Venezuelans stage a large protest march against the government of President Hugo Chavez through downtown Caracas, June 15, 2002. Thousands took to the streets to demand Chavez resign. Photo by Jose Miguel Gomez/Reuters
Posted on 06/20/2002 6:27:37 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Fed up with President Hugo Chavez's politicization of the military, budget cuts and ties to Cuba, hundreds of retired officers promised to march on the presidential palace Thursday to demand Chavez resign.
Facing 30-day jail terms if they wear their uniforms for a political demonstration, the marchers, led by Hidalgo Valero, a former National Guard lieutenant colonel, decided to carry them instead.
Some feared the protest could trigger clashes as in April, when shootings at an opposition march sparked a coup that ousted Chavez for two days. Dozens died in riots, and the coup revealed a sharply divided top brass.
``The armed forces don't belong to any political party, and (Chavez's) biggest mistake is insisting that the military support his revolution,'' said Francisco Arias Cardenas, who as an officer plotted a failed 1992 coup with Chavez and now heads the opposition Union party.
The retirees planned to march to a presidential palace, which is defended by civilian ``Chavistas'' not afraid to fight.
Before a civilian march last Saturday, the government placed anti-aircraft batteries near the palace in what it called a security measure. The missiles can be aimed at the streets.
Analysts point to Chavez's next round of military promotions on July 5 as another potential spark for violence in this nation on edge.
After the April coup, dozens of senior officers were replaced by lower-ranking Chavez loyalists. Hundreds are being investigated for their actions in April. Valero and his followers demanded that merit, not politics, dictate promotions within the 150,000-strong armed forces.
Increasingly, Venezuela's military is being pressured from all sides - and, reportedly, from within - to resolve a political crisis in which Chavez's opponents are seeking his ouster by any means.
A videotape released June 4 purportedly shows a military group dubbed the ``Comacates'' - commanders, majors, captains and lieutenants - threatening to overthrow the government and kill pro-Chavez ``Bolivarian Circle'' members.
The government says the Circles are neighborhood groups delivering social services in this impoverished nation. Critics call them Chavez's civilian militia, alleging they instigated the April violence.
Another group dubbed ``Socasol'' - for sergeants, corporals, soldiers - issued an Internet communique defending the Circles and accusing Venezuela's news media of provoking the military.
Under the leftist Chavez, elected in 1998, the military has built highways, delivered food and taken on other social works - to the objection of Valero and his followers. Chavez suspended exercises with the United States. Chronically late salary payments hurt military families.
``Why are so many generals angry? Because the president told them we can't afford new weapons,'' said Planning Minister Felipe Perez, citing Venezuela's recession.
But Chavez emphasized recently that Venezuela is modernizing its Navy frigates and Air Force F-16 fighters. The armed forces have rejoined regional training exercises.
Still, officers are known to resent Chavez's ties with leftist Colombian guerrillas, Cuba's Fidel Castro, Libya and Iraq. Many active-duty soldiers and the generation before them fought Cuban-backed guerrillas in the 1960s and 1970s, and they trained in the United States.
In a nation racked by coup rumors, a key player is Gen. Raul Baduel, whose paratrooper brigade restored Chavez to power in April and who was rewarded with command of the Fourth Infantry Division, the army's largest. Known for his blunt independence, Baduel this week asked Venezuelans to leave the military alone.
``I fulfilled my duty as a soldier and citizen. And I don't want to be stuck with the role of refereeing Venezuelan politics,'' he told El Nacional newspaper.
Venezuelans stage a large protest march against the government of President Hugo Chavez through downtown Caracas, June 15, 2002. Thousands took to the streets to demand Chavez resign. Photo by Jose Miguel Gomez/Reuters
There is an Hidalgo A. Valero Briceño who graduated from the School of the Americas on 19 January 1970. The name “Briceño” would be his mother’s maiden name. In Latin America, it is customary to carry your father’s and mother’s last name; therefore, “Briceño” would be his mother’s last name.
UPDATE: Retired military officers march in Venezuela to demand President Hugo Chavez resign - Thu Jun 20, 2:03 PM ET - By ALEXANDRA OLSON, AP [Full Text] CARACAS, Venezuela - Dozens of retired military officers joined by hundreds of civilians waving the Venezuelan flag marched toward the presidential palace Thursday to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chavez.
The protesters said they were fed up with the leftist leader's politicization of the armed forces, budget cuts and ties to Cuba.
Some of the marchers, led by former national guard Lt. Hidalgo Valero, carried their uniforms on poles because they faced 30-day jail terms under military law if they wore them for a political demonstration.
"We're here to protest the president's politicization of the military and his attempts to use the military for this political agenda," said retired Col. Sammy Landareta.
An influential organization of retired military officers, however, boycotted the march, upset over the decision to carry uniforms.
"It looks like a dry cleaners' march," complained retired Gen. Manuel Andara, vice president of the anti-Chavez Institutional Military Front. "Carrying uniforms is still wrong."
Dozens of Chavez supporters - known as "Chavistas" - gathered at the presidential palace to prevent the marchers from advancing - fueling fears of a renewal of April's clashes, when groups backing the president fired on an opposition march.
An estimated 1,400 police were standing guard Thursday.
The April bloodshed triggered a coup that ousted Chavez for two days. Dozens died in riots, and the coup revealed divisions in the military leadership.
March organizers said the protesters planned to stop short of the presidential palace Thursday to avoid clashing with Chavez backers. They said they would send a small delegation forward to present their demands.
"The armed forces don't belong to any political party, and (Chavez's) biggest mistake is insisting that the military supports his revolution," said Francisco Arias Cardenas, a former officer who plotted a failed 1992 coup to install Chavez and now heads the opposition Union party.
Chavez plans to announce military promotions July 5, a move that could trigger more violence in the edgy country.
Valero and his followers demand that merit, not politics, dictate advancement within the 150,000-strong armed forces.
After the April coup, however, dozens of senior officers were replaced by lower-ranking Chavez loyalists. Hundreds in the military are being investigated for their actions in April.
Increasingly, Venezuela's military is being pressured from all sides - and, reportedly, from within - to resolve a political crisis in which Chavez's opponents are seeking his ouster by any means.
A videotape released June 4 purportedly shows a military group dubbed the "Comacates" threatening to overthrow the government and kill pro-Chavez "Bolivarian Circle" members.
The government says the Circles are neighborhood groups delivering social services in this impoverished nation. Critics call them Chavez's civilian militia, alleging they instigated the April violence.
Another group, dubbed "Socasol" issued an Internet communique defending the Circles and accusing Venezuela's news media of provoking the military.
Under Chavez, elected in 1998, the military has built highways, delivered food and taken on other social works - over the objection of Valero and his followers who feel that is not the military's function.
Chavez has also suspended military exercises with the United States. His administration is chronically late in paying salaries, causing difficulties for military families.
Officers are known to resent Chavez's ties with leftist Colombian guerrillas, Cuba's Fidel Castro Libya and Iraq. Many active-duty soldiers and the generation before them fought Cuban-backed guerrillas in the 1960s and 1970s, and they trained in the United States. [End]
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