VENEZUELA: HUGE RALLY IN CARACAS CALLING FOR NEW ELECTIONS AS SIX NATION "GROUP OF FRIENDS" TRY TO SOLVE ECONOMIC CRISIS

Record ID: 215453

  • Title: VENEZUELA: HUGE RALLY IN CARACAS CALLING FOR NEW ELECTIONS AS SIX NATION "GROUP OF FRIENDS" TRY TO SOLVE ECONOMIC CRISIS
  • Date: 31st January 2003
  • Summary: (U1) CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JANUARY 31, 2003) (GOVERNMENT TV - ACCESS ALL) 1. GENERAL VIEW OF INTERIOR OF PRESIDENTIAL PALACE, PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ DURING MEETING WITH FOREIGN MINISTERS AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE GROUP OF FRIENDS NATIONS 0.08 2. VARIOUS OF MEETING (2 SHOTS) 0.22 (U1) CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JANUARY 31, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS
  • Embargoed: 15th February 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • Country: Venezuela
  • Reuters ID: LVA62YNPE9KB0OOYZDW2NKE96RDD
  • Story Text: Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan demonstrators have
    continued their calls for new elections in an effort to oust
    embattled President Hugo Chavez as envoys from the six-nation
    "group of friends" started their mission to try to solve the
    ongoing political and economic crisis.



    Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan opposition
    protesters clamoured for elections Friday (January 31) as
    envoys from six nations urged President Hugo Chavez and his
    foes to settle their political feud peacefully through the
    ballot box.

    The demonstrators amassed outside a Caracas hotel where
    envoys from the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Spain
    and Portugal met opposition negotiators at the start of a
    mission to try to solve Venezuela's political and economic
    crisis.

    Two months into a gruelling opposition strike that has
    pushed the world's No. 5 oil exporter deep into recession, the
    government said it had restored oil output to around half of
    pre-strike levels, regaining much-needed income flows.

    The deputy foreign ministers from the six-nation "group of
    friends", formed this month to help solve the Venezuelan
    crisis, also held talks with left-winger Chavez about the
    political deadlock behind the strike.

    The opposition stoppage is aimed at trying to force the
    populist president to quit and hold early elections.

    The group has a mandate to back efforts by Organization of
    American States Secretary General Cesar Gaviria to achieve an
    agreement on elections between the government and opposition.

    Outside the hotel, the huge crowd of protesters packed a
    highway, shouting "Elections now!" and "Not one step back!"
    and waving national flags. They called on the foreign envoys
    to press the government to agree to an early poll.

    The demonstration was originally called as a massive show
    of support for Venezuela's private media, most of which are
    fiercely critical of Chavez. He accuses them of bias, while
    they charge him with trying to curb press freedom.

    Opponents of Chavez, who was elected in 1998 and still
    commands significant support among the nation's poor majority,
    propose a constitutional amendment to trigger an early
    election. They plan to collect signatures backing the proposal
    in a nation-wide action Sunday.

    Foes of Chavez accuse him of ruling like a dictator and of
    trying to impose Cuba-style communism in the oil-rich nation.

    The president, who survived a coup in 2002 and whose term ends
    in early 2007, has condemned the strikers as "coup mongers"
    and says he will not negotiate with them.

    Foreign Minister Roy Chaderton, a member of the government
    negotiating team, said after the foreign envoys' talks with
    Chavez that the opposition proposal was legal. But he made
    clear the government did not intend to encourage it.

    Chaderton said Chavez stressed to the foreign envoys that
    his government was democratically elected and legitimate. He
    also briefed them on the economic damage caused by the strike.

    "It was explained to the visitors, in a very clear manner,
    all of the damage that the country has suffered because of the
    failed efforts of the coup mongers and because of all of the
    economic sabotage by those who cannot find another way to
    obtain power," Chaderton said.

    The opposition strike has slashed oil production and
    exports, rattling global energy markets jittery over U.S.

    preparations for a possible attack on Iraq.

    Facing plummeting oil revenues and capital flight that is
    bleeding foreign reserves, the government prepared emergency
    financial measures, including heavy budget cuts and foreign
    exchange controls to be introduced next week.

    But the government said on Friday it had brought crude oil
    output back up to 1.5 million barrels per day, almost half of
    pre-strike levels. Striking oil employees say the output level
    is lower but acknowledge it has been rising.

    The slow recovery in the oil industry comes as support for
    the strike in other sectors is clearly cracking.

    Private banks have resumed regular operating hours, most
    shops have reopened and vehicles and pedestrians have returned
    to the streets of Caracas, although there are still shortages
    of gasoline and some food items.

    Opposition leaders are demanding that more than 5,000
    employees fired from the strike-hit state oil giant PDVSA be
    restored to their jobs as part of any election deal.

    Chavez, who accuses the strikers of "sabotaging" the oil
    industry after backing a brief military coup against him last
    year, has so far ruled that out. He has condemned the strikers
    as "traitors" and said they should be jailed.

    PDVSA President Ali Rodriguez said on Friday the
    government could end up firing as many as 6,000 company
    workers.


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