Fedecamaras and union leaders said they would meet in the next few days to determine how to protest the arrest. They did not rule out calling another general strike, which could plunge the country further into economic and political chaos.
In Washington, State Department officials expressed concern over the arrest. The Bush administration has been sharply criticized for ignoring the ongoing conflict. "We fear the act could undermine the dialogue process" in Venezuela, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "This increases our concerns about human rights in Venezuela."
The arrest comes on the heels of an incident in which four opposition protesters, a woman and three soldiers, were killed over the weekend, their bodies showing marks of torture. Police have said they do not believe that the slayings have a political motive, but the investigation continues.
Together, however, the incidents will give the opposition new ammunition to portray Chavez as a megalomaniac bent on imposing a dictatorship on Venezuela, analysts said. Larry Birns, director of the liberal think tank Council on Hemispheric Affairs, said Chavez's actions showed "ominous imprudence." "It was a grave political mistake for Chavez to implement a policy of revenge," Birns said. "That's the last thing that Venezuela needs right now."***