Chavez: Bush Administration Lies About Venezuela and Finances Coup Plotter

[Judi Lynn]

Chavez:Bush Administration Lies About Venezuela and Finances Coup Plotters

Wednesday, Feb 18, 2004



By: Martín Sánchez - Venezuelanalysis.com


Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, gives a speech at an event to promote State purchases from medium, small bussinesses and cooperatives.
Photo: Venpres
Caracas, Venezuela. Feb. 18, 2004 (Venezuelanalysis.com).- This Tuesday, during a speech at an event to promote State purchases from medium, small businesses and cooperatives, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez angrily demanded the government of the United States to stop interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs.

Recently declassified documents have recently revealed that Washington is providing funds through the National Endowment for Democracy to groups seeking to oust the South American leader. Though Washington has acknowledged providing the funds, it denied that they are directed to groups seeking to oust Chavez, but rather to promote democracy. The President said that one of the recipients of the U.S. aid is SUMATE, the company that organized the recall referendum petition drive against him last November. Other groups listed in the declassified documents have links to the political opposition to Chavez. The President said that the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy has provided funds to the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers union, and other groups that participated in the 2002 coup d'etat against him.

U.S. government finances conspiracy

"The Venezuelan government and the organizations that support it don’t need any money from the United States because we have dignity and sovereignty," said Chavez, adding that the U.S. government is using the American people's money to finance political opposition and conspiratorial activities to overthrow the Venezuelan government. Chavez demanded "respect for Venezuela."

"Apart from having lots of oil, Venezuela has abundant dignity," he said, adding that the people of Venezuela is willing to defend the country's independence, its land, skies and sea "at any cost, even if it cost U.S. our lives, because this is a free and independent country"
(snip/...)

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1197

[SpiralHawk]

1. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

unless you want the Faux news version of reality here and abroad.

[Say_What]

2. VP Vincente Rangel's remarks are pretty interesting too...

Venezuela's Vice-President Rejects U.S. Pretexts for Financing of Opposition Groups

<clips>

CARACAS, February 17.- Venezuelan Vice President José Vincente Rangel rejected statements by Peter De Shazo, U.S. assistant secretary of state, who said that Washington donated funds to government opponents and supporters alike, Prensa Latina reported.

Rangel denied that President Hugo Chávez or political groups that support him had received money from U.S. organizations, and reiterated the accusations against opposition organizations such as SUMATE, said to be among those that receive subsidies from the CIA and Washington.

The vice president called that type of financing from foreign institutions illegal, and recalled the Supreme Court decision of November 21, 2001.

The government is taking SUMATE to court based on a possible crime of treason, Rangel said.

He added that the government is considering presenting a formal complaint to the Organization of American States (OAS) against U.S. funding.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1196

[Judi Lynn]

3. Look at the jump in NED funding from 2000 to 2001

(snip) 2000

$60,084—ACILS/CTV

$56,000—CIPE/CEDICE

$41,747—Fundacion Momento de la Gente

$50,000—IRI/FPJ

$50,000—PRODEL-Venezuela



2001

$154,377—ACILS/CTV

$57,820—Asociacion Civil Comprension de Venezuela

$19,740—Asociacion Civil Consorcio Justicia

$55,000—Educación Assembly Civil Association

$40,000—Fundacion Momento de la Gente

$339,998—IRI/political parties

$210,500—NDI/Fundacion Momento de la Gente
(snip)

http://www.venezuelafoia.info/NED/NED-index.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(snip)
On April 11-12, 2002 there was a short-lived military coup against the popularly-elected president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez. The Bush administration (which, unlike the Chávez government, was not popularly elected) openly supported the coup until it heard from other elected presidents in the region and it became clear that the coup would not succeed. It is still unclear exactly how much US government involvement there was in the coup attempt, when the support for a coup started, and from exactly which sectors of the US government it that support came. On this site we will examine the evidence, using similar historical events for comparison.

If we examine other US-sponsored Latin American coups, such as that of Guatemala in 1954, and especially Chile in before the fall of Allende, the Nicaraguan war of the 1980s, we invariably find a multi-tracked US policy combining the economic to create and then support opposition groups, the upper classes and a pro-US press along with the military. US economic support usually takes a variety of forms and often the larger funds of its covert support are hidden behind small amounts of token "open support". Historically, the US has also sought to buy the support of key officers within the security and military forces.
(snip)

http://www.venezuelafoia.info/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's truly wrong to interfere like this. Whatta shame.

I think you posted a detailed list of "our" contributions through NED not long ago. _Bush is deeply involved in some very dirty business toward the Venezuelan people.

[CivilRightsNow]

5. Dont forget Bush's call to double NED's funding in his 2004 SOTU

....Im surprised more people on DU werent a bit more suspiscious about that.

Oh I forgot.. NED is bipartisan. That's right.

[Say_What]

7. Like most 'muriKans, blinkers are ON

and their ears on stuffed with cotton.

[Say_What]

6. Amazing how the docs get declassified and Uncle Sam *still* denies

that it isn't trying to meddle in Venezuela's affairs. Do they suppose people are as stupid as the Weasel in the White House? "Elections education"?? They ought to invest in elections education right here in the USSA. How transparent can anything be for Keeerist's sake.

[anarchy1999]

4. Here is another great source for South American Real News

http://www.narconews.com/Issue31/

http://www.narconews.com/Issue31/article883.html

http://www.narconews.com/Issue32/article888.html

IMHO Al Giordano ranks right up, real close, to Greg Palast, Al just seems to stay strictly in the South American Hemisphere. Check out TrapRock Peace Center as well.

He has also started a blog:

http://www.bigleftoutside.com/