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Chavez, Castro figure in Bolivia's election
Washington Times ^ | September 1, 2005 | Martin Arostegui

Posted on 09/01/2005 4:12:23 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

Beginning his presidential bid last month, center-right front-runner Jorge Quiroga accused MAS leader Evo Morales of being an "agent for Venezuela's brazen interference in the internal affairs of Bolivia."

Mr. Quiroga charged that Mr. Chavez and Mr. Castro had a "regional plan" to "destabilize" South America.

Mr. Morales lashed back by accusing Mr. Quiroga of "following orders from [President] Bush."

Charges of Venezuelan interference are based in part on a meeting last month in Caracas between Mr. Morales and Mr. Chavez. The talks also were attended by Felipe Quispe, the extremist head of the Pachakutec Indigenous Movement (MIP).

While MAS and MIP cooperated in the sometimes-violent protests that have ousted two Bolivian presidents since 2003, Mr. Quispe and Mr. Morales are rivals for the support of Indian constituencies in the high Andes. Yet, shortly after their return from Venezuela, Mr. Morales named a one-time close aide to Mr. Quispe, Alvaro Garcia Linera, as his running mate.

In accepting the nomination, Mr. Garcia vowed to campaign for full nationalization of Bolivia's oil and gas resources and for a new constitution favored by MAS.

While he recently has become known as a socialist opinion leader and television pundit, Mr. Garcia faces legal charges involving past activity with the terrorist Tupac Katari Guerrilla Army (EGTK).

One of the leading conservative candidates, businessman Samuel Doria Medina, once was kidnapped by the EGTK, which obtained a $5 million ransom negotiated through the London firm Control Risks.

Some of the money is thought to have gone to finance leftist parties in Bolivia, as well as the 1996 armed takeover of the Japanese Embassy in Lima, Peru, by the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: evomorales; fidelcastro; hugochavez; latinamerica; venezuela
Hugo Chavez - Venezuela LINKS to Chavez articles.

Venezuela halts missionary permits - Action taken after comments by Pat Robertson regarding Chavez - ***CARACAS, VENEZUELA - Venezuela's government has temporarily suspended permits for foreign missionaries after a U.S. televangelist said Washington should assassinate President Hugo Chavez.

The policy announcement came four days after conservative evangelist Pat Robertson said Washington should execute Chavez, a former soldier who often accuses the United States of plotting to kill him.

The chief of the Justice Ministry's religious affairs unit, Carlos Gonzalez, said Friday authorization of permits for missionaries would be curbed while the government tightened regulations on preachers inside Venezuela............***

Iran, Venezuela discuss oil embargo***TEHRAN — "Oil is the lifeline of the West, and most of the West's military industries are dependent on it,” the Tehran Times suggested in an editorial last week. Irritated by a recent resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that called for a halt to Iran’s uranium conversion program, the newspaper suggested that oil-rich states form a united front and use oil as a tool to confront "western neocolonialist countries."

In Venezuela, Pres. Hugo Chavez has taken the idea a step further, threatening to halt oil exports if alleged attacks on his country continue, according to Agence France Press. Appearing last week as a witness at a symbolic “anti-imperialist court” in Caracas, Chavez said, “Washington’s molestation may cause more serious problems; our two oil tankers going to the U.S. everyday may go to another country.” He added that the “Northern America market is not compulsory for us.” Venezuela exports 1.5 million barrels of oil to the United States daily. ...***

.....Chávez was the only foreign leader to visit Saddam Hussein after the first Gulf war. During his visit he embraced Saddam and called him "brother." Source


1 posted on 09/01/2005 4:12:24 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
A Cuban official struck a female Bolivian reporter in front of television cameras when she persistently asked him why 400 Cuban scholarships being granted to Bolivians had gone only to members of MAS.
 
2 posted on 09/01/2005 4:34:43 AM PDT by RWR8189 ( Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.)
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To: RWR8189
They also said that Cuban entertainers, teachers and sports instructors were being sent to Bolivia to help consolidate support for MAS.

Just as Castro has thousands in Venezuela. Cuban security forces protect Chavez.

3 posted on 09/01/2005 4:36:43 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
"Just as Castro has thousands in Venezuela. Cuban security forces protect Chavez."

Very good point.

4 posted on 09/01/2005 4:53:18 AM PDT by M. Espinola (Freedom is never free)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Chavez is a hypocrite to claim that the US is interfering with Venezuela's affairs.


5 posted on 09/01/2005 5:10:21 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: Brilliant
By the looks of things, they could use a little interfering...
6 posted on 09/01/2005 7:46:24 AM PDT by Edgerunner (Proud to be an infidel)
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