African Traditions in Venezuela

Ashe

InfoIfa

Cuban culture in Venezuela

Ile TunTun , Havana and Venezuela

Luis Calle:
Matanzas Oba who taught in Caracas

Venezuela in the News
Archive: 11/01-6/02

The unstated subtext in Venezuela is the role of race & identity  - to the white upper class, which controls the press, Chavez is a "mico mono," a long tailed monkey, a reference to his African heritage. Chavez supporters are likened to Ton Ton Macoutes for their propensity towards Santeria. In fact, there is a very active Yoruba community in Caracas and elsewhere, and many Cuban lukumi have traveled there. Venezuela and Cuba enjoy close relations based on an exchange of Cuban professional services for oil.

Chavez supporters take to the streets  6/30/02 BBC: "There was a party atmosphere in the crowd with many of Mr Chavez' supporters dancing to the rhythms of African style drums." - this is part of what really bothers Chavez opponents!

Multitudinario respaldo a Chávez  6/29/02 Juventud Rebelde: "Para ello, grupos musicales de las distintas regiones se apostaron en varias áreas de la larga avenida ofreciendo su arte a los numerosos asistentes, entre los que no faltaron los niños." But no mention of the drumming, perhaps because it is part of every day life in Cuba.

Metropolitan Police (PM) officers have arrested two men wearing military uniforms and with a consignment of 5 boxes of 100 military uniforms.  6/25/02 Vheadlines: on Company business.

President Hugo Chavez Frias says he has received intelligence reports that "an audacious attack on Miraflores Palace" is being prepared  6/23/02 Vheadlines: "another State Political & Security (DISIP) police report had advised the President to cut down on his public appearances, especially at mass rallies, to cancel a June 24 military parade at the scene of the historic Battle of Carabobo and to transmit his Sunday radio talk shows from secure sites as well as to implement increased security for members of his own family against serious threats."

Weekly news magazine Quinto Dia claims that Venezuela's political opposition has leaked details in a secret report  6/23/02 Vheadlines: "indicating that the State Political & Security (DISIP) Police has been training subversives to “take out” or "liquidate" former Army C-i-C, General Efrain Vasquez Velazco and rebel April 11 coup leaders, Generals Nestor Gonzalez Gonzalez and Enrique Medina Gomez, if any further coup attempt is made to topple the government. Civilian targets, including Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (CEV) president Monsignor Baltazar Porras, are also on the alleged shoot-to-kill "hit list."

Unusual suspects: Police may be behind executions in Venezuela  6/22/02 Miami Herald: "One veteran of several police forces around Zulia says he knows who the killers are -- a ''hard core group'' within the Zulia State Police's Rapid Reaction Force, equivalent to a SWAT team."

Chavez, opponents brace for 2nd coup  6/22/02 Washington Times: from the Rev Moon's paper, quoting an impeccable source - ""Let him go away, however it happens, just as long as nobody dies," said Caracas bartender Luis Aguilar."

LIVE FROM CARACAS  6/20/02 Narco News: "After a very brief flurry of post-coup corrections and meas culpas, the simulators of the mass media (from the Four Horsemen of Simulation - AP, Reuters, New York Times and CNN - on down to yesterday's Christian Science Monitor) have reverted to their same unsubstantiated rumor-mongering fictional coverage of the immediate history underway in Venezuela. What is, in fact, ocurring in Venezuela these days is far more interesting than any of them want to inform you, because it involves the development of popular methods to weaken the illusory power of them, the caste members of the mass media, too."

Fuerza Armada venezolana monitoreará acciones de Policía Metropolitana  6/19/02 Granma, Cuba: "La Fuerza Armada Nacional (FAN) venezolana monitoreará, en el futuro, los movimientos y actividades de la cuestionada Policía Metropolitana (PM) de Caracas en situaciones de orden público, reportó Prensa Latina. La información fue confirmada hoy por el comisario Emigdio González, jefe de operaciones de la PM, al hablar sobre los acuerdos logrados durante una reunión de los cuerpos policíacos y de seguridad del país."

French companies to back Venezuela industry in Venezuela Delta Gas Deal  6/18/02 Petroleum World: "Jean Michel Gires, President of Venezuela's TotalFinaElf said on Monday that Total FinaElf and French companies are ready to back technically, Venezuela's industry in the development of five blocks of Venezuela's Delta Platform natural gas project that will be awarded in the next few months, said Jean Michel Gires, President of Venezuela's TotalFinaElf."

Dissidents in Venezuela's military say another coup is likely  6/15/02 Chritian Science Monitor

Venezuela fears coup as loyalists stand firm  6/15/02 Independent, UK: The Company hard at work - "The Defence Minister, General Lucas Rincon, called for calm, describing the forecasts of an imminent coup as "a series of lies, trying to create anxiety and fear". He announced an inquiry into the source of the rumours. Fears are widespread that Venezuela, the biggest oil producer outside the Middle East, is on the verge of civil war."

Venezuelan American Chamber advises: Prepare for violence  6/14/02 Petroleum World: "Observers say the military is deeply divided as Chavez continues to replace commanding officers with those loyal to him. Many generals have been replaced by lower ranking personnel including colonels."

Venezuela's CTV preparing For nationwide strike  6/14/02 Petroleum World: "DJ-Within Venezuela's largest public sector union there's growing consensus that a nationwide general strike is needed to protest the overall economic and social policy of the government, a union leader told a news conference late Thursday." The boys are following the textbook.

Chavez facing a storm of coup threats  6/13/02 Miami Herald: the Company is working overtime.

Venezuela: The perfect crime  6/12/02 Le Monde Diplomatic (English Edition): "The first astonishment is the near absence of international concern about this crime against a government that has been conducting, with great respect for civil liberties, a moderate programme of social transformation — it represents the only experience of democratic socialism in Latin America. This makes it all the worse that Europe's social democratic parties, including the French Socialist party, were silent during the brief crushing of civil liberties in Venezuela. And also that some of their longstanding leaders, like Felipe Gonzalez, have even justified the putsch (2) and had no qualms about joining in the euphoria shared by the International Monetary Fund, the president of the United States and José Maria Aznar, the prime minister of Spain, who is currently holder of the presidency of the European Union."

60% poll say President Hugo Chavez Frias is responsible for the events of April 11  6/12/02 Vheadlines: "In the survey taken from 500 telephone interviews, Comar Pollsters says 12% believe that the opposition was responsible and 21% say they are undecided. The El Universal-commissioned survey shows that 49% think the truth will never be known, 30% says Venezuelans only know part of the truth and 7% that the truth will eventually come out. The survey was undertaken in the Metropolitan District and indicates that the lower one goes in the social scale there is less belief that the government caused the killings, while among ABC sectors 69% hold the belief that it was the government’s intention to spill blood on April 11."

Fighting broke out in downtown Valencia between peacefully demonstrating MVR sympathizers and Carabobo State police  6/12/02 Vheadlines: anti-Chavez state governor causes trouble - "VHeadline.com News Editor Patrick J. O'Donoghue reports that government sympathizers from South Valencia barrios are accusing Carabobo State Governor Henrique Salas Feo of breaking up a pacific march to protest against the Governor’s handling of crime and other problems. Protester Marta Amelia Leon says the march was blocked and police started firing tear gas and setting police dogs on the demonstrators. Salas Feo counters that the marchers were "armed to the teeth" and "looking for problems." Police say a Guacara municipality councilor was arrested for carrying a gun."

La Casa Blanca dirigió el golpe  6/10/02 Rebelion: "Refiriéndose a la matanza de Estados Unidos en Afganistán, Chávez dijo que no es posible combatir el terror con el terror, lo cual era una referencia directa a la guerra de Bush. Estados Unidos retiró de inmediato su embajador, es decir, lo repatrió con la excusa habitual, las denominadas consultas. Envió luego una delegación de alto rango a Venezuela para que se encontrara con Chávez y le advirtiera que el precio de su oposición sería tan elevado que lo pagarían incluso las futuras generaciones de venezolanos. Esto me lo contó uno de los consejeros principales de Chávez, que asistió a la reunión."

Chavez Frias prepares action against terrorists  6/10/02 Trinicenter: "Taking a leaf out of US President George W. Bush’s book, Venezuela's Chavez Frias prepares action against terrorists and conspirators who are determined to end democracy in Venezuela. Whether Chavez Frias will follow through his threat is another matter since failure to enforce the law was the prelude to the April 11 conspiracy."

Chávez: "incansables conspiradores"  6/9/02 BBC

Venezuela's Chavez dismisses rumors of another coup  6/9/02 Reuters: "I'm calling on the country not to fall for tricks and rumors, let's call them rumors spread by those who want to keep us in a state of shock, like a form of terrorism," Chavez told military officers at Guaira naval base, about 15 miles (28 km) from the capital."

"The coup was directed by the White House"  6/9/02 Zmag: "Speaking about the U.S. massacre in Afghanistan, Chávez said that you can’t fight terror with terror--a direct reference to Bush’s war. The U.S. immediately withdrew its ambassador--recalled him for so-called consultations. It then sent a high-level delegation to Venezuela to meet with Chávez and tell him that he would pay a high price for the critical position that he took--and that future generations of Venezuelans would pay a high price. I was told this by one of the top Chávez advisers who was at the meeting."

Coup rumors seek to create image of instability: Venezuelan Foreign Minister  6/8/02 AFP

Crece la incertidumbre sobre la estabilidad de Chávez  6/7/02 El Nuevo Herald: the destabilization campaign in action…

Pobreza en Venezuela desde la llegada de Chávez?  6/7/02 Rebelion

Venezuela, tras el intento de Golpe de Estado: ¿Sobrevivirá el proyecto de Chávez?  6/7/02 Rebelion

Storm Clouds Again Forming Over Venezuela  6/7/02 Stratfor: Stratfor, frequently among the more sensible US establishment strategic forecasting units, is on a rampage against Chavez.

BuzzFlash Interviews Greg Palast  6/6/02 Buzzflash: on Katherine Harris, Venezuela Coup

President Chavez's Censored F-Word  6/6/02 Counterpunch: "VOICE OF TRANSLATOR: No. I do like the United States... I enjoy the poems of Walt Whitman, "New York, New York" the song, Frank Sinatra. I love baseball, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, hot dogs. [edited out: la libertad / "the freedom"]"

The Masses vs. The Media  6/5/02 Narco News

US Ambassador to Venezuela Charles Shapiro claims a US State Department report alleging that Lebanese Hezbollah terrorists are operating in Venezuela was "misinterpreted"  6/5/02 Vheadlines

Khatami stresses Venezuela's efforts to reinforce OPEC  6/3/02 IRNA, Iran: "President Khatami said the recent abortive military coup aimed at toppling the Venezuelan government was against all nations advocating democracy and freedom, as well as such organizations as OPEC. "The victory of a nation in returning its legal government to office indicates that a government enjoying public support can never be defeated," he stressed."

Chavez invites Congressional Black Caucus to Venezuela  6/2/02 Reuters: "Chavez, speaking on his weekly "Hello President" radio and television show, said he had received a May 22 letter of support from the U.S. Congress' Black Caucus, which groups African-Americans in the legislature. In their letter, some 30 U.S. Congress members condemned the April 11-14 coup against the left-wing Venezuelan leader led by rebel generals and admirals."

Venezuela: Five Truths about April 11  6/2/02 Vheadlines: "we can be doubly certain that at least three groups took part in the coup: a sector from the Armed Force (FAN), a sector of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Fedecamaras) and a sector of the Catholic Church."

Chávez declara ante comisión  6/1/02 BBC Mundo: ''¿Saben qué?, a mí me querían matar. Tengo testigos, personas que oyeron aquí, en palacio, cuando se dio la orden. Estuve al borde de la tumba", recalcó a los miembros de la comisión parlamentaria."

Desmiente Cuba cancelación de contrato con petrolera venezolana  5/30/02 Prensa Latina

The Police Detective Branch (CICPC) reports that handguns used by 3 gunmen positioned at the Llaguno Bridge on the afternoon of April 11 did not kill any of the 16 victims.  5/30/02 Vheadlines

Calls for the resignation of George W. Bush  5/28/02 Trinicenter, Trinidad: "Bob Chapman's INTERNATIONAL FORECASTER ( international financial, economic, political and social commentary) says in this weekend's issue that word is starting to filter out that the Pentagon had forces on standby to provide logistical support to the coup conspirators, which attempted to overthrow the Hugo Chavez government in Venezuela."

US-based Stratfor Global Intelligence claims to have identified four April 11 snipers  5/28/02 Vheadlines: The normally more even handed and realistic Startfor is destroying its credibility with its virulent slant on Venezuela. Are some financial interests at stake? - "US-based Stratfor Global Intelligence claims to have identified four April 11 snipers that they claim were given military training in Cuba to belong to "an informal grouping" outside the control of Venezuela's Armed Forces High Command. In what has all the hallmarks of another CIA attempt at disinformation to cover up the United States' own complicity in the April 11 coup d'etat, Stratfor claims "well-placed sources in Venezuela's IC" say that President Hugo Chavez Frias and former State Political & Security (DISIP) police chief Eliecer Otaiza are "intimately connected with at least one of the snipers." The four snipers have been identified by US-based journalist John Sweeney as Army Majors Adilan Diaz and Suarez Chourio, Lt. Col. Alejandro Mayo Silva and Police officer Rodriguez Orta. Sweeney, who has previously published a series of anti-Venezuela articles in the international media, works for the strongly right-wing Heritage Foundation's political think-tank in Washington, D.C."

Venezuela: US Special Forces, US PSA’s 2000 master category, US Fort Bragg War School  5/27/02 Vheadlines: "details are just emerging on Major Gustavo Rangel Borgel after members of the National Assembly (AN) claimed that he may have led the training of alleged anti-government snipers."

HUGO CHAVEZ CALLS ON IRAN TO SUPPORT MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN OPEC  5/26/02 Radio Havana: "On Saturday Iranian radio reported that Chavez stated that his country, which is currently heading OPEC, favors fortifying the organization that represents the world's major oil producers. The Venezuelan leader said in a telephone conversation with President Jatami that investigations have revealed that the objective of those who attempted a coup in his country last month, was to take Venezuela out of OPEC."

Venezuela to Cuba: Oil isn't free  5/25/02 Miami Herald: wasn't this around the time of the coup? "State-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) stopped dispatching crude and refined products, including jet fuel, to Cuba around April 12 after the island defaulted on a $63.4 million bill."

Venezuelan coup leader tries to flee  5/24/02 BBC

Venezuela: a coup countered  5/24/02 Le Monde Diplomatique

La fuga de Carmona evidencia su participación como golpista  5/24/02 Rebelion

Carta abierta al presidente Chávez  5/23/02 Rebelion

Dictator-for-a-Day Pedro Carmona Estanga flown his luxurious coop!  5/23/02 Trinicenter

Miraflores Presidential Palace Guard of Honor commander, Colonel Jesus Morao Gardona claims there were snipers on roofs  5/23/02 Vheadlines: "Speaking during National Assembly (AN) hearings, Morao Gardona said 7 armed men (5 Venezuelans, 2 Colombians) were arrested at a hotel close to the Presidential Palace on the orders of the Palace garrison commander, Colonel Almidien Moreno Acosta … “they cold-bloodedly assassinated many Venezuelans...” Presumably they were let go under the temporary coup regime.

Venezuela Coup Inquiry Threatened, Expert Says  5/21/02 NY Transfer News: "Political enmity, public suspicion and contaminated evidence are threatening to derail Venezuela's inquiry into killings that occurred during last month's coup against President Hugo Chavez, a leading member of the inquiry said on Tuesday."

Chavez Still Searching for Proof of U.S. Coup Involvement  5/21/02 Stratfor: good coverup material.

Venezuelan Air Force (FAV) planes transported volunteer members of Venezuelan neighborhood watch committees to Cuba for alleged "indoctrination."  5/21/02 Vheadlines: "Unfortunately, the General made no comment on the FAV's humanitarian flights taking patients to Cuba for treatment and surgery as a result of Venezuela’s highly-inefficient, client-based hospital system."

Chávez purging military after coup  5/19/02 Miami Herqald: "Amid new threats of a military coup, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has purged nearly half the armed forces leadership and replaced it with younger officers believed to be loyal to his leftist ideals."

Catorce organizaciones venezolanas otorgan el galardón Fabricio Ojeda a La Jornada  5/17/02 La Jornada, Mexico: "Catorce organizaciones de venezolanos ubicadas en distintos países de América Latina otorgaron ayer a esta casa editorial el reconocimiento Periodismo veraz: Fabricio Ojeda, por la información difundida durante el mes de abril en torno al golpe de Estado en contra del gobierno de Hugo Chávez."

Periodistas de Europa y Latinoamérica analizarán el papel de los medios de comunicación en Caracas y su apoyo al golpe de Estado  5/17/02 Rebelion

Another coup attempt in Venezuela?  5/17/02 Stratfor: from a respected strategic forecasting firm which somehow does not get the coup story right: "During his tenure as vice president, Cabello was responsible for organizing and coordinating the Bolivarian Circles. Although STRATFOR security sources in Caracas believe Cabello is grossly exaggerating the number of Bolivarian Circles in a possible effort to intimidate the political opposition, the violent events of April 11 – when 17 civilians were killed and more than 100 were wounded by gunfire during an anti-Chavez demonstration – showed that even a small number of armed civilian militias can inflict significant physical and material damage." Many of the victims were in fact Chavez supporters who were shot from above by right wing snipers.

Venezuela: Amnesty International (AI) reports that Portuguesa State senior police officer Miguel Angel Zambrano Heredia has received death threats  5/17/02 Vheadlines: “police officers have attempted to kill him for giving evidence to an inquiry into the activities of police death squads in Portuguesa state.”

Viva Vin Weber  5/15/02 City Pages, Minneapolis - St, Paul: "Weber, a power player in GOP political circles who retired from Congress in 1993, has served as chairman of the board for the obscure but influential National Endowment for Democracy since January 2001. The NED, a private nonprofit agency, was founded in the early Eighties with the express goal of fostering democratic ideals abroad...In all, some $877,000 in NED funds has been distributed in Venezuela in the past year. Most of those funds were funneled to opposition movements by the four NED affiliates, including the International Republican Institute (IRI). The day after Chavez's removal, IRI President George Folsom--an advisor to former President George H.W. Bush--issued a statement praising the coup, saying, "The Venezuelan people rose up to defend democracy in their country." Defending it against the 60% of the people who voted for Chavez, not once but twice?

Warning to Venezuelan leader  5/13/02 BBC

Opec chief warned Chavez about coup  5/13/02 Guardian, UK: "The answer to the mystery, Newsnight was told by a Chavez insider, is that several hundred pro-Chavez troops were hidden in secret corridors under Miraflores, the presidential palace. Juan Barreto, a leader of Mr Chavez's party in the national assembly, was with Mr Chavez when he was under siege. Mr Barreto said that Jose Baduel, chief of the paratroop division loyal to Mr Chavez, had waited until Mr Carmona was inside Miraflores. Mr Baduel then phoned Mr Carmona to tell him that, with troops virtually under his chair, he was as much a hostage as Mr Chavez. He gave Mr Carmona 24 hours to return Mr Chavez alive."

Venezuela: A Coup With The Smell Of Hamburger, Ham And Oil  5/13/02 Znet: "According to private investigations, one of the results of the coup was to be the denationalization of oil: the privatization of the state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), leaving it in the hands of a U.S. firm linked to President George Bush and to the Spanish company Repsol; to sell PDVSA's U.S. subsidiary, Citgo, to Gustavo Cisneros and his U.S. partners; and the end of the nation's underground reserves."

Chavez says he has proof of US hand in coup  5/12/02 Times of India

Venezuela's Chavez Says United States Must Explain Reaction To Coup  5/10/02 AP

Chavez: borrowed time?  5/9/02 Channel 4 News, UK: Chavez - "It's public, I have proof, it's absolutely true that two officials of the United States of the US armed forces were in the command center with the coup leaders during the hours of the coup. And there's another detail that needs to be investigated: there is absolute proof, by satellite, of the presence of a warship, in the territorial waters of Venezuela at the time."

"The coup was directed by the White House"  5/9/02 Socialist Worker: "They [the US] also underestimated the race factor. They didn’t realize that part of the opposition to Chávez is because he’s Black--the first Black president in modern history in Venezuela. All of the leading lights of the bourgeoisie dislike him for his social origins and his race."

Venezuela after the Coup Attempt  5/9/02 Trinicenter, Trinidad & Tobago: "The problem Chávez faces now, perhaps more than ever, is that his supporters are divided between what have come to be called the “Talibanes,” the radicals who are saying that Chávez should implement his program now more than ever, and the “Miquilenistas,” named after Luis Miquilena, the moderate former Interior and Justice Minister and elder statesman of Venezuelan politics… What makes this division particularly dangerous for Chávez’ political program is that members of his coalition in the legislature have gradually been leaving the coalition. Chávez’ formerly solid majority in the legislature has now shrunk from 99-66 to 85-80. Five of the most recent defectors are members of his of own party, belonging to the Miquilenista faction. It is estimated that there are about 15 more in this faction and if only three of them leave, Chávez will have lost his majority in the National Assembly, which would make it extremely difficult for Chávez to implement the rest of his program. In other words, it is not just because of the economically and mediatically powerful opposition that Chávez has to tread lightly, but his own base in the assembly threatens to break away if he does not moderate his approach."

Who Loves Ya, Hugo?  5/8/02 Bad Attitudes: "Still, none of this explains how a president with such dismal poll numbers could be reinstated by popular demand. For that we are left to speculate. Who paid for those polls? Mrs. Avila from the proceeds of her underwear business? Or someone like Venezuelan TV mogul Gustavo Cisneros, a fishing buddy of George W. Bush’s who recently moved his headquarters from Caracas to Coral Gables, Florida? " And who pays for the polls elsewhere?

CHAVEZ SUPPORTER SAYS HE FIRED HIS WEAPON IN SELF-DEFENSE DURING COUP  5/8/02 Radio Havana: "A supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who was video tapped firing a weapon during the attempted coup has turned himself in, insisting that he used his weapon to defend himself and others as snipers opened fire on pro-government demonstrators from the upper floors of a hotel."

CUBA CHALLENGES OTTO REICH TO PROVE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST HAVANA  5/7/02 Radio Havana: "the controversial State Department official, who was appointed to his post without Senate confirmation, alleged Monday that 4 Cuban airplanes landed at a Venezuelan international airport in the middle of the attempted right wing coup against President Hugo Chavez. Reich suggested that Cuba was somehow involved in the events that unfolded in Venezuela at that time. " Otto at it again…

MORE EVIDENCE OF A PREMEDITATED ARMED CONSPIRACY AGAINST HUGO CHAVEZ  5/7/02 Radio Havana: "An opposition mayor in Venezuela has for the first time admitted that armed police from his municipality participated in the right wing coup against President Hugo Chavez. Leopoldo Lopez, mayor of the Chacao Municipality in the capital, Caracas, nevertheless denied before a legislative commission his own participation in the violence. He also denied that police from his municipality are among the faces seen in video footage reportedly showing individuals firing weapons at Chavez supporters."

Las mentiras de El País  5/7/02 Rebelión, Spain: concerning the coup in Venezuela

Acusan a autores intelectuales de golpe de Estado en Venezuela  5/6/02 Prensa Latina, Cuba: "El saliente ministro de Interior venezolano, Ramón Rodríguez Chacín, acusó hoy a la derecha fascista, el Opus Dei e intereses económicos del golpe de Estado del 11 de abril." The good Catholics of Opus Dei once again…

MEMBERS OF VENEZUELAN MILITARY PROVIDED COUP-PLOTTERS WITH WEAPONS: GENERAL  5/6/02 Radio Havana: "In an interview with the local news daily El Universal, General Raul Baduel said there are aerial videos demonstrating that the opposition march against Chavez on April 11 was organized in a military fashion, with some participants even carrying assault rifles."

Chavez says there's evidence U.S. wanted him dead  5/5/02 Houston Chronicle

The Battle for Energy Dominance  5/5/02 Petroleum World

Saturday's Interview With Venezuela's Hugo Chavez  5/4/02 Petroleum World: "Chavez Raises Idea Of U.S. Role in Coup -WP/Revolt Hasn't Derailed His Plans-NYT"

VENEZUELA: TESTIMONY POINTS TO PREMEDITATED VIOLENT COUP PLOT  5/4/02 Radio Havana: the US media will never admit this: "On-going testimony before the Venezuelan Congress has revealed a premeditated plot to overthrow President Hugo Chavez that included armed police officers in civilian clothes and snipers firing at Chavez supporters, as well as the systematic persecution and murder of pro-government activists in the poor neighborhoods surrounding the capital. Freddy Bernal, mayor of the Libertador Municipality in the capital, Caracas, late Friday showed legislators investigating the events surrounding the attempted right wing coup photos and videos of small groups of police in neighboring municipalities who had joined the mostly peaceful opposition march and later opened fire on Chavez supporters."

Venezuela: el poder flotante  5/4/02 Rebelión, Spain: "El gobierno parece haber entrado en una espiral de debilitamiento que se acelera con cada concesión que se le hace a los subversivos. Es la lógica del círculo vicioso o de la retroalimentación positiva en la cibernética: cada concesión que pretende alejar la caída del gobierno, la acerca más; entre ellas, la decisión de permitirles al terrorista de Estado Pedro Carmona y a altos militares golpistas descansar en sus lujosas mansiones, habiendo cometido el crimen de alta traición y ser responsables de la muerte de decenas de ciudadanos; haber aceptado la renuncia de la dirección de PdVSA nombrada por el Presidente y, así mismo haber aceptado una comisión investigadora de la conspiración, encabezada por un diputado de los golpistas, el socialdemócrata (AD) Edgar Zambrano, lo que equivale, de facto, a un voto de desconfianza para el fiscal general Isaías Rodríguez quien fue un hombre clave en la defensa de la constitucionalidad."

Venezuelan vice president-designate says new coup attempt possible  5/4/02 Yahoo

Did U.S. play a role in coup in Venezuela?  5/3/02 San Francisco Examiner: " However, according to former National Security Agency officers Wayne Madison and Richard M. Bennett, U.S. Army units in Florida, Puerto Rico and Texas "assisted in providing communications intelligence to U.S. military and national command authorities on the progress of the coup." Is Reich lying?"

The AFL-CIO’s role in the Venezuelan coup  5/3/02 World Socialist

Rivals have their say about Chavez in peaceful rallies  5/2/02 AP

Whose Coup?  5/2/02 Mother Jones: "For the first time in many years the poor and marginalized felt they belonged, that they actually had a president that was theirs and that they were prepared to defend," Cartaya says. "And it has also ... made us more anti-yanqui. It unmasked the US's urge to intervene in Latin America and we all know whatever the US had in store for Venezuela, it wasn't going to be anything positive."

Isaac Perez Recao’s connections to Naval Intelligence goes to back to 1996  5/2/02 Vheadline

The Israeli Embassy in Caracas denies knowledge of Isaac Perez Recao  5/2/02 Vheadlines: the ongoing saga of arms dealer Isaac Perez, who fronts for Israeli interests.

Venezuela: Luis Alfonso Davila is questioning the purpose of "some media owners" who have organized forums in Europe and the United States  5/2/02 Vheadlines

Venezuela: Volverán a intentarlo  5/1/02 La Jornada

The Venezuelan Navy (Armada) Intelligence Directorate has been taken over for investigation after alleged cloak-and-dagger activities  5/1/02 Vheadlines: "Once Chavez Frias was returned to power, efforts were made to shred delicate material as Navy Intelligence disintegrated."

Venezuelan Air Force (FAV) C-i-C General Angel Valecillo Rios has confirmed an Ultimas Noticias report of 2 US planes and a ship sighted  5/1/02 Vheadlines: "to the east of the Paraguana peninsular (Falcon) at the time of the coup d'etat against President Hugo Chavez Frias." This meshes with other reports of US military involvment.

Coverage angers Chavez's followers  4/30/02 Boston Globe: First time in print in the US, the racial divide in Venezuela? "This nation of 23 million has split roughly along racial and class lines over its combative and controversial president. The affluent sectors generally oppose Chavez's anti-free-market, antiglobalization policies, while the poorer classes tend to see him as a savior."

US National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice has contributed her pathetically uninformed opinion about the US-Venezuela debate,  4/30/02 Vheadlines: Condy waxes eloquent on "democracy," helping to turn it into a dirty word.

Rice Says Chavez Weakened Democracy  4/29/02 AP: Condy helps turn democracy into a dirty word. Thank you, Condy!

American navy 'helped Venezuelan coup'  4/29/02 Guardian, UK: "The United States had been considering a coup to overthrow the elected Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, since last June, a former US intelligence officer claimed yesterday. It is also alleged that the US navy aided the abortive coup which took place in Venezuela on April 11 with intelligence from its vessels in the Caribbean. Evidence is also emerging of US financial backing for key participants in the coup..."Some of our counter-narcotics agents were also involved." Coca-contra was a specialty of the Reich/Abrams/Negroponte/Bush team.

Venezuela and Censorship  4/29/02 New Statesman: "Chavez said he never requested asylum in Cuba; the snipers almost certainly included agents provocateurs; "almost every sector of society [Chavez] antagonised" were principally members of various oligarchies he made pay tax for the first time, including the media, and the oil companies, whose taxes he doubled in order to raise 80 per cent of the population to a decent standard of living. His opponents also included army officers trained at the notorious School of the Americas in the United States. In a few years, Chavez had begun major reforms in favour of the indigenous poor, Venezuela's unpeople. In 49 laws adopted by the Venezuelan Congress, he began real land reform, and guaranteed women's rights and free healthcare and education up to university level."

Venezuelan Asylum Seekers Fly to U.S. Via Bolivia  4/29/02 Reuters: "The group included retired Air Force Col. Pedro Vicente Soto Fuentes, his wife and three children, and another retired Air Force colonel, Silvino Jose Bustillos, accompanied by his spouse and two children. The other member was a retired National Guard captain Luis Garcia Morales. All three of the officers had been forcibly retired by the Venezuelan president, himself a former paratroop officer, for speaking out in public against him before the April 11 coup that removed him from power for 48 hours."

Venezuela and Censorship  4/29/02 US Crusade: The response of Britain's media to the conspiracy in Venezuela provided an object lesson in how censorship works in free societies.

VENEZUELA INVESTIGATES COUP KILLINGS; CHAVEZ THANKS FMLN FOR SUPPORT  4/28/02 Radio Havana: "The country's National Assembly reportedly has asked local human rights groups to propose six representatives to sit on the nine-member Truth Commission by next Tuesday. The remaining seats will include human rights experts from the Central and Catholic Universities and one representative designated by the National Council of Churches. The Venezuelan people have reportedly accused the local police of carrying out some of the killings during the 48 hours of the coup headed by entrepreneur Pedro Carmona." That would be the Caracas police, known to be right wing.

I Met Her in Venezuela  4/27/02 Lew Rockwell: "The National Endowment for Democracy has spent to date, as far as we know, $877,000 on a variety of activities in Venezuela that increased as the situation deteriorated, including a $154,377 grant to the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, the international arm of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. to assist the main Venezuelan labor union, the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers, in trying to overthrow Hugo Chavez, the elected president. So much for democracy. This is not news. If anyone has bothered to read Ted Morgan's biography of Jay Lovestone, A Covert Life, they would know that Lovestone, for years the head of the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s international division, was a CIA operative working under James Angelton, who was his case officer."

What are these 'other threats' to Colombia's Security?  4/27/02 Z Mag: "In April 10, 2000 the US senator Coverdell said that it would be necessary to intervene militarily in Colombia-- to control Venezuela! It's highly likely that this 'mico' added on to the law was added in order to prepare a military aggression against the Chavez government. If the war against drugs was a pretext for a war against the insurgency, now the armed conflict in Colombia has become a pretext for an attack on Venezuela and against the Chavez government."

Nuevas presiones de EE.UU. a Chávez  4/26/02 BBC

Venezuelans linked to coup attempt said to be in Miami  4/26/02 Miami Herald: "Venezuelan military investigators raided his Caracas home Wednesday and seized several guns and boxes of ammunition in a basement shooting range. It was not clear if the guns were illegal or part of a Pérez Recao-owned firm that sells Israeli weapons in Venezuela." Could this be the source of the "foreign weapons" from a non US country mentioned by Chavez? And just what would an Israeli role be in a coup where one of the first acts of the new rulers was to try to take Venezuela out of OPEC?

Washington channelled funds to groups that opposed Chavez  4/26/02 Sydney Morning Herald: democracy at work, hard: "The funds were provided by the National Endowment for Democracy, a non-profit agency created and financed by Congress. As conditions deteriorated in Venezuela and Mr Chavez clashed with various business, union and media groups, the endowment quadrupled its budget for the country to more than $US 877,000 ($1.6million)."

A concerned US reader has told VHeadline.com that US Senate Venezuela Caucus' Cass Ballenger (Rep.) may be "a wolf in sheep's clothing" during Caucus meetings with the Venezuelan government this weekend.  4/26/02 Vheadlines: "When Chavez and the coup was mentioned, he had this evil look of glee in his eyes and denounced Chavez for all he was worth ... it was pretty sickening, and I'm sure that the USA isn't done with Chavez yet!"

Interior & Justice (MIJ) Minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin reveals that he has been investigating the conspiracy against the government  4/26/02 Vheadlines: "for some time and was aware that businessman Isaac Perez Recao’s involvement."

OFF THE RECORD from "a source close to Washington"  4/26/02 Vheadlines: "That he (Venezuelan Defense Minister Rangel) reviewed some of the evidence already compiled of US involvement in the sniper attacks and other dirty little deeds and said to [US Amabassador] Shapiro, "okay, here it is, your own (USA) Congress is breathing down your neck ... could we have a little bit of cooperation please on the ongoing issues before we send little brown envelopes to John Kerry and Chris Dodd?"

Reich denies coup endorsement  4/26/02 Washington Times: thus spake Otto von Reich, de la Mas Fea. See Otto Reich's page.

HOW THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (AP) GUTTED ITS OWN SCOOP ON THE VENEZUELAN COUP D'ETAT  4/25/02 Emperors Clothes: TOOTHAKER DISPATCH: "He didn't know who shot [Luis]. Police fired repeatedly at protesters in various Caracas slums Saturday and hospitals throughout the city's poorest areas were inundated with victims on Saturday." SELSKY DISPATCH: "He didn't know who shot Luis, and probably never will. Like most violent demonstrations here, gunfire can erupt from any side, at any time." Quite a difference. "

Chavez's hold on power still tenuous  4/25/02 Stratfor

Chávez’s Overthrow Was Clearly Predictable  4/25/02 Trinicenter, Trinidad & Tobago: "In my thesis, both Venezuela (having the largest oil reserves outside of the Middle East and world’s 4th largest exporter of crude) and Trinidad and Tobago ( supplying 52% of US LNG imports and having enormous oil and gas potential) had been targeted as key players in the Post September 11 US Strategic Energy Security Plan."

Chávez afirma que los golpistas querían sacar a Venezuela de la OPEP  4/24/02 El Universal, Venezuela: "En una entrevista emitida hoy por el canal catarí de televisión por satélite Al Yazira, Chávez acusó a ''otros países'' de haber participado en el golpe de Estado para derrocar a su Gobierno, pero no precisó cuáles. Según el Presidente venezolano, la ''primera intención'' de los golpistas durante su período de algo más de un día en el poder fue excluir a Venezuela de la OPEP, ''decisión que habría hecho bajar los precios del petróleo''.

HAVANA'S AMBASSADOR TO CARACAS DENOUNCES FASCIST ATTACK AGAINST EMBASSY  4/24/02 Radio Havana: "The Cuban ambassador strongly denounced the use of Venezuela's right-wing media to incite the mob to violence. Sánchez specifically pointed to Marta Colomina, a journalist and vehement critic of Hugo Chavez, as well as retired Vice Admiral Ivan Carratu, who served as an assistant to former Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez. Havana's ambassador to Caracas also accused attorney Ricardo Koesling and Cuban-born counterrevolutionary Salvador Romani of being the main organizers and promoters of the mob violence outside the embassy."

Venezuelan coup plotter 'in Miami'  4/24/02 Times, UK: joining up with their buddies from La Mas Fea - "They include Isaac Pérez Recao, 32, a reputed arms-dealer and heir to a Venezuelan oil fortune. With a group of armed bodyguards, Señor Pérez Recao played a highly visible role in the April 12-13 coup, according to reports in Caracas. As the coup unraveled, he is said to have jumped into a private helicopter and escaped to the Caribbean island of Aruba."

April 11 coupsters wanted to take Venezuela out of the Organization of Oil Producing Countries (OPEC)  4/24/02 Vheadlines: "Speaking to Qatar’s El Jazeera 24-hours news outlet, President Hugo Chavez Frias has accused “other countries” (?) of involvement in the failed coup d'etat. Taking Venezuela out of OPEC, he says, would have lowered oil prices (just as the United States has been pressuring!) and broken the OPEC “fair prices” agreement to keep a barrel of oil between $22-28…. When quizzed over allegations that Israeli Mossad agents had taken part in the coup, President Chavez Frias said he preferred to answer by saying that weapons used by the coupsters were NOT Venezuelan military stock and their provenance indicates who had taken part in the coup attempt."

Libertador (Caracas) Mayor Freddy Bernal has shown photos of fully-armed Metropolitan Police (PM) officers  4/24/02 Vheadlines: "Other photos show police officers wearing plastic medical gloves to avoid paraffin prints showing up in any post-march investigation."

Movimiento Quinta Republica (MVR) politicians have accused the USA of direct involvement in the failed April 11 coup d'etat  4/24/02 Vheadlines: "MVR politicians add that US Ambassador Charles Shapiro’s credentials are "highly suspect" since he was US military attache in Chile during the decisive coup against Salvador Allende, the Contras war in Nicaragua and El Salvador."

Pentagon to Investigate Its Role in Venezuela  4/23/02 NYT: "The Pentagon confirmed last week that Rogelio Pardo-Maurer, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Western Hemisphere affairs, met with the chief of Venezuela's military high command, Gen. Lucas Romero Rincón, on Dec. 18. General Rincón announced Mr. Chávez's resignation in the early hours of April 12 after apparently refusing to fire on anti-Chávez protestors the day before. " From a bio of Rogelio Pardo-Maurer: "Between 1986 and 1989, he was chief-of-staff to the representative of the Nicaraguan Resistance in Washington D.C. (who subsequently served as Nicaraguan Ambassador to the United States in the Administration of President Violeta Chamorro)."

FURTHER PROOF REVEALED ON US INVOLVEMENT IN VENEZUELAN COUP  4/23/02 Radio Havana: "Venezuelan members of parliament have accused the United States of actively preparing and participating in the April 11 coup that attempted to topple President Hugo Chavez. Juan Barreto, Pedro Carreño and Jorge Rondón presented the press with recordings made during the coup of security police naming some of those involved. Rondón also confirmed that one of those arrested who had fired upon demonstrators -- the excuse used to carry out the coup -- is of US nationality."

Venezuelan Legislator Says U.S. Involved in Coup  4/23/02 Reuters: "Rondon also accused U.S. Ambassador Charles Shapiro of involvement in the coup, saying he had met with businessman Pedro Carmona, the interim president who briefly replaced Chavez, at the Miraflores presidential palace April 12. "We saw him leaving Miraflores Palace, all smiles and embraces, with the dictator Pedro Carmona Estanga," Rondon told reporters."

Casa Blanca no ha dicho todo sobre asonada en Venezuela  4/22/02 Prensa Latina, Cuba

US Fingerprints on Venezuelan Coup  4/22/02 Straight Left: "For several months, the coup plotters had been making secret trips to the White House to meet with Elliot Abrams, the head of the National Security Council, and Otto Reich, the key policy maker for Latin America. Both men are veterans of Reagan's "dirty wars" of the Eighties and were linked to the death squads in Central America."

On Soft Sea Breeze, Terror War Arrives - U.S. Probes Arabs on Venezuelan Isle  4/22/02 Washington Post

Evidence of possible US hand in Venezuela coup mounts, Washington denies  4/22/02 Yahoo: "Newsweek wrote that among those suspected of financing the plot is Gustavo Cisneros, a Venezuelan media tycoon and fishing companion of former President George H.W. Bush. Cisneros has denied any role."

Chavez recoups his base  4/21/02 Houston Chronicle: "Many Venezuelans fear another revolt as the armed forces seem split a week after failed ouster."

A Sometime Champion of Democracy  4/21/02 LA Times: "The Bush administration's rapid initial approval of this month's coup in Venezuela has tarnished its status as self-proclaimed champion of democracy and the rule of law in Latin America."

Venezuela coup linked to Bush team  4/21/02 Observer, UK: "But the crucial figure around the coup was [Elliot] Abrams, who operates in the White House as senior director of the National Security Council for 'democracy, human rights and international opera tions'. He was a leading theoretician of the school known as 'Hemispherism', which put a priority on combating Marxism in the Americas."

T&T Media Attempts Its Own Coup  4/21/02 Tinicenter, Trinidad: interesting report on challenging the major media from Trinidad.

Investigation of Venezuelan coup finds plotters believed US had a role  4/21/02 Yahoo: Just as the US has supported many other acts of repression, Cuba (1898, 1912, etc), Guatemala, Chile, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Bolivia, etc etc - "The source said US Army Lieutenant Colonel James Rodgers, an aide to the US military attache "was present on the fifth floor of the military command" before Chavez was brought to that installation, Fort Tiuna in Caracas, and remained there until the self-proclaimed provisional government fell apart."

Venezuela: muere alto mando militar  4/20/02 BBC: sounds like on of the many helicopter accidents in Afghanistan…

A Coup Signed by Otto Reich  4/20/02 Counterpunch

With Support of Poor Venezuelans, Hugo Chávez Made Dramatic Come-Back  4/20/02 Zmag: "Of course, we won't see any neoliberal economists coming to the defense of Chávez for his efforts to help the truly poor. Rather, those economists and the whole neoliberal establishment seem quite disturbed about the fact that Chávez has tapped into the poor masses of his country and can draw upon their support in the event of a right-wing counter-attack. The fact that neoliberal economists never give Chávez any credit for his anti-poverty efforts seems to belie their supposed interest in helping the truly poor."

Venezuela's 'Bolivarian Circles' draw new criticism for alleged role in violence  4/18/02 AP: "But Caracas police, who have arrested at least three people, say some of the shooters belonged to the circles — neighborhood committees that were created after Cuban President Fidel Castro (news - web sites) urged Chavez's followers to organize themselves to defend Chavez's leftist revolution. Castro made the appeal during a 2000 visit." - the same Caracas police said to be in league with the Bandera Roja, shooters on the rooftop linked to Opus Dei.

The Propaganda of Otto Reich  4/18/02 Counterpunch: Miami Mafiosi Otto von Reich, State's point man on the Venezuela coup? "Scrambling to distance themselves from the botched overthrow of the democratically elected Chavez government, the Bush administration admitted that Mr. Reich called the coup leader, Mr. Carmona, and asked him not to dissolve the National Assembly because it would be a "stupid thing to do"… According to the New York Times, Reich told congressional aides that the administration had received reports that "foreign paramilitary forces"-suspected to be Cuban-were involved in the bloody suppression of anti-Chavez demonstrators, in which at least 14 people were killed in Venezuela. Reich, a former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela and lobbyist with ties to Mobil Oil in Venezuela, further told the Congressional staffers that Mr. Chavez had meddled with the historically independent state oil company, provided haven to Colombian guerillas, and bailed out Cuba with preferential rates on oil."

U.S. Papers Hail Venezuelan Coup as Pro-Democracy Move  4/18/02 FAIR

US military attache implicated in Venezuela coup  4/18/02 Irish Times

What Really Happened in Venezuela  4/18/02 NewMax: rigth wing propaganda on Venezuela, with interesting details - "Carmona, a member of the Opus Dei group, a conservative Catholic lay order, quickly named all Opus Dei members to his new Cabinet."

Venezuela Si, Cubazuela No!  4/18/02 NewsMax: "Chavez in Venezuela is a close friend and ally of the last tyrant in this hemisphere, Fidel Castro. In addition to Cuba, he is associated with other equally anti-American, anti-Semitic, anti-democracy terrorist states including Libya, Iran and Iraq. Chavez also sought and obtained an alliance with communist China." So that's why the US tried to overthrow the democratically elected Chavez who won twice by large margins, because he is antidemocratic!

What the New York Times "overlooked" in the Venezuelan events  4/18/02 World Socialist: "Indeed, those participating in the demonstration in Caracas that proved to be the opening shot of the April 11 coup were considerably wealthier, better dressed and whiter than those who later battled security forces in the city’s working class and poor neighborhoods to protest the military’s seizure of power."

A coup d’état signed by Otto Reich  4/17/02 Granma, Cuba

US 'gave the nod' to Venezuelan coup  4/17/02 Guardian, UK

THE UGLY AMERICAN REDUX  4/17/02 Ted Rall: "Bush Backs a Botched Coup in Venezuela...It's too soon to know for certain whether the CIA (news - web sites) tried to engineer an Allende-style operation in Venezuela, but anyone who's read ex-spy Philip Agee's seminal "Inside the Company" recognizes classic signs emanating from New York and Washington: official statements of encouragement are laced with just enough ambiguity to provide plausible deniability; blithe dismissals of democratic principles in friendly media are followed by rapid reversals when things start to go wrong. Don't be too surprised if those gun-toting "Chávez supporters" who opened fire on the April 11th ultimately turn out to be CIA-employed provocateurs. "

The Ongoing Lessons  4/17/02 Trinicenter: coverage of Venezuela from Trinidad - "Were it not for independent Internet news sources the developing story in Venezuela would not have been made public. Without the Internet Vanguards, the coup in Venezuela and the coup of information would have gone unchecked or buried below the prejudices of many with the attitude of "Another Central American Coup, what's new".

The Conspiracy Against Chávez  4/17/02 Zmag: the racist basis for the coup laid bare: "The country has no political prisoners. But the miniscule upper crust and the upper middle class, essentially white, as are many of the intellectuals and journalists, are terrified people of color, people with copper or black skin, rising on the social scale. Here, as everywhere in Latin America, they occupy the lowest rungs of society. They would have to share their privilege, and that seemed unacceptable. "There's an incredible racism in this society," Chávez told me. "They call me the Monkey or the Black, they can't stand that someone like me was elected president."

IRISH FILMMAKER'S EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF VENEZUELAN COUP D'ÉTAT  4/16/02 Emperor's Clothes: "I arrived in the centre of town just as the shooting started," says Kim. "I filmed a while then took cover in a doorway. Whoever was firing aimed directly at the crowd, which was pro-Chavez. I filmed two dead bodies, both of them beside the podium set up to rally Chavistas to defend the presidential palace...Reports came in from around the country, barracks by barracks, like a Eurovision song contest jury, that the military was rebelling against the coup."

After the coup, Venezuelan president ponders mystery of American plane  4/16/02 Guardian, UK

'Venezuelan coup plotters were in contact with US'  4/16/02 The News, Pakistan: this is naïve acceptance of "limited hangout" US propaganda which puts out a sweetened up version of the truth. Several reports from reputable sources (see below) detail extensive US military, CIA, and State Department support for the miserable losers in Caracas.

Chavez fell foul of Bush doctrine  4/16/02 Toronto Star: hard to find and succinct discussion of Venezuela's energy policies and how they led to the coup.

Chastened Chavez promises change  4/15/02 BBC: "In his strongest conciliatory gesture, Mr Chavez used his address to announce the resignations of the board of directors he appointed to the state-owned oil monopoly PDVSA."

Paracaidistas leales a Chávez lo rescataron de La Orchila  4/15/02 El Mundo

Three Days that Shook the Media  4/15/02 NarcoNews: "Online Journalism's Finest Hour Exposed and Reversed a Coup"

A profile of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez by Jon Lee Anderson  4/15/02 Petroleum World: the racial basis for anti-Chavez actions laid bare - ""Did you see our Clown Prince last night?" is a typical response. Many white middle-class Venezuelans despise Chavez, and there is a cruel, self-comforting snobbery implicit in their comments about him. For example, "El peon ha tomado la finca"- "The peon has taken over the farm." A prominent financier of impeccable Iberian ancestry invited me to lunch at his house, and, as his black servant brought our drinks, he told me, his face stretching with disgust, how "embarrassed" he felt to have 'ese mono'--that monkey--as his President."

Golpe imperial en Venezuela  4/15/02 Prensa Latina: "Alfredo Peña, alcalde mayor de Caracas y jefe de la notoriamente represiva y corrupta Policía Metropolitana (PM), aportó a los francotiradores, quienes, vestidos de civil, dispararon desde las azoteas cercanas al Palacio a la población civil, particularmente a los simpatizantes del gobierno, quienes tuvieron la mayor cuota de muertos."

VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR CALM, UNITY AND REFLECTION IN DRAMATIC RETURN TO HEAD HIS NATION  4/15/02 Radio Havana: "Qatar was happy with the return of President Chavez said an official statement. The two countries as part of OPEC have a close relationship. Other OPEC countries also sent their congratulations and support."

VHeadline News Briefs Monday, January 14, 2002  4/15/02 Vheadline: Santeria among the Chavez forces - ""The pro-government protests outside the newspaper's office turned into a Santeria session which Papa Doc would never have done in Haiti ... not the best example of how a government should tackle criticism and the flow of information ... the government has failed in its lack of reliable and convincing word and print spokespersons." Anti-Chavist historian Manuel Caballero agrees with Sanoja Hernandez and dubs the Catia barrio slum protesters as the "new Ton-Ton Macoutes" rather than Nicolas Maduro's grandiose "soldiers of the Revolution."

Cuba: U.S. 'openly behind coup' - Reinstatement of Chavez in Venezuela bodes ill for America  4/15/02 WorldNet Daily

Castro's Man in Caracas  4/15/02 WSJ: vintage Wall Street Journal

Chavez reclaims Venezuelan presidency  4/14/02 AP: "Chavez's attorney general, Isaias Rodriguez, told Carmona's ministers they were under arrest pending possible charges. "They must take responsibility. They will be put on trial with all their rights, but they will be put on trial," Cabello said. Some military officials also would be tried for military rebellion, he added."

Venezuela interim president resigns  4/14/02 BBC

Chávez reasumió la presidencia  4/14/02 BBC Mundo: una victoria para Venezuela y Cuba, un fracaso por el terrorismo de la EE-UU y la Mas Fea.

Otro presidente en Venezuela  4/14/02 BBC Mundo

Venezuela: el silencio de la prensa  4/14/02 BBC Mundo

The CIA and the Venezuela Coup  4/14/02 Counterpunch

Amplia repercusión mundial por triunfo popular en Venezuela  4/14/02 Granma: "Washington y sus acólitos turbados y erráticos"

Una jornada para la gran historia de este nuevo siglo en América Latina  4/14/02 Granma

Washington suffers a major reverse in Latin America  4/14/02 IntelBriefing

Fracaso la "mano negra" tras el golpe de estado en Venezuela  4/14/02 Prensa Latina, Cuba

Venezuela: Rumored U.S. Involvement Could Hurt Bush Administration  4/14/02 Stratfor: from a respected US Strategic Forecasting firm - "Human intelligence sources in Venezuela and Washington told STRATFOR April 14 that the Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. State Department may have been involved separately in the events that took place in Caracas between April 5 and April 13. If the information is correct, the reinstatement of President Hugo Chavez less than 48 hours after he was toppled by a civilian-military coup could have disastrous implications for the Bush administration's policy in Latin America… Our sources in Venezuela and the United States report that the CIA had knowledge of, and possibly even supported, the ultra-conservative civilians and military officials who tried unsuccessfully to hijack interim President Pedro Carmona Estanga's administration. Sources in Venezuela identified this group as including members of the extremely conservative Catholic Opus Dei society and military officers loyal to retired Gen. Ruben Rojas, who also is a son-in-law of former President Rafael Caldera. Caldera, who governed from 1969 to 1973 and from 1994 to 1998, founded the Christian Democratic Copei party."

Loyal troops rally to ousted Venezuela leader  4/14/02 Telegraph, UK

Venezuela's Power Shift Condemned  4/13/02 AP

Coup in Venezuela: An Eyewitness Account  4/13/02 Counterpunch: texbook CIA: "As it turns out, and as will probably never be reported by the media, most of the dead are Chavez supporters. Also, as will probably never be told, the snipers were members of an extreme opposition party, known as Bandera Roja."

Coup junta leader flees Caracas governmental palace  4/13/02 Granma

Mas de 100 000 personas ante el Palacio de Miraflores  4/13/02 Granma

Miles de personas de los barrios populares se han concentrado en las afueras del Palacio de Miraflores  4/13/02 Granma

Ministros chavistas sesionan en el Palacio de Miraflores  4/13/02 Granma

Tomado el Palacio de Miraflores por las fuerzas populares  4/13/02 Granma: popular uprising said to have taken back Miraflores palace in Caracas

Washington: coup d’état accomplice and instigator  4/13/02 Granma

President in custody after at least 11 die in Caracas protests  4/13/02 IHT: "Pedro Aristimuno, the secretary of health for metropolitan Caracas, said that 10 people who suffered mortal wounds in the fracas were brought into the Vargas hospital. "What we noticed was that the most serious wounds were in the cranium and cheek," he said in an interview. "They appeared to be shots from above." - these were the snipers from Bandera Roja, an extremist group. Tied to who? CIA? Narcoterrorist Miami Mafia? This is their style.

US returns to bad old ways in Venezuela  4/13/02 IntelBriefing: "Pentagon sources gleefully revealed that the United States provided critical military and intelligence support to the Venezuelan military coup against President Hugo Chavez on Friday 12th April. Under the cover of the COMPTUEX and a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) training exercises in the Caribbean the US Navy provided signals intelligence and communications jamming support to the Venezuelan military. Particular focus by US Navy SIGINT vessels was on communications to and from the Cuban, Libyan, Iranian, and Iraqi diplomatic missions in Caracas. All four countries had expressed support for Chavez and the plans for US military and intelligence support for the coup d'etat were brought upto date following President Bush's visit to Peru and El Salvador in March 2002. The National Security Agency (NSA) supported the coup using personnel attached to the US Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force East (JIATF-E) in Key West, Florida. NSA's Spanish-language linguists and signals interception operators in Key West; Sabana Seca on Puerto Rico and the Regional Security Operating Centre (RSOC) in Medina, Texas also assisted in providing communications intelligence to US military and national command authorities on the progress of the coup d'etat. From eastern Colombia, CIA and US contract military personnel, ostensibly used for counter-narcotics operations, stood by to provide logistics support for the leading members of the coup. Their activities were centred at the Marandua airfield and along the border with Venezuela." etc etc

CUBA SAYS US INSTIGATED VENEZUELA COUP, DENOUNCES ILLEGITIMATE JUNTA  4/13/02 Radio Havana

U.S. welcomes change at top in Venezuela, likely return of oil flow  4/13/02 Seattle Post Intelligence: Officials at the White House and the State Department approve of the coup, which they likely had carefully planned, the signature signs are there: "The two officials blamed Chavez -- a fiery former paratrooper -- for the ouster, saying that "undemocratic actions committed or encouraged by the Chavez administration" had "provoked" the military takeover." Provoked by killing demonstrators in a mob attacking the presidential palace - try having a mob in front of the White House these days! Added to which 6 of the 10 dead turned out to have been Chavez supporters, likely killed by Caracas police, whose mayor is a Chavez enemy.

Anti-Chavez Coup Aimed At Controlling OPEC  4/13/02 Tehran Times

Carmona, jefe del nuevo gobierno  4/12/02 BBC Mundo

Revuelta militar contra Chávez  4/12/02 BBC Mundo

Las Fuerzas Armadas se rebelan contra el presidente Hugo Chávez y fuerzan su salida del poder  4/12/02 El Mundo

Los jefes del Ejército y la Guardia Nacional exigen la renuncia de Chávez  4/12/02 El Pais

Coup D'Etat In Venezuela Will Let Oil Flow  4/12/02 Forbes: Forbes' pals in Venezuela are the type that call Chavez 'un mico mono,' a long-tailed monkey, a reference to his African heritage.

Graves acontecimientos en Venezuela  4/12/02 Juventud Rebelde, Cuba

Coup d'etat in Venezuela  4/12/02 NarcoNews: good reporting - "Sources close to Chavez say that a number of the deaths were among sympathizers of the president and explained that the metropolitan police had shot against the multitute that surrounded the Miraflores Palace. Among the dead, the driver for Vice President Diosdado Cabello, shot in the face… In addition, the analyst said that there is a plot similar to that which defeated Salvador Allende in Chile and it was activated when, a few days ago, the new US Ambassador to Venezuela, by the name of Shapiro, took office. According to Gomez Gomez, he was "involved in the dirty war of Central America."

Día de acontecimientos en Venezuela cambia historia del país  4/12/02 Prensa Latina, Cuba

STATEMENTS BY HUGO CHAVEZ'S DAUGHTER ON CUBAN TV  4/12/02 Radio Havana

US Blames Chavez for Own Ouster, Urges Elections  4/12/02 Reuters

Venezuelan Generals Backing Interim President are SOA Grads  4/12/02 School of Americas Watch

Police tear gas protesters in Venezuela  4/12/02 Times of India

Twelve killed in Venezuelan street protests  4/12/02 Times, UK: other reports had right wing police firing at Chavez' supporters, killing among others the driver for the VP. But you won't hear about thiat in this Murdoch paper.

Television Stations Play Fundamental Role in Anti-Chávez Coup  4/12/02 Zmag

Venezuela Army Gen. Orders Rebellion  4/11/02 ABC News: like the coup in Chile, the oil boys to the fore: "The violence erupted in the South American country of 24 million on the third day of a general strike called to support oil executives who want Chavez to sack new management at the state oil monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA. The executives are conducting a work slowdown that has seriously cut production and exports in Venezuela, the No. 3 oil supplier to the United States and the No. 4 oil exporter in the world."

General Strike Extended in Venezuela  4/11/02 AP

Venezuela Labor Extends Oil Strike  4/11/02 AP

Venezuela/Force Majeure : Gasoline supply woes continue  4/11/02 Petroleum World

Potential oil crisis closer to home  4/11/02 Washington Times: precursor to coup, makes you wonder when the oil boys will knock over an EU member, many of whose policies are not that different from those described in this vicious article printed in the Reverend Moon's paper - "As the United States and the rest of the world focus on the problems facing the Middle East, it should be noted that many within Venezuela and South America equate Hugo Chavez with Yasser Arafat and the Taliban. They do this in the strong belief that, like Mr. Arafat, Mr. Chavez exports terrorism. In his case, to neighboring Colombia and elsewhere as he seeks to foster his own twisted vision for the region. Over the course of the last year, Mr. Chavez has become a huge thorn in the side of our State Department. He has cultivated personal friendships with the dictators who rule the rogue nations of Cuba, Iraq and Libya, while openly taunting the United States."

Strike touches off violence in Venezuela  4/10/02 Houston Chronicle: coup precursor

Thorn in the side of new world order  4/10/02 Iriahs Times: On the top ten list of reasons why Chavez had to go: "Chávez has characterised the US bombardment of Afghanistan as responding to "terror with terror". He brandished photographs of Afghan children killed by US bombs and called for an end to "the slaughter of the innocents". The US response to this impertinence was to send its ambassador, Donna Hrinak, to see Chávez. They had what a US official said (according to the Washington Post of February 23rd) "a very difficult meeting". She told the democratically elected president (again according to the Washington Post) "to keep his mouth shut on these important issues".

Will corruption and injustice gain a stranglehold over Venezuela's misery again?  4/10/02 Vheadline

Chavez Vows to Fight Oil Strike  4/10/02 Wired

Chavez Seeking To Distance Military Opposition  3/27/02 Stratfor, US

Castro Wannabe Chavez Wrecks Venezuela  3/26/02 NewsMax: the drumbeats can be heard in this article from the right wing US media, which cites some interesting observation from the Church of Pedophelia.

Venezuela: Next Chile?  3/13/02 Petroleum World

Mas de 600 mil personas en marcha de respaldo a Chavez  2/27/02 AIN, Cuba: preparing for the Kissinger style coup?

The Scent of Another Coup - The US and Venezuela  2/24/02 Zmag

Chavez «le révolutionnaire» chahuté à Caracas  2/23/02 Liberation: "disciplinaire. Armées de casseroles, quelques centaines de personnes s'étaient retrouvées lundi soir à la place Francia, dans l'est de Caracas, pour applaudir la dernière insubordination militaire en date." Right wing protesters banging kitchen pots just as in Chile.

VENEZUELA: A FEW REALITIES  2/21/02 Radio Progresso, Miami: "In the case of Venezuela, if we guide ourselves by the assertions published in most media outlets, it might seem that we're facing a military dictatorship of the old school, like those that abounded in Latin America until well into the 1980s, such as the ones in Argentina, Chile or Uruguay. Nevertheless, the current government is the result of a long democratic process, wherein President Hugo Chávez enjoys a record in consecutive elections and referenda that is hard to match. From 1998 to 2000 he was elected twice as the nation's leader, he summoned a Constitutional Assembly, a new Constitution was drafted whose text was approved by a national referendum, the nation's name was changed and the political superstructure of the nation was revolutionized – in a way. No previous Latin American president had achieved power with so many supervised public elections as Hugo Chávez. Despite that, he never pleased the American governments or their allies, who saw in the Bolivarian process – a peaceful process conducted through the ballot box – a danger to their interests."

Venezuela Faces U.S. Coup Plot  2/20/02 Narco News: the US, ably led by its Miami Mafia Latin American team, is fomenting a Chile style coup in Venezuela - Otto Reich, John Negroponte, Lino Gutierrez, Elliot Abrams, Emilio Gonzalez, Rogelio Pardo-Maurer, Roger Noriega, etc etc see also The Miami Connection in Granma, which tracks this very well.

U.S. cooking up a coup in Venezeula?  12/28/01 San Francisco Examiner: "Early last month, the National Security Agency, the Pentagon and the U.S. State Department held a two-day meeting on U.S. policy toward Venezuela. Similar such meetings took place in 1953, 1963, and 1973, as well as before coups in Guatemala, Brazil and Argentina. It should send a deep chill down the backs of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the populist coalition that took power in 1998. The catalyst for the Nov. 5-7 interagency get-together was a comment by Chavez in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist assault on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. While Chavez sharply condemned the attack, he questioned the value of bombing Afghanistan, calling it "fighting terrorism with terrorism." In response, the Bush administration temporarily withdrew its ambassador and convened the meeting. The outcome was a requirement that Venezuela "unequivocally" condemn terrorism, including repudiating anything and anyone the Bush administration defines as "terrorist." Since this includes both Cuba (with which Venezuela has extensive trade relations) and rebel groups in neighboring Colombia (to whom Chavez is sympathetic), the demand was the equivalent of throwing down the gauntlet. The spark for the statement might have been Sept. 11, but the dark clouds gathering over Venezuela have much more to do with enduring matters -- like oil, land and power."

Irked U.S. Recalls Venezuela Envoy  11/1/01 AP

Iglesia Católica acusa a Chávez de "terrorismo de Estado"  11/1/01 El Universal, Venezuela: the most Holy Catholic Church fullfilling its usual colonial role, abusing entire population as it does small children.

The New Bolivar: Hugo Chavez and the Rise of Pan-American Nationalism  1/5/01 AntiWar

History of Venezuela

Venezuela may have been a quiet outpost on the edge of the Spanish Empire, but it gave birth to the man who would one day turn that empire on its head: Simon Bolivar. With the help of British mercenaries, Bolivar and his followers campaigned against the Spanish tirelessly, marching across the Andes and liberating Colombia in 1819, Venezuela in 1821, and Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in 1825. Much of his army was composed of native Venezuelans. -- www.geographia.com/venezuela/history.htm

CARACAS Reuters. -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday he had invited black members of the U.S. Congress to act as observers and mediators in his efforts to foster a dialogue with his domestic political foes after a failed April coup against him.

Chavez, speaking on his weekly "Hello President" radio and television show, said he had received a May 22 letter of support from the U.S. Congress' Black Caucus, which groups African-Americans in the legislature.

In their letter, some 30 U.S. Congress members condemned the April 11-14 coup against the left-wing Venezuelan leader led by rebel generals and admirals. They expressed support for his call for dialogue and reconciliation, which he made after he was reinstated by loyal troops and supporters.

Chavez, who is of mixed race, thanked "these black brothers and sisters" and invited them to visit Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter which is a major supplier of crude oil and petroleum products to the United States.

"We have invited them, and they have accepted, to come and participate as observers, mediators and facilitators ... for the national dialogue," Chavez said.

Venezuela in the News
Archive: 11/01-6/02

History of Venezuela

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, S.A.

Venezuela in the News Archive: 11/01-6/02

History of Venezuela

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, S.A.

Venezuela in the News
Archive: 11/01-6/02