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News :: Government Secrecy : International Relations : Latin America : Political-Economy |
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US Revealed to be Secretly Funding Opponents of Chavez |
Current rating: 0 |
by Andrew Buncombe
(No verified email address) |
13 Mar 2004
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Republicans, Democrats, and AFL-CIO implicated in covert action
"This repeats a pattern started in Nicaragua in the election of 1990 when [the US] spent $20 per voter to get rid of [the Sandinista President Daniel] Ortega. It's done in the name of democracy but it's rather hypocritical. Venezuela does have a democratically elected President who won the popular vote which is not the case with the US." |
Washington has been channeling hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund the political opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez - including those who briefly overthrew the democratically elected leader in a coup two years ago.
Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that, in 2002, America paid more than a million dollars to those political groups in what it claims is an ongoing effort to build democracy and "strengthen political parties". Mr Chavez has seized on the information, telling Washington to "get its hands off Venezuela".
The revelation about America's funding of Mr Chavez's opponents comes as the president is facing a possible recall referendum and has been rocked by a series of violent street demonstrations in which at least eight people have died. His opponents, who include politicians, some labor leaders, media executives and former managers at the state oil company, are trying to collect sufficient signatures to force a national vote. The documents reveal that one of the group's organizing the collection of signatures - Sumate - received $53,400 (£30,000) from the US last September.
Jeremy Bigwood, a Washington-based freelance journalist who obtained the documents, yesterday told The Independent: "This repeats a pattern started in Nicaragua in the election of 1990 when [the US] spent $20 per voter to get rid of [the Sandinista President Daniel] Ortega. It's done in the name of democracy but it's rather hypocritical. Venezuela does have a democratically elected President who won the popular vote which is not the case with the US."
The funding has been made by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) a non-profit agency financed entirely by Congress. It distributes $40m (£22m) a year to various groups in what it says is an effort to strengthen democracy.
But critics of the NED say the organization routinely meddles in other countries' affairs to support groups that believe in free enterprise, minimal government intervention in the economy and opposition to socialism in any form. In recent years, the NED has channeled funds to the political opponents of the recently ousted Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide at the same time that Washington was blocking loans to his government.
"It the sort of stuff that used to be done by the CIA," said Mr Bigwood. "I am not particularly interested in Mr Chavez - I am interested in what Washington is doing." In Venezuela, the NED channeled the money to three of its four main operational "wings": the international arms of the Republican and Democratic parties - the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs respectively - and the foreign policy wing of the AFL-CIO union, the American Center for International Labor Solidarity.
These groups ran workshops, training sessions and provided free advice to three political parties in Venezuela - Democratic Action, Copei and First Justice - the leaderships of which have been at the forefront of efforts to recall Mr Chavez.
Chris Sabatini, the director of the NED for Latin America, claimed the organization's aim is to promote democracy and "build political space". He told the New York Times that the endowment had been working with civic groups in Venezuela with no political ties and human rights groups.
Relations between the US and Venezuela have not been so tense since April 2002 when Mr Chavez was briefly ousted by opponents who had been supported by the US in the run-up to the coup. At the time, Washington blamed Mr Chavez for his own downfall.
Washington's antipathy towards Mr Chavez is fueled by his friendship with Cuba's Fidel Castro and his open criticism of Washington-backed free market policies. But Venezuela is also America's fourth largest supplier of oil - something that gives Mr Chavez a degree of leverage but, at the same time, makes him vulnerable to those who would like to see a more pro-American leader in power.
In recent days, Caracas and other cities have been rocked by demonstrations in support of the recall vote. Those intensified after the supposedly independent elections council ruled that government opponents lacked enough total signatures to force the vote. There have also been large and vociferous marches by thousands of supporters of the president who oppose the vote.
© 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd
http://news.independent.co.uk |
Copyright by the author. All rights reserved. |
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VENEZUELA Community & alternative radio under constant opposition attack |
by Patrick
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
14 Mar 2004
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This is like the attacks to free speach that Reporters Without Frontiers doesnt reports
Community & alternative broadcast media under constant opposition attack
The Association of Alternative& Community Media (Amarc) has called on the Venezuela state and the international community to ensure the physical integrity of associated journalists. An attack on Radio Llovizna in Ciudad Guayana (Bolivar) on March 6-7 is typical of several incidents that occurred between February and March.
According to community reporter, Juan Martorana, a group of persons arrived at the station carrying shotguns, and FAL assault rifles pointing them at people entering and leaving the building ... "the threats continued till 2.00 a.m."
Other incidents reported are:
On July 4, 2003 Radio Perijanera (Machiques) reported the theft of equipment during a commando-like operation followed by phone threats and beating up journalists. Amarc says minority sectors of the local teachers association and Accion Democratica (AD) are behind the threats.
July 10, 2003: Catia TV was closed and equipment requisitioned by the Metropolitan Mayor's Office on grounds that the station was occupying rooms needed by Lidice Hospital for private sector use.
Parroquiana FM in San Jose de Perija (Zulia) on October 11, 2003 came under attack from a group of Machiques Mayor's Office employees and AD members, threatening journalists that they would burn the station down of they didn't close down.
Radio Chuspa (Vargas) on January 25, 2004 a group allegedly led by Vargas Mayor's Office invaded the building and sabotaged external electric sub-stations damaging the transmitter and equipment.
Radio Perola (Caracas) on February 27, 2004 three journalists were beaten up. Phone threats and e-mails threaten employees. According to a radio board member Elida Polanco, 8 persons arrived at the station and kicked 2 teenage operators living in the area.
Radio Maxima, Ciudad Ojeda (Zulia) on March 2, 2004 Armed groups belonging to the opposition Gente de Petroleo tried to lynch radio station founder, Victor Yepez, as he was arriving home with his journalist wife, Adda Perez. 50 people set on the two and destroyed their vehicle.
Venezuela's privately-owned print & broadcast media has not published any details of similar attacks.
http://newswire.indymedia.org/en/newswire/2004/03/800880.shtml |
