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CARACAS,VENEZUELA-Venezuelan army reservists are training civilians, apparently to defend their country against a presumed U.S. invasion. But critics say President Hugo Chávez is building a private army. It began loudly, with a boombox blasting the calvary bugle through the soft, early-evening air. The sound prompted 80 or so mostly young men and women, dressed in white T-shirts and black baseball caps, to run to get into a tight military formation. ''Buenas noches!'' barked army reservist Sgt. Ricardo Nahmens, dressed in camouflage, at the unarmed group gathered recently in the gravel parking lot in western Caracas. ''Guarantee of security and national...

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Chanting "fatherland or death," dozens of President Hugo Chavez's supporters lined up in formation, vowing to defend the country if the United States tries to invade. Led by an army reservist, the volunteers in black caps said their numbers would swell in the coming months. The start of training for "Popular Defense Units" marks a more confrontational stage in U.S.-Venezuelan relations. Chavez is tightening his personal security, accusing Washington of backing a plot to assassinate him. While U.S. officials seek to isolate a leader who has become a symbol of anti-American sentiment in Latin America, Chavez is...

Sources: Chavez Calls In Foreign Aid in Preparation for Crackdown?Dec 09, 2002 Summary The risk of violence is escalating in Venezuela, where multiple sources say President Hugo Chavez is arming domestic supporters and possibly calling in help from Cuban nationals and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Analysis The threat of major violence in Venezuela within the next two or three days is increasing rapidly in cities like Caracas and Maracaibo, Stratfor sources say. The government of embattled President Hugo Chavez is arming hundreds of civilian supporters, at least three small groups of Colombian rebels have crossed the border...

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) confirmed that Rodrigo Granda Escobar, known as "the Chancellor" was kidnapped in Venezuela, while attending the Second Bolivarian Peoples Conference. In a statement published on their web page, the Central Command of this organization blamed the kidnapping of "Ricardo", as he is known within FARC, on "the Colombian intelligence services" and blamed his deportation on "gringo advisors and the complicit support of corrupt elements of the Venezuelan police". In the statement they went on to ask that the government of Venezuela make "its position clear regarding guarantees to the other bolivarian organizations that...

Miami.- The ties between the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, and the extremist Tupamaros goes back to 1980 when the president was still an army officer, according to Alberto Carías, the "ideological leader" of this organization [as published in the "The Miami Herald"] Carías – who admitted that his organization took the name of the Uruguayan guerrilla group that operated in the seventies, told the newspaper that he and his men fought in the coup d’etat of February 4, 1992 by Chavez against the democratic government of president Carlos Andrés Pérez. The "Herald" published today an extensive interview with Carías...

<p>WASHINGTON - It was both an auspicious and ominous way to begin the week: Auspicious because of President George Bush's resolute demand that Saddam Hussein and his sons leave Iraq. There were also ominous noises from his predecessor in the White House, Bill Clinton, who bared not only his antagonism to the president but his horror at envisioning a strong America.</p>

CARACAS, Venezuela - From her bed in a Caracas military hospital, the wiry, chain-smoking prisoner vowed to continue a hunger strike and risk becoming the first death in Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's "revolution." "Comandante" Lina Ron, who considers herself a modern version of "Tania," a woman who fought alongside Cuban revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara, says she is a willing martyr for Chavez's cause. She was arrested after leading a violent pro-Chavez counter-protest against demonstrating university students. Thousands follow her lead in Venezuela and they have increasingly quashed dissent, breaking up anti-government protests, intimidating journalists and alarming the president's critics. Chavez...

Venezuela No Longer a Reliable Oil Partner April 3, 2003: It seems that the basis of Venezuelan-U.S. relations, oil and democracy, has faded with the promise of oil in Iraq. The plea for democratic reforms in Venezuela has not been enough for an increased presence of the U.S. The U.S. has been careful in mediating the stalled negotiations between the opposition and the government. The opposition calls for a constitutional amendment that would reduce the president’s and Congress’s term from six to four years, and the government has promised only to accept a referendum on the president’s tenure, doomed to...

The peach stucco house fades into Kendall's landscape, not a hint of the politics humming inside. Posters line a room in the back, bearing the likeness of embattled Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. Red pins dot a U.S. map, marking this pro-Chávez base and others recently formed around the nation, known as Bolivarian Circles -- the controversial beating heart of Chávez's civic support. One year ago, Jesús Soto's Kendall home became the first U.S. extension of the Chávez-organized groups. In Venezuela, critics claim, the groups are armed and trained by the government and strike out violently against journalists and civilians. ''We...

President Hugo Chavez relies on a group of staunch supporters outside the cabinet to help defend his government. Many hold senior positions within the armed forces, the ruling Fifth Republic Movement (MVR), community organisations and local government. Several are linked to the so-called Bolivarian Circles, described by the government as civil action groups which give a voice to the poorest sectors of Venezuelan society. Named after the national hero, Liberator Simon Bolivar, about 70,000 of these community groups - which lobby the government directly for funds - have been set up across the country to fight for the rights of...

Embassies of Chavez's Critics Bombed Feb. 24: Three were wounded in the explosion of two bombs in the Spanish Embassy and Colombian consulate Monday in Caracas, Venezuela early today. Signed brochures promoting President Hugo Chavez’s “Bolivarian Revolution” were found at the sites. A Venezuelan government official said, "We are outraged and will find those responsible for the crimes” (www.eluniversal.com) as he evaluated the damage. The violent act comes in a time of gross discontent by the Chavez regime with the negotiating committees led by Cesar Gaviria, ex–president of Colombia and current secretary general of the Organization of American States. Gaviria...

Powerful explosions just minutes apart devastated the Spanish and Colombian diplomatic missions Tuesday, injuring four people and raising fears that Colombian-style terror has reached next-door Venezuela. The attacks in Caracas came two days after President Hugo Chavez denounced Colombia and Spain, among other nations, for allegedly interfering in Venezuelan affairs. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts. Leaflets supporting Chavez's "Bolivarian Revolution," a political movement loosely based on the writings of 19th century independence hero Simon Bolivar, were found outside both missions. But Chavez's government dismissed the papers as a "ridiculous" plant and said no one should jump to...

As Washington prepares a high-stakes military venture in the Persian Gulf, a growing physical threat is being posed by Iraq, Libya and Iran to the soft underbelly of the United States. Hundreds and possibly thousands of agents from rogue Arab nations are working hard to help President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela take control of South America's largest oil industry and create al-Qaeda-friendly terrorist bases just two hours' flying time from Miami. Arab advisers now are reinforcing a sizable contingent of Cubans in efforts to reorganize Venezuela's security services, assimilate its industries based on totalitarian models and repress a popular opposition...

To members of the International Media Dear Sirs: I have become very disappointed with the poor amount and sometimes unjust coverage given to the TRUE current Venezuelan political and economic crisis, as well as the slanted view presented in the American media regarding this extremely important matter. In the next few paragraphs, I will present some facts that I hope will give a different view of what is generally presented in American newspapers and broadcasts. I dearly hope that this will give a clearer sense of what is truly happening in Venezuela and shed some light on the indescribable damage...

CARACAS, Venezuela - A group of lawyers filed a lawsuit against Hugo Chavez in Spain's highest court accusing the Venezuelan president of crimes against humanity and state terrorism. Attorney Alfredo Romero, representing 6 Spanish citizens and 24 Venezuelans, told The Associated Press in Caracas Tuesday said the suit argues that Chavez was responsible for disturbances on April 11, 2002. The violence erupted when pro- and anti-Chavez demonstrators clashed in downtown Caracas - 19 Venezuelans died and hundreds more were wounded, among them one Spaniard who was killed and three injured, he said. The riots spurred a coup that ousted Chavez...

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's National Assembly hasn't finished a session in the last two weeks, partly because opposition lawmakers are being harassed and even attacked by President Hugo Chavez's most radical supporters. "We've been forced to suspend the sessions because nobody can work like this, trying to vote while knowing that armed thugs are waiting outside," Cesar Perez, a member of the Social Christian Party, said Friday. More than 200 riot police and National Guardsmen were sent to the assembly on Thursday night to protect lawmakers from rowdy "Chavistas" who threw rocks and bottles when opposition legislator Pastor Heyra tried...

It is one thing to write about the authoritarian soul of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, as I have for years, and another to see its ugly face. Last Friday, while marching with my 13-year-old daughter in Caracas, through unbearable fumes of tear gases, I could clearly distinguish the face of fascism. We were part of a peaceful demonstration of several hundred thousand Venezuelans who were marching to demand early elections as a democratic solution to the current political crisis. Near the end of the route, we were ambushed by armed civil groups who attacked us with tear gas, stones, sticks...

Much of South America is spiraling into a political and economic morass that invites not only further demographic dislocation but an unprecedented haven for terrorism and political extremism. Yet in the Bush administration, only the Department of Defense (DoD) seems to be presenting a plan to salvage a democratic future for the region, even as the State Department and the National Security Council (NSC) offer only what one observer calls "bureaucratic bromides." U.S. inattention to its neighbors is reaping a bitter harvest: * Colombia, under a new, pro-U.S. president committed to smashing his country's two Marxist-Leninist narcoterrorist groups and eradicating...

On January 5, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's former personal pilot dropped a bombshell that has been ignored by just about every major U.S. news organization: The Venezuelan president, according to the pilot, gave al Qaeda a substantial sum of money following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Venezuelan Air Force Major Juan Diaz Castillo, who is now seeking political asylum in the United States and says his "life and liberty are in danger in Venezuela," says Chavez chose him to conduct the transfer because he trusted him as a close personal assistant. But Díaz, disgusted with Chavez's regime, resigned his...

CARACAS, Venezuela - Gasoline pumps have almost dried up and staple food stocks in many places are dwindling, but President Hugo Chavez still commands broad support, especially among Venezuela's majority poor. Chavez's foes launched a general strike on Dec. 2 to force him to resign or allow early elections, before a possible recall vote in August. They are betting that strangling Venezuela's oil-dependent economy will motivate Venezuelans to demand his resignation or force a vote. But millions of people, especially among Venezuela's poor and working class, insist they won't allow a return of the two-party system that Chavez displaced in...