Nearly eight weeks after rebel military and civilian leaders briefly toppled Chavez, Venezuela is still mired in political uncertainty and jitters over another possible uprising. Talks aimed at brokering dialogue between Chavez supporters and his critics have descended into political sniping as both sides blame each other for the deaths of civilians shot by gunmen during the April 11-14 ouster.
Carter, working from his nonprofit Carter Center in Atlanta after leaving office in 1981, has established himself as an elder statesman helping to settle conflicts around the world. Last month he became the most senior U.S. statesman to visit Cuba since its 1959 revolution. He met Cuban dissidents in Havana as part of his push for internal reforms in the island's one-party Communist state.
The Carter Center confirmed it had received the request. "We did receive the invitation from the Venezuelan vice president and we are taking it under consideration," a Carter Center spokesman said. ***
The new defense minister, Gen. Lucas Rincon, admitted to reporters recently that the changes were made necessary because of "certain discontent," especially in the high ranks of the armed forces. "The reason we have so many changes in the armed forces is because the situation we experienced (April 11) requires that we make them, it's as simple as that," Rincon told reporters.
Critics accuse the president of going back on his word. After his dramatic restoration to power in April Chavez vowed there would be no "witch hunt" against the military. "There is definitely a purge in progress and what we have is a very precarious situation," said Alberto Garrido, a political analyst and author of several books about Chavez. ***