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Chavez lashes out at Bush as opposition negotiates on recall
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-03-06 09:19
Venezuela's embattled President Hugo Chavez lashed out at the United States,
charging that US President George W. Bush is bankrolling opposition efforts to
oust him.
"We have enough proof that Mr. Bush continues to finance terrorist and
putschist groups in Venezuela," an animated Chavez told a gathering of foreign
diplomats that did not include the US ambassador.
Chavez has long accused Washington of backing the opposition, which has
tried to oust him twice -- in a nationwide strike last year, and in an aborted
2002 coup.
A new crisis erupted after the National Electoral Council said this week
that only 1.8 million of the 3.1 millions signatures collected by the opposition
to demand a recall referendum were valid. Some 2.4 million valid names were
needed for a referendum to be called.
At least eight people have been killed in political unrest since, and
dozens more hurt.
With a protest march looming for Saturday, opposition members continued
negotiating Friday on how signature verification might be carried out.
In Washington the State Department urged Venezuela's government to avoid
excessive use of force ahead of Saturday's planned demonstration.
"We note with concern the violence in Venezuela. We urge the government
of Venezuela to respect the Venezuelan people's peaceful exercise of their
constitutional rights and to avoid the use of excessive force," department
spokesman Adam Ereli said.
"We also call on the protesters to act in a nonviolent manner, including
during demonstrations planned for this weekend," he said.
As the opposition here pressed efforts to have a vote scheduled that
could cut his term short, Chavez told the diplomats the US president should "get
his hands off Venezuela."
Back in 1992 "many Venezuelan military staff said US helicopters and
warships were in Venezuelan waters and skies violating national sovereignty. How
long are we going to have this going on? How far will the hypocrisy go?"
He called on the international community to "speak out in defense of
national sovereignty, and if not we might as well make a bonfire and burn our
institutions."
Venezuela's UN ambassador Milos Alcalay on Thursday quit his job in
protest against the Chavez government's handling of the crisis, further
undercutting the president's international standing.
"There is a national and international campaign to hurt the government's
standing and say that it is a human rights violator," Chavez said, showing
ambassadors videos of protest demonstrations.
Chavez also reiterated his position that if electoral officials confirm
more than 600,000 questioned signatures on petitions seeking a recall referendum
then there would be a referendum, and if he loses he will step down.
"If there were a referendum and the opposition were to win, I would leave
the government," Chavez said, exclaiming "I am a democrat! I believe in
democracy and the constitution. I am not going to not respect it."
But he added, signature verification was necessary before any possible
vote.
Separately, Chavez said "Venezuela categorically rejects the kidnapping of
(Haitian) president (Jean Bertrand) Aristide," which he said was engineered by
the US government. Aristide stepped down Sunday after pressure from armed
rebels, the United States and France. The United States says Aristide went
willingly.
If Chavez, a leftist-populist former paratrooper, were ousted in a
referendum, Venezuela's Constitution calls for a vote to elect a new president
within 30 days.
However, if a referendum were held after August 19 and
Chavez lost, new elections would not be called. The vice president would assume
power until 2006, when Chavez's current term ends.
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