''We want our own government,'' said Néstor Suárez, an economics professor and president of the pro-autonomy group Own Way. ``We are against big central governments.''
That central government, of course, is run by President Hugo Chávez, whose politics and economics are moving toward socialism in the mold of Cuba -- expanding social-service programs and seizing some ''idle'' lands and factories.
Suárez -- whose movement favors traditional capitalist policies -- said the group is still in its early stages but is not seeking independence from Venezuela. He likens its goal to Spain's Catalonia province and China's Hong Kong, areas with semi-autonomous economic and political systems.
But Own Way's ideas nevertheless are causing a national stir, with Chávez charging that the Bush administration, which he has repeatedly accused of trying to topple him, is backing the proposal in an attempt to grab Zulia's vast oil reserves.
The United States has called all of the accusations ridiculous.
Still, Zulia is important. With about four million people in an area the size of West Virginia, it has the second-highest population and is one of the richest of Venezuela's states. Its Lake Maracaibo is one of the country's main oil-producing areas. …………..***
In the Miami incident, officials said the crew was undergoing routine questioning March 30 after agents found two counterfeit $100 bills on two crew members when a further search revealed cash in several bags that totaled $37,000.
The crew members at first said the money was for official business, then claimed ''it was to go shopping,'' one official said, requesting anonymity because relations with Venezuela are a delicate matter. …***