U.S. working for early elections in Venezuela
Reuters, 12.20.02, 1:26 PM ET
By Pablo Bachelet
WASHINGTON20 (Reuters) - The United States is still quietly pushing
for an early election in Venezuela, beset by a power struggle and
national strike, despite publicly backing off the idea, a source
familiar with the talks told Reuters.
"The United States is brokering a deal for an early election in
Venezuela," the source said this week in a telephone interview.
"Behind the scenes we're still pushing for an early election."
The United States has rallied the Organization of American States and
Latin American countries, most notably Brazil, to help pressure
leftist Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez into accepting an election,
according to the source....
The White House issued a statement on Dec. 13 calling for an early
election, as demanded by the opposition, but backtracked Monday, when
a spokesman said Washington supported a referendum on Chavez's
continued rule.
The opposition is calling for Chavez to resign and hold early
elections. He has refused and told his foes to wait until August,
halfway through his term, when the constitution allows for a binding
referendum on his rule.
Observers say the U.S. endorsement of an early election in effect
violated the Venezuelan constitution which allows for a referendum on
Chavez no sooner than August 2003....
OLD, UNDEMOCRATIC WAYS?
In April, when it looked like Chavez had been ousted in a coup, the
White House appeared pleased that he had been toppled and was
embarrassed when he was reinstated by loyalist officers.
The coup alarmed Latin American countries that saw a return to old
undemocratic ways....
This week a State Department official confirmed that the United
States is actively mediating talks in Caracas, together with OAS
Secretary General Cesar Gaviria, to broker a deal.
On Thursday, Powell also hinted at the U.S. involvement, although he
did not mention elections directly.
"We have presented some ideas to the secretary general (of the OAS)
for his consideration," Powell told reporters. "There have been some
efforts in the last day or two to put forward ideas from both sides
that might be a basis of discussion."
One source familiar with the talks said that Chavez wants guarantees
that he would be allowed to run in an election -- some opponents want
him barred from the ballot -- and that a mechanism be put in place
that guarantee impartiality from the opposition-controlled media.
<http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2002/12/20/rtr830494.html>
--
Yoshie
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