Agence France Presse
December 14, 2002 Saturday
SECTION: International News
LENGTH: 588 words
HEADLINE: Chavez raises the ante in Venezuela's conflict, US calls
for elections
BYLINE: PATRICK MOSER
DATELINE: CARACAS, Dec 13
BODY: As Venezuela's volatile conflict led to a US call for early
elections, President Hugo Chavez raised the ante Friday, threatening
to import staff to replace strikers who have paralyzed the vital oil
sector.
"If we have to bring in technicians from other countries, they will
come," said Chavez, whose government is under intense pressure from a
12-day-old general strike staged in support of demands for his
resignation.
The leftist-populist president said he would not hesitate to fire 80
percent of managers and technical staff of Petroleos de Venezuela if
that proves necessary to jumpstart the stalled state oil company.
Chavez pointed out that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) offered to temporarily supply oil to Venezuela's
clients, and said the cartel also expressed willingness to deploy oil
tankers to the South American country.
The strike has paralyzed oil exports, usually around 2.5 million barrels a day.
On Friday, dissident Petroleos de Venezuela managers said domestic
supplies would run out within two days, a claim that contrasted with
the government's insistance there was enough fuel to last a long time.
The United States, the main importer of Venezuelan oil, expressed
deep concern over the situation, citing a warning by an international
mediator that the country "could erupt into violence."
"The United States is convinced that the only peaceful and
politically viable path to moving out of the crisis is through the
holding of early elections," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.
Chavez, whose mandate ends in 2006, has rejected opposition demands
that elections be held within months, and accused his right-wing foes
of fomenting civil war and plotting his ouster.
Both sides remained firmly entrenched in their positions, while
warning the crisis could explode into violence.
Venezuela's Roman Catholic church Friday issued a dramatic plea for
reconciliation, warning that armed groups threatened to plunge
conflict-torn Venezuela into a violent tragedy.
Standard and Poor's also expressed concern over developments, cutting
Venezuela's credit rating and citing an "increasing probability of
default."
The US credit rating agency cut Venezuela's long-term foreign
currency sovereign rating to CCC+ from B- in a sign that the nation
is vulnerable to default.
"Removal of President Chavez would likely lead to a heightened
mobilization of his supporters and result in increased violence,"
said S and P sovereign analyst Richard Francis.
Government opponents, headed by business and labor leaders, were set
to stage a massive rally on Saturday, which they dubbed "the taking
of Caracas" and pledge would be the largest protest in the history of
Latin America.
On Friday, several thousand Chavez supporters including vigilantes,
massed outside the Miraflores government palace in Caracas to show
their support for the president, as a similar number of people
gathered at East Caracas square to demand that Chavez step down.
Both sides accused each other of sowing the seeds of violence, which
already marked the conflict when three people were gunned down during
a December 6 protest in Caracas.
Justice and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said it was suspicious
that opposition leaders "are announcing there will be attacks and
violence."
"In April they also had the booklet in hand and knew what would
occur," he said in reference to the April 12 ouster of Chavez, who
regained power after 47 hours.
--
Yoshie
* Calendar of Events in Columbus:
<http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html>
* Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html>
* Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/>
* Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osu.edu/students/CJP/>
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