Posted on 01/21/2003 11:51:15 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter on Tuesday presented to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his foes a plan for elections to solve the deadlocked political conflict gripping the world's fifth largest oil exporter.
The former U.S. president said after talks with the left-wing leader his blueprint foresaw an end to the crippling seven-week opposition strike that has slashed supply from South America's biggest oil producer.
The strike, launched by opposition leaders to press Chavez to resign and hold early elections, has jolted world oil markets and threatened to bankrupt Venezuela's oil-reliant economy. The bolivar currency tumbled 5.1 percent against the dollar on Tuesday.
Thousands protest against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Charallave, approximately 30 miles east of Caracas, Jan. 20, 2003. One person was killed and two dozen wounded by gunfire during street clashes as Nobel Peace Prize-winner Jimmy Carter tried to salvage peace talks between leftist President Chavez and his foes. (Reuters)
Chavez, an outspoken former paratrooper who was elected in 1998 and survived a brief coup last year, refuses to quit and says he is beating the strike, which is causing serious shortages of gasoline, cooking gas and some food items.
Carter, who was U.S. president from 1977 to 1981 and has since made a career of trying to solve world conflicts, traveled to Caracas to aid international efforts to end the Venezuelan crisis. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his international work in support of peace, human rights and democracy at the head of his Atlanta-based Carter Center.
"My opinion is that both sides now want to reach an agreement to end the impasse that is threatening to destroy Venezuela's economy and social structure," Carter told a news conference before flying home.
He outlined his plan for an electoral solution, comprising two independent alternatives.
One proposed an amendment to Venezuela's constitution that would allow early elections. The other was for the country to wait until Aug. 19 -- halfway through Chavez's term -- when the constitution allows for a binding referendum on the president's mandate, which is due to end in early 2007.
FOCUS ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez(L) chats with Nobel Peace prizewinner and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in the Miraflores Palace in Caracas January 21, 2003. Carter said on Tuesday he had proposed an agreement on elections to Chavez and his foes which he believed could help end the country's long-running political crisis. (Reuters)
Chavez said after meeting Carter he was willing to accept a reform of the constitution if it was approved by the National Assembly, where Chavez supporters hold a slim majority, and through a national vote. The reform could shorten his mandate to allow early elections or bring forward the August referendum on his rule.
"I don't reject any of these possibilities, but the opposition must comply with the constitution," Chavez said.
Carter stressed that while he was encouraged by the initial reaction he received from both Chavez and the opposition, his proposals would still have to be discussed and agreed on by both sides.
"This is a step in a positive direction, but certainly not a definitive answer ... everyone realizes that all decisions must be taken only by Venezuelans," he added.
More than two months of negotiations brokered by Organization of American States Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria have failed to produce a deal on elections to end the conflict. The negotiations were due to continue on Tuesday to consider the specific Carter proposals.
The opposition has been demanding immediate elections, arguing the country cannot wait until an August referendum.
The president said instead of disrupting gasoline and food supplies through the strike, opponents should work to collect the signatures of the 15 percent of the nation's voters required to request a reform of the constitution.
Fears of increased violence have risen as opposition protesters step up street demonstrations and the government increases its efforts to defeat the strike.
Chavez, who purged the armed forces of opponents after last April's coup, has sent troops to take over strike-hit oil installations and to raid private factories and warehouses the government alleges are hoarding food supplies.
The oil shutdown showed signs of weakening on Tuesday when oil tanker pilots in western Lake Maracaibo went back to work.
Since the strike began on Dec. 2, at least six people have been killed and dozens wounded in shootings and street clashes.
Carter deplored the violence.
'FRIENDS' GROUP TO MEET
He said he would also present his electoral proposals in Washington on Friday to the first meeting of foreign ministers from six nations forming a "group of friends" whose task is to help seek a solution to the Venezuela crisis.
The six-nation group, comprised of the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Spain and Portugal, was created last week to back the OAS-brokered peace talks.
Chavez has expressed reservations about the membership of the "friends" group, saying he would like to see it expanded to include other nations like China, Russia, France, Cuba and nations from the developing world.
Carter said the group would not be changed.
Wherever he goes, whatever he does, Jimmy fails.
First step in reforming Venezuela: Chavez needs a bullet in his head.
Little Dumbya's still proposing class-warfare giveaways to his rich campaign contributors, isn't he? With little Dumbya and his henchmen in power, the DJIA doesn't need any other excuse to continue plummeting as it has ever since the 5 Repukie Supremes foolishly stopped the vote recount in Florida.
(You should try doing the same with reality.)
Phew. I was worried about that Venezula crisis. We can all relax now that Jimmy is on the job.
And, er, by the way, who died and left him in charge?
"Let me be clear," she said. "Only the president and the executive branch can speak for the United States." - Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Jan.2000.
http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0200helms.htm
Abstract: The Logan Act was intended to prohibit United States citizens without authority from interfering in relations between the United States and foreign governments. There appear to have been no prosecutions under the Act in its almost 200 year history. However, there have been a number of judicial references to the Act, and it is not uncommon for it to be used as a political weapon. Although attempts have been made to repeal the Act, it remains law and at least a potential sanction to be used against anyone who without authority interferes in the foreign relations of the United States.
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