Rebel military officers ousted Chavez on April 12, a day after 17 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in an opposition march. Chavez was reinstated April 14 following protests by his supporters and foreign governments. Dozens of people died in riots and looting during Chavez's ouster. Chavez was on his first foreign trip Friday since the coup, attending a European Union-Latin America summit in Spain. He was to return Saturday.
Speculation about a new uprising included reports that the president's family had left Venezuela, that government ministers were in military custody and that high-ranking military officers were deploying tanks and troops to launch a coup. "The most tangible proof that there isn't a problem is that (Chavez) traveled abroad," said Rangel. "There would be a basis for suspicion" if Chavez didn't go, Rangel said. The U.S. State Department on Wednesday eased a travel warning for American citizens visiting Venezuela, though it cautioned that demonstrations and unrest can erupt at any time and urged Americans not to visit regions bordering Colombia due to kidnapping threats. [End]