worry about that. It is his usual style. It is his pep-talk to his violent Bolivarian Circles, and they then feel justified in throwing rocks and - sometimes - killing. He also announced that if business owners did not do as they were told, their licenses would be revoked (certain kinds of businesses are licenses by the state here, but they are a minority). And then "communal ownership of workers and users" would take over these businesses and run down. Sounds like communism to me... This from the man who told China that "I have always been a maoist". He also announced that later in the week, he would take over the airwaves again and report on the progress of the country and new measures to take. So there is a good chance that we won't get martial law tonight. He is probably too scared of the country's reaction, and thus keeping that for later in the week ... or for never. His attempt at being a strongman could easily fall flat on its face: Earlier today, a TV station ran a poll asking people what they would do if Martial Law was invoked. 85%+ said: "nothing, we will just ignore Chavez and his laws either way". Of course, that is easy to say, until you get that knock on the door. Martial Law, among other things, mean midnight arrests with no warrants."

"It is 23:06 (six past eleven). He is just running off at his mouth, so far. Calling everyone who does not agree with him "traitors", "killers", even "baby killers". Just your typical zany communist dictator... He has not gotten to the punch line yet. If he does, it will probably take him another hour. That is his style. If he does not announce anything today, he will probably inadvertently give away his next move anyway. That is a fallacy he has shown in the past."

"I think that you can safely shut down. The Plaza is still calm. Chavez is still on TV. He is still screaming and yelling like the crazy lunatic that he is, but he is clearly down from his climax and is losing himself in details. So there will be no major announcement tonight, in my opinion. It is nearly midnight and most folks are heading to bed anyway... "

"It is so obvious that the current Chavez broadcast is canned. He talks about something, and then the screen cuts to a tape of whatever he is talking about, with his voiceover. Clearly an edited program. He is also such a bad actor. Looks at his watch, says what the time it is, so as to pretend that the program is live. A clock in the upper right hand corner serves the same effect, but that is an overlay which was just started when the program begun. (It is not part of the original tape)."

"He just (30 seconds ago) ended his nearly 90 minute speech. Nothing at all, except running off at the mouth. Just threats and violent rhetoric against every sector of society except his own. But no announcements whatsoever. So, we are safe for another day in VE... :-)"

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More on why what happens in Venezuela should matter to us here in the USA, well beyond just stable oil supplies, is also here at these recent FR posts of articles direct from Chavez top military officers who have recently left him in protest of his actions/plans/goals. They know what's really going on, from the inside, and are now telling all...

More Facts Uncovered in Chavez - Al Qaeda Collaboration

9/11: Chavez financed Al Qaeda, details of $1M donation emerge

Terror Threat from Venezuela: Al Queda Involved

Chavez bio-weapons lab in Venezuela for Saddam and Castro

And, still more direct from the new english version of their own web site by clicking this banner below...

-Shane

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