New York Times December 21, 2002 A Top General Still Stands Behind Chávez By JUAN FORERO
CARACAS, Venezuela, Dec. 20 - The telephone calls have come by the dozens, from leaders of the antigovernment movement, ordinary Venezuelans and even a couple of military officers, all pleading with Gen. Raúl Baduel for his help in removing President Hugo Chávez from power. But General Baduel, commander of Venezuela's most important division and the general most responsible for ensuring Mr. Chávez's hold on the presidency, has rejected the requests. "There have been calls and propositions, even from high levels, of an economic nature that at this point have reached hundreds of thousands of dollars," General Baduel, a 26-year army veteran, told a group of foreign reporters on Thursday at his office in the city of Maracay. The general said government foes wanted him to put pressure on the president so that he "understands that he has to resolve this situation by resigning." As a punishing national strike continues into its 19th day, rumors of a possible coup against the left-leaning president abound. After all, he was briefly deposed in April when high-ranking military officers - who had been holding secret meetings with opposition figures - withdrew their support for the government in the wake of street violence. Military officers and experts said Mr. Chávez, a former army paratrooper with close ties to the military, has taken steps since April to ensure that important commands are in the hands of trusted allies - even if he cannot account for the loyalty of all middle-grade officers. He has also spent much of his time visiting bases and talking with soldiers, building ties that could prove useful if some officers grow restless. Eight months of reshuffling of commands and pressing of the flesh may be paying off now, military experts say, as the government continues to weather the strike. Today, hundreds of thousands of anti-Chávez marchers took to the streets, while oil workers defied a Supreme Court ruling issued on Friday that ordered the reactivation of the state oil company, the lifeblood of the country's economy. To this point, the military experts said, there is little sign of unrest in the ranks. "The government can feel secure," said Antonio Berarducci, who teaches military strategy to majors and lieutenant colonels at the air force's war school. "As long as Chávez is president of the republic, the armed forces are going to support him." The president is counting on generals like General Baduel, 47, who has been his friend since the early 1970's and was the most visible officer to remain loyal to him when he was removed from power on April 12. General Baduel, then a brigadier general and commander of a paratrooper brigade, has since been promoted to head the 12,000-man Fourth Armored Division, which has troops in seven states. Five of seven other high-ranking officers who joined him in supporting the president in April were also promoted to important posts, including commands of the army and navy. At Plaza Altamira, a public square in an affluent section of Caracas that has become the center of antigovernment activity, generals and admirals who withdrew support for Mr. Chávez in April rail against him daily. Privately, they urge their former colleagues to join them, hoping to split the military and weaken the government. But they also acknowledge that the president has strengthened his hold. "He took us out of our key jobs in the armed forces, and he put in people close to his ideology," lamented Gen. Carlos Alfonzo, the former second in command of the National Guard. "Every day that passes, he is gaining more space in the armed forces." Still, some military experts say there are occasional rumblings of dissent in the barracks. Col. Joseph Nunez, who teaches at the United States Army War College and has close contacts with the Venezuelan military, said there were officers in the forces with divided loyalties. They are subjected to heavy pressure from both sides, he said, with the government urging officers to speak out for Mr. Chávez and the opposition pleading for support. "There are lot of retired senior officers who are working very aggressively to get active duty officers to turn, and to get them to take a stand publicly against the president," Colonel Nunez said. The president, in an interview on Sunday, said he was well aware that military officers had been approached by opposition leaders. But he was confident about the military's support, and described how he met regularly with soldiers and officers. "I have to permanently be sending messages to them, clarifying things," he said with a smile. <http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/21/international/americas/21VENE.html> -- 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/> _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
