Article

2004-05-27 Caribbean-Latin America

Venezuela: U.S. Pushing Harder for Recall Referendum

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Posted by Mark Espinola 2004-05-27 23:55|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Mark,
Could you please copy and paste the whole article? Thanks!
Personal question: Are you Venezuelan? I have noticed that you are the only one who post articles on the country.

Posted by Anonymous4617 2004-05-28 3:48:16 AM|| 2004-05-28 3:48:16 AM|| Front Page Top

#2

That was the main content of the that news item. I shall be posting other updates over the next few days.

I am not Venezuelan but do indeed consider that nation of paramount importance, since the oil rich South American nation is after all a key member of OPEC. and currently tinkering on renewed major civil disorder, American crude oil imports could quickly become threatened again.

With oil prices hovering at about $40 per barrel another major jolt endangering the flow of U.S. energy supplies thus triggering another $5 to $7 increase at the world-wide commodity exchange price level, leaving motorists paying even more than the present.

Here is another news item via the BBC concerning the Venezuelan situation:

Chavez bristles amid fresh attack

In Venezuela there has been a fresh bout of sparring with the US as the latest stage of the battle over Hugo Chavez's presidency gets under way.

While Mr Chavez rubbished the US' role as the "world's referee", his vice-president slammed the Bush administration as "a bunch of madmen".

They were reacting to US comments on opposition efforts to oust Mr Chavez.

On Friday, the president's foes will continue efforts to force a referendum to be held on his rule.

They have three days to make sure at least 500,000 people verify the signatures which the opposition say have been put to a petition for such a referendum, but which have been queried by the electoral council.

'Fair and credible'

In previous days the US has indicated it is watching events in Venezuela closely.

In Washington, Secretary of State Colin Powell called the petition a "defining moment" for Venezuelan democracy.

Who gave the United States a whistle to be the world's referee?

Hugo Chavez
"I urge the Venezuelan government to honour the wishes of its people by supporting a fair and credible process that produces prompt results in an atmosphere free of fear and intimidation," he said.

The State Department's point man for Latin America, Roger Noriega, cast doubt on the electoral council's rejection of signatures, telling the Washington Times newspaper it was clear sufficient people had supported the petition.

He warned of "dire consequences" if the process again failed.

His remarks infuriated Mr Chavez.

"Who gave the United States a whistle to be the world's referee?" he said in remarks to students in Mexico, where he was to attend a European-Latin summit in Guadalajara, according to news agency AFP.

Venezuela, said Chavez, was fully prepared to "defend its sovereignty against the empire."
His deputy, Jose Vicente Rangel, painted the Bush administration as "a bunch of madmen".

The Venezuelan government has repeatedly accused Washington of trying to interfere in its internal affairs, most notably when the US failed to protest the short-lived overthrow of Mr Chavez in 2002.

Dogged

Meanwhile, Mr Chavez's opponents geared up for the next stage of their dogged campaign to turn him out of the presidency.

Venezuela's constitution allows any elected official to be recalled at any time more than halfway through their term if more than 20% of the electoral roll - 2.4 million voters - support a referendum.

Mr Chavez's opponents claim they gathered 3.4 million signatures, but only 1.9 million have been accepted by the national electoral council (CNE), which says many signatures are suspicious.

At least half a million signatories, therefore, must confirm their support of the petition in the next three days.

The process could be complicated by demands from the Venezuelan government that Fernando Jaramillo - an electoral observer with the Organisation of American States - be withdrawn for his alleged bias toward Chavez opponents.

Reconciliation far off

Some 45,000 soldiers have been deployed throughout Venezuela to try to quell any of the violence that marked recent confrontations over the petition.

The referendum mechanism is meant to offer Venezuelans a democratic solution to the stand-off, says the BBC correspondent in Caracas, James Menendez.

But with each side accusing the other of trying to sabotage the process, reconciliation seems a long way off, he says.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/3755903.stm

Published: 2004/05/28 05:06:30 GMT

Â© BBC MMIV

Posted by Mark Espinola 2004-05-28 4:13:41 AM|| [http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/world/8774067.htm] 2004-05-28 4:13:41 AM|| Front Page Top

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