Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

I'm keeping track of Hugoland formally known as Venezuela. Please LINK any stories or add what you wish to this thread. The above LINK takes you to past articles posted before the new FR format. Below I'll add what I've catalogued since that LINK no longer could take posts.

[Full Text] CARACAS, VENEZUELA - The man who won Venezuelan hearts three years ago as a strongman who could deliver a better life to the masses is now facing them in the streets.

More than 20,000 people turned out this week calling for the resignation of President Hugo Chávez, while some 2,000 supporters marched in a rival demonstration of support. The demonstrations come after months of building discontent with a president who has managed to alienate the labor class, the media, business groups, the church, political parties, and the military.

In November, Chávez introduced 49 "revolutionary" decrees. The package of laws - affecting everything from land rights and fisheries to the oil industry - unified virtually the whole of organized society in a nationwide business and labor stoppage that paralyzed the country on Dec. 10.

The protests this week have a note of irony, because they started out as a commemoration called by President Chávez. In his eyes, Feb. 27 is a milestone of his so-called revolution - "the date on which the people awoke" in 1989. That is when thousands of rioters and looters took to the streets in protest of an IMF-backed austerity plan, in which the government hiked gas prices.

In what became known as the caracazo, or noisy protest, thousands of rioters and looters were met by Venezuelan military forces, and hundreds were killed. Three years later, Chávez and his military co-conspirators failed in an attempt to overthrow the government responsible for the massacre, that of President Carlos Andres Perez. Chávez was jailed for two years.

"But the elements that brought about the caracazo are still present in Venezuela," says lawyer Liliana Ortega, who for 13 years has led the fight for justice on behalf of the victims' relatives. "Poverty, corruption, impunity ... some of them are perhaps even more deeply ingrained than before."

Chávez's supporters consist of an inchoate mass of street traders, the unemployed, and those whom the old system had marginalized. This, to Chávez, is el pueblo - the people.

"But we are 'the people' too," protests teacher Luis Leonet. "We're not oligarchs like he says. The oligarchs are people like Chávez, people with power."

On Wednesday, Leonet joined a march led by the main labor confederation, the CTV, to protest what unions say is a series of antilabor measures, including one of the 49 decrees dealing with public-sector workers.

Chávez won't talk to the CTV, whose leaders, he says, are corrupt and illegitimate. So he refuses to negotiate the annual renewal of collective contracts with the confederation, holding up deals on pay and conditions for hundreds of thousands of union members like Leonet.

Across town on Wednesday, a progovernment march sought to demonstrate that the president's popularity was as high as ever.

Pollster Luis Vicente Leon, of the Datanalisis organization, warns that marches are no measure of relative popularity. "There is a lot of discontent among ... the really poor," Leon says, adding that so far the protests are mainly among the middle class.

But the middle class can be a dangerous enemy. It includes the bulk of the armed forces, and the management of the state oil company, PDVSA.

This month, four uniformed officers, ranging from a National Guard captain to a rear-admiral and an Air Force general, called on the president to resign, while repudiating the idea of a military coup of Chávez, himself a former Army lieutenant-colonel.

But senior "institutionalist" officers "are under severe pressure from lower ranks frustrated at the lack of impact" that these acts have had, a source close to military dissidents says. In other words, a coup cannot be ruled out, although the United States publicly denounces the idea.

Meanwhile, the president's imposition of a new board of directors on PDVSA this week sparked a virtual uprising by the company's senior management. In an unprecedented public statement, managers said the government was pushing the company "to the verge of operational and financial collapse" by imposing political, rather than commercial, criteria.

The political opposition remains relatively weak and divided. But in the view of many analysts, a president who offends both the military and the oil industry is asking for trouble. In the bars and restaurants of Caracas, the debate is no longer over whether Chávez will finish his term, which has nearly five years to run. It is when and how he will go - and what comes next. [End]

Colombian oil company finds estimated 200 million barrels of reserves [Full Text] BOGOTA, Colombia - The president of Colombia's state-owned oil company said Monday that early estimates indicate the company has found up to 200 million barrels of reserves of light crude at its Gibraltar I well near the Venezuelan border. "There's a good chance that this is very high quality," Ecopetrol president Isaac Yanovich told reporters at the presidential palace. He said it's still too early to tell the "exact magnitude" of the find.

The well, 340 kilometers (210 miles) northeast of Bogota, was initially drilled by Los Angeles, California-based Occidental Petroleum Corp., but that company abandoned the project last May. Ecopetrol took it over after that. "Gibraltar I is a 100 percent Ecopetrol project, which means the reserves and the production belong exclusively to the nation," Ecopetrol said in a statement. This oil well gained notoriety while being drilled by Occidental because the U'wa Indians protested the project fiercely, even threatening mass suicide by jumping off a cliff. The U'wa say oil is the blood of the earth.

The exploration is taking place despite heavy security risks due to the country's 38-year civil war. Guerrillas frequently bomb oil pipelines and installations as part of an extortion scheme and to protest the government's alleged "subservience" to foreign interests. The United States has deployed about 70 Green Berets to oil-rich Arauca state to train Colombian soldiers in counter-guerrilla tactics to protect a crucial pipeline there.

Oil is Colombia's No .1 legal export and a key source of government revenue but Yanovich warned last year that the country would be forced to start importing crude within five years if large new reserves weren't discovered. Colombia produces 590,000 barrels a day, more than half of which is exported.***

Gold Reserves Looted from Venezuela's Central Bank - Uncertainty over the whereabouts of Venezuela's national gold reserves and who controls them. - [Full Text] Dec 28, 2002 - Want to know if Venezuela still has any gold reserves left? Then don't look for it in the country's Central Bank anymore. Central Bank (BCV) gold reserves have been trucked to the Caracas Fuerte Tiuna army garrison under armed escort by loyalist military officers who support strongman Hugo Chavez in his refusal to allow free and democratic elections.

Garrison commander Jorge Luis Garcia Carneiro, a military officer still loyal to Chavez, has refused to give precise figures of how much gold his men took. He claims, however, that at least ten metric tonnes (321,500 troy ounces) of gold bullion currently remain under his heavily-armed 24/7 control in Fuerte Tiuna, and that the order to remove it from the Central Bank came directly from Hugo Chavez himself.

The lack of precise numbers makes it difficult or impossible for independent controllers to verify the government's accounting if the gold is ever returned.

Immediately when the gold was moved to Fuerte Tiuna, Hugo Chavez and three of his cabinet ministers also moved there, and now sleep permanently in lodgings in the Circulo Militar, within the protected perimeters of the garrison.

International credit rating agencies are now expected to downgrade Venezuela once again, as chaos in the Central Bank and the uncertainty of the country's gold reserves reveal the true state of affairs in the country's increasingly desperate Chavez government.

Preliminary data released Dec 27 2002 by the Venezuelan Central Bank showed that the country's economy contracted by an estimated 10 percent to 12 percent in the fourth quarter of 2002, the largest quarterly drop in the past 50 years. [End] www.MilitaresDemocraticos.com

Venezuela's exchange control commission posts list of goods that can be imported *** CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's government will not grant U.S. dollars for the importation of electronic equipment, clothing, footwear and some fruits, according to a list posted by the nation's exchange control commission on Tuesday.

The list of 6,000 items deemed essential by the exchange control commission, or Cadivi, includes various food products, medicines, personal hygiene items and industrial raw materials. The list was posted on Cadivi's Web site.

Most of the items on the list are not produced in Venezuela, which imports more than half of the goods it consumes, including almost all the medicine used by Venezuelans. U.S. dollars must pay for those imports.

Restrictions on imports form part of a new currency exchange control system that President Hugo Chavez's government is gradually implementing. ***

Bombs found in Bogotá buses [Full Text] BOGOTA - Molotov cocktails were found on three Bogotá city buses Tuesday, the latest in a much-feared urban terror campaign in Colombia's capital. One bus in the city's north end was destroyed by flames, and the other explosive devices found throughout the city were discovered before they were set off, police said. No passengers were hurt. The government was quick to point the blame: ''It was FARC terrorism,'' National Police Commander Gen. Teodoro Campo said.

URBAN VIOLENCE The FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, are leftist rebels waging war here for nearly 40 years. Guerrilla tactics common in the countryside have recently made their way to urban centers, bringing a decades-old war to the cities in random incidents that sometimes appear to have no particular target. The rebel group denied responsibility for a Feb. 7 car bomb that killed 37 people at an exclusive social club. Other recent urban attacks have included a laptop bomb left in December at a hotel frequented by politicians, and mini-rockets launched at the federal prosecutor's office in November.

Tuesday's attacks were against Transmilenio buses, a transportation system inaugurated just two years ago that shuttles 800,000 people a day in designated lanes. Police said gasoline-filled bottles were left on three of the 470-bus fleet. Police confiscated Coca-Cola containers with an unusual substance inside, police Col. Marco Antonio Pedreros said. Two women allegedly seen planting the devices were arrested.

''We saw the bus was parked and started to light up,'' transportation worker Jenny Correa told local TV reporters. ``There were about 35 or 40 people on board. There was desperation, and they started to run.'' Everyone was evacuated safely. A similar bomb was found on a Transmilenio bus in January. And in December, authorities announced they had learned of a FARC plan to bomb 80 buses.*** STATIONS SEARCHED Transportation officials stressed that all 61 Transmilenio stations were being searched and that bus service would not be suspended. City leaders urged commuters to continue using the shuttle system. [End]

Venezuela's severe contraction*** Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may have triumphed over the opposition-led national strike that ended last month, but the country's economy has been badly wounded. The Venezuelan subsidiary of Spanish bank BBVA, called Banco Provincial, predicted the country will suffer the largest economic contraction in its history and that oil production will be seriously hampered. The bank's projections help clarify Venezuela's economic conditions, since the assessments made by the government and private sector (which is often aligned with the opposition) have varied widely, and have sometimes been regarded as too subjective.

Washington is observing Venezuela's economic development closely. Last year, Venezuela supplied America with 13 percent of its crude oil imports. The severe economic problems could signal unabated instability and further disruptions in oil production. According to Banco Provincial, in the first quarter of this year, Venezuela's economy will shrink 40 percent and oil sector activity will drop by 69 percent. To put this in perspective, this slowdown would be more severe than America's sharpest Great Depression contraction. The bank also said that the non-oil sector would contract by 33 percent and the unemployment rate would rise to 25 percent from the official rate of 18 percent. ***

Bad news in the southern front of the war on terrorism*** A little-noticed -- and preposterous -- development is taking place in the southern front of the war on terrorism: Colombia's narco-terrorist guerrillas have scored a big diplomatic victory following the decisions by Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela not to brand them as ``terrorists.''

It was more than a propaganda victory for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the 17,000-strong guerrilla group that, according to Colombian and U.S. officials, was behind the bomb that leveled Bogotá's El Nogal social club last month, killing 35 people -- including six children -- and injuring 175 others. It was a public snub to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe that seems to have emboldened the FARC, courtesy of the Brazil-Ecuador-Venezuela axis of diplomatic spinelessness.***

Venezuela ruled by little Saddam *** As if alienating his own people was not enough, Chavez decided to take it to the next level and try on the international community. Besides being a good personal friend of the bearded pajama revolutionary himself, in the summer of 2000, he wined and dined with everyone's three favorite regimes; Iran, Iraq and North Korea.

U.N. sanctions notwithstanding, the-man-who-would-be-Bolivar was enchanted by the desert nations, specifically Baghdad. "His courting of Fidel Castro, Colombia's Marxist guerrillas and Saddam Hussein made him a pariah both in Latin America and in Washington," the Post reported.

Even more troubling are allegations of support for international terrorist organizations. Several high-ranking military defectors, including the former head of the border service, claim Chavez has helped conceal the identities of terrorists, many Middle Eastern, passing through the country. More fantastically, and more likely fabricated, is the charge that he funneled money to al-Qaida in October 2001, in the guise of humanitarian aid.

The testimony of former higher-ups should be taken with more than a grain of salt; however, the claims are entirely possible. Chavez has done nothing to crack down on the drug smuggling taking place in the border regions that directly benefts Colombian rebels. And he has sent members of his fanatical civilian support groups, his Bolivarian Circles (often referred to as "Circles of Terror"), to Cuba for "unspecified training."

His contentious and troublesome history aside, Chavez deserves special attention now as he carries out his pledge to make those behind the recently defeated strike pay for challenging his authority. "Twelve-armed men kidnapped the four victims on Saturday night as they were leaving a protest. They were bound and gagged, and some were tortured before the gunmen executed them, the police said," the New York Times reported Wednesday.

The killings of the three dissident soldiers and an opposition organizer, while perhaps not directly authorized by Chavez, were undoubtedly politically motivated. The Bolivarian Circles have been known to physically threaten protesters with violence. To counter this, some protesters have formed their own armed bands, raising the terrible, if still distant, specter of all-out urban warfare between opposing camps.

Such an apocryphal warning may be necessary, however, as Venezuela continues to destabilize. Labor-government negotiations are on the cusp of dissolving, and the possibility has led many to take to the streets in protests dwarfing antiwar crowds in the United States.***

Venezuela Restricts Imports: Paper Imports For Books Not Newspapers*** CARACAS -(Dow Jones)- Venezuelan Trade Minister Ramon Rosales said a recently published list of "importable" items included paper only for text books and not for newspapers, which are a lower priority, local daily El Nacional reported Thursday. Paper for newspapers may be included in future lists, and newspaper owners needing to import paper can file a request for "reconsideration," Rosales was quoted as saying. Rosales couldn't be reached for further comment.

Newsprint isn't manufactured in Venezuela and many local newspapers have said they only have paper to last them through about April. Opponents of President Hugo Chavez warn he'll likely use the new rules to close newspapers critical of his administration, which they say is becoming increasingly dictatorial. Chavez often accuses some newspapers, along with television and radio stations, of unfair coverage. ***

Venezuela reinforces military along Colombian border -Denies existence of FARC terrorist camp*** *** Army commander Gen. Jorge Garcia Carneiro toured military posts in the frontier Wednesday. He plans to submit a report on the military situation to President Hugo Chavez. Blanco's comments came after news reports in Bogota that Colombian rebels had established bases in Venezuela. But Blanco dismissed the allegations as "irresponsible." "We are patrolling and fulfilling our mission," he said.

Colombia's leading daily El Tiempo reported Wednesday that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, runs a training school for some 400 rebels in Venezuela. Citing an unidentified report from the Colombian army, the newspaper also said that the National Liberation Army, or ELN, has a camp in Venezuela that it uses as an air base and hideout for kidnap victims. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Roy Chaderton denied the report, saying Colombian officials would have contacted Venezuelan authorities by now if it were true. Chaderton said he believed someone provided false information to the press.

On Thursday, a Venezuelan opposition politician claimed he has a report by Venezuela's Environment Ministry confirming the existence of a FARC camp in Sierra de Perija. The report says the camp has a water tank, a cafeteria for 50 people and a dormitory, Fernando Villasmil, president of the legislature of western Zulia state, said in an interview with Union Radio. Environment Ministry officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Earlier in the week, Chaderton said his country would not declare Colombian rebels terrorists because that would make it harder for Venezuela to help broker any future peace agreement in the civil war. Chavez has condemned rebel bombings and kidnappings as "acts of terrorism." Caracas and Bogota are considering calling a meeting between Chavez and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to discuss relations, which have been rocky for years. Many Colombians believe that the Venezuelan government is sympathetic to the leftist rebels, and some have even accused Venezuelan authorities of harboring rebels.

Chavez denies supporting rebels.***

U.S. keeping eye on Chavez moves - Senators told of trend toward authoritarianism in Venezuela *** WASHINGTON -- Directing unusually blunt language at Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the top U.S. military officer in Latin America said Thursday he sees a trend toward authoritarianism in the troubled country. Gen. James. T. Hill, head of the U.S. Southern Command, gave his assessment of the situation in Venezuela during an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Hill also said U.S. efforts to help Colombia fight leftist guerrillas have been successful, but the country's conflict will not be resolved solely by military means. He said the Colombian military is gaining momentum in its battle against the guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries.

On Venezuela, Hill described the street protests during the two-month general strike that crippled Venezuela's economy as, "for lack of a better term, democracy in action." The strike crippled oil exports in what had been the world's fifth-largest oil exporter. He said that following the strike, Chavez's "actions may portend a move toward greater authoritarianism. In my mind, that bears watching very carefully. I have directed my people to do that." Since the strike ended, Chavez has come under international criticism for cracking down on political opponents.

Chavez has accused the United States and other nations of conducting a smear campaign to discredit his government. He continues to have strong support among Venezuela's many poor people. Hill said he has not personally been in contact with Venezuela's military, but praised it as professional and said it has good relations with the U.S. military. "The Venezuela military did not go out in the street and kill its citizens, nor did they conduct a coup," he said. "I think that's an important aspect of what's going on."

The Bush administration long has been wary of Chavez, who has befriended Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Cuban leader Fidel Castro and other U.S. adversaries. But after appearing too eager to support a failed coup attempt last April, the United States has been cautious in its criticism. It is following the leadership of the Organization of American States in seeking a peaceful resolution of Venezuela's political crisis. Hill created a stir in Venezuela last week when he said terrorist organizations were operating on the country's Margarita Island, as well as in border areas of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Venezuela's foreign minister, Roy Chaderton, called on him to provide evidence. ***

Venezuela Government To Wipe Out Government's Balance In FIEM Oil Fund [Full Text] CARACAS -(Dow Jones)- Venezuela's National Assembly has authorized the cash- strapped treasury to withdraw $51 million from the Macroeconomic Stabilization Fund, or FIEM, oil windfall account, local daily El Universal reported Thursday.

The withdrawal will wipe out the federal government's balance within the FIEM, leaving the fund with $1.608 billion, of which $208 million is earmarked for state governments and the remainder for state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA(E.PVZ), according to the report.

Government officials couldn't be reached for confirmation. The FIEM is a rainy day fund that, in 2000 and 2001, absorbed half of Venezuela's oil revenues above budgeted levels. The account isn't expected to get any deposits until 2004 as a result of a new law.

Government income was severely affected by a two-month general strike against President Hugo Chavez's leadership that began Dec. 2, which all but shut down Venezuela's vital oil industry, among many other sectors. Opposition leaders are demanding Chavez agree to early elections, blaming his left-leaning policies for the country's deepening economic crisis. The economy contracted 8.9% in 2002, amid 17% unemployment and 32% annualized inflation sparked by a 46% devaluation of the bolivar. The currency lost a further 25% this year before currency sales were halted Jan. 21. [End] Chavez has said the problems are due to an "economic coup" led by his opponents. El Universal Website: www.eluniversal.com -By Jehan Senaratna, Dow Jones Newswires; 58212-564-1339; jehan.senaratna@dowjones.com

Venezuela Strike Leader Seeks Asylum*** Labor union leader Carlos Ortega, who faces treason charges, entered the embassy earlier Friday and was granted diplomatic asylum, Costa Rican Ambassador Ricardo Lizano said. "For humanitarian reasons ... (Costa Rica) decided to grant asylum and it has communicated as much to the Venezuelan government," the Costa Rican foreign ministry said in a statement. The statement said Ortega cited fear for his personal security when he requested asylum. He had been in hiding since Feb. 20, after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest for treason, rebellion and incitement.

Costa Rica is evaluating whether to grant Ortega territorial asylum, which would allow him to live in the country, Lizano said. Venezuela would grant safe conduct to Ortega if he is granted territorial asylum, Interior Minister Lucas Rincon said. Chavez said on state television that Ortega's asylum request "demonstrated the criminal character" of the strike leaders. "They are sabotagers and terrorists who greatly harmed the country," he said. At the same time, hundreds of flag-waving supporters gathered around the Costa Rican embassy in eastern Caracas chanting, "Ortega, friend, the people are with you!" ***

Venezuela rationing water due to drought, forest fires***Rationing could continue until the end of the dry season, said Jacqueline Faria, president of Hidrocapital, the government water company that serves Caracas.

Everyday, Faria appears in television advertisements pleading with Caracas residents not to waste water. Hidrocapital swore in 100,000 kids as "water guardians." Their job is to warn family and friends against wasting water. The basin that feeds the Camatagua reservoir, the source of over half the capital's supply, hasn't received rain for months.

"I've never seen it this low," said Juan Quintero, a fishing guide at Camatagua, 37 miles (60 kilometers) from Caracas. According to Luis Olivares, a meteorologist at the Cajigal Observatory, which measures rainfall and weather conditions in Venezuela, said 58.8 millimeters (2.3 inches) of water fell in Venezuela's central region during November and December. None has fallen since. ***

Venezuelan Judge drops strike-related charges, revokes arrest warrants *** CARACAS, Venezuela - A judge struck down charges against seven former oil executives related to a two-month strike against President Hugo Chavez, lawyers for the executives said Monday. A Caracas court of appeals also revoked arrest warrants against the executives, who were fired from the state oil monopoly for leading a strike to force Chavez's resignation or early elections, said lawyers Juan Martin Echeveria and Jesus Loreto. A lower court had charged the seven with interrupting and "damaging the means used to supply" fuel. The appeals court dropped the charges after ruling that the lower court had committed procedural violations, Echeveria told reporters.

The executives went into hiding after the lower court ordered their arrest Feb. 26. Echeveria said he advised the executives not to emerge from hiding yet because they might be seized by authorities unaware of the appeals' court decision. Last week, secret police stormed an opposition march in an attempt to arrest Petroleos de Venezuela executive Juan Fernandez, who made a surprise appearance. The police clashed with protesters, and Fernandez escaped. "We see a light in Venezuela's administration of justice," Echeveria said. ***

Venezuelan ex-oil executives emerge from hiding; prosecutors to appeal court ruling dropping strike charges***The seven had been accused of interrupting and damaging the country's fuel supply. An appeals court dropped the charge Monday. Prosecutors said they would appeal that ruling in the Supreme Court. The executives were among 15,000 workers — almost half the work force — sacked from the PDVSA for joining a walkout to demand Chavez's resignation or early elections. The strike, which fizzled last month, paralyzed the world's fifth-largest oil exporting industry and cost Venezuela US$6 billion. Private economists expect Venezuela's economy to shrink 40 percent in the first three months of the year, after contracting 9 percent in 2002.

The government says oil production has risen to 3 million barrels a day, almost what it was before the strike. Fired executives insisted Tuesday it was 2.4 million barrels. Also Tuesday, PDVSA failed to restart the El Palito refinery's main gasoline producing unit, which shut down last week because of a mechanical failure. It could take another few days to restart the catalytic cracker, a delay that could force Venezuela to continue importing gasoline, pro-government union activist Jose Arias said. PDVSA officials were not immediately available for comment.

Foes say Chavez is persecuting opponents, trampling over the country's democratic institutions and fomenting class hatred. The former army paratrooper accuses his opponents of trying to overthrow a democratically elected president and bring Venezuela back under the control of two corrupt traditional parties that ruled for 40 years until his 1998 election.

Also Tuesday, strike leader Carlos Ortega waited for the Venezuelan government to grant him safe conduct to Costa Rica, where he has been given asylum. Venezuelan officials have indicated the government would grant the safe conduct. ………….Co-strike leader Carlos Fernandez, the president of Venezuela's biggest business association, is under house arrest awaiting trial for rebellion and instigation. A judge struck down a treason charge.***

Venezuelan Newsprint Stocks Running Low Under Chavez’s Restrictions [Full text] CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez is using currency controls to limit press freedom by denying Venezuelan newspapers the dollars needed to import newsprint, a newspaper director said Wednesday. Nationwide newsprint stocks are down to one month's supply, said Miguel Otero, director of Caracas' El Nacional. "Nobody knows how the newspapers are going to operate after April," Otero said. "The government wants to silence us."

Chavez accuses Venezuela's news media of conspiring to overthrow his leftist government. Many newspapers endorsed a recent, failed two-month general strike to demand early presidential elections. Chavez's term ends in 2007. Chavez suspended dollar sales to businesses and citizens Jan. 22 to stem a rapid devaluation of the bolivar currency and capital flight. The government published a list this week of 6,000 imported items, such as medicine and food, that will be eligible for private dollar purchases at a date to be announced. Newsprint is not on the list, although the government says it may be in the future.

"This is undoubtedly an attempt against freedom of expression. It's becoming a government policy," Otero said. The bolivar lost a quarter of its value against the dollar this year before currency sales were halted. [End]

U.S. offering reward for FARC hostages – Americans held*** BOGOTA, Colombia -- The United States is offering Colombians $300,000, a U.S. visa and a new life in America for information leading to the rescue of three U.S. military contractors captured by rebels last month. Authorities Tuesday began distributing color fliers outlining the offer, complete with pictures of a jetliner, a visa application and a clean, modern metropolis lying along azure waters -- presumably an American city.

The Americans were captured by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -- known as the FARC -- Feb. 13 after their U.S. government plane went down in rebel territory during an intelligence mission. A fourth American and a Colombian on the plane were killed near the scene. The U.S. State Department years ago classified the FARC as a terrorist group, but the U.S. Embassy denied that the offer of the money -- equal to more than a lifetime's pay for many Colombians -- and the hard-to-get U.S. visa is tantamount to negotiating with terrorists. ***

Terrorism: "Exchangeable prisoners are in Venezuela" - A testimony of FARC presence in Venezuela***So, they wanted to go to Venezuela because they felt safer on that side of the frontier than on this one, since the Colombian Army -in respect of the Venezuelan sovereignty- does not cross the border. Once, a guerrilla told me that he had returned in December from training in Venezuelan territory. In view of my surprise, he said: "The front has camps on that side of the border. Besides, the commander and his group remain there." Then, I dared to make another question: How far are we from the camp in the Venezuelan territory? "About 40 or 70 days, depending on the circumstances," he answered. So, it is deep inside that country, I said. "Yes, well inward," he said.

When we spoke about famous exchangeable prisoners (political, military, police and governmental dignitaries that have been kidnapped and that, according to the guerrilla, could be exchanged by FARC captives), one of the guerrilla told me: "You should be grateful for not being one of those exchangeable people, because if you were, we would have taken you with them already." And where are they? I asked. "On that side of the frontier."

I told him how could it be possible that such as honest person like former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, known also by her fight against corruption, remains kidnapped. He answered that she was a big shot that would be released only when an exchange law is passed. They never said the exact location of the exchangeable prisoners. But we can presume that the place should be between Venezuelan Zulia and Táchira states. Once, they said that it is possible to go to the Venezuelan zone called Machiques through Sabana Rubia, in Colombian Codazzi municipality. ***

Venezuela Court Frees Anti-Chavez Strike Leader [Full text]CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - A Venezuelan appeals court on Thursday ordered the release of a prominent opponent of President Hugo Chavez arrested in February for spearheading a two-month strike against the leftist leader.

The decision to free businessman Carlos Fernandez was a blow to Chavez's efforts to punish the leaders of the crippling general strike in December and January that slashed oil output and exports by the world's No. 5 petroleum exporter. The court ruled that 52-year-old Fernandez, who faces rebellion charges, should be released from house arrest because prosecutors had not complied with correct procedures. "He is completely free," appeals judge Luis Lecuna told reporters.

Fernandez was taken from his home in Valencia, west of Caracas, to hospital late Wednesday suffering from a heart condition. Lecuna said he could still face prosecution for his role in leading the strike that fizzled out early last month after failing to force Chavez to resign. Earlier this week, an appeals court annulled arrest orders against seven former executives of the state oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), whom Chavez had accused of disrupting and sabotaging national oil production during the strike.

Another strike leader, union boss Carlos Ortega, has been granted asylum by Costa Rica and is waiting in the Costa Rican embassy in Caracas to travel to the Central American country, Chavez, who was first elected in 1998 and whose current term ends in 2007, has refused opposition calls for early elections. [End]

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