[A-List] Venezuela Orders US Military Off Bases After Coup Plotters Arrested

[Rick Rozoff <r_rozoff@xxxxxxxxx>]

1) Venezuela Asks US Military To Leave Bases
2) US Military Commander Knew Of Plot To Use Colombian
Paramilitaries To Topple Government: Venezuela


1)
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=aXRF4xIL8_w8&refer=latin_america

Bloomberg News
May 13, 2004

Venezuela Asks U.S. Military to Leave Bases, Nacional
Reports

-President Hugo Chavez said yesterday the U.S.
military knew about a plot by Colombian paramilitary
members to lead a coup and overthrow the government.


Venezuela asked the U.S. military to vacate offices on
military bases it has occupied for more than 50 years,
U.S. Ambassador Charles Shapiro said, according to El
Nacional.

The U.S. will maintain its military liaison offices in
other buildings, Shapiro said, according to the
newspaper.

President Hugo Chavez said yesterday the U.S. military
knew about a plot by Colombian paramilitary members to
lead a coup and overthrow the government. Shapiro
denied any U.S. involvement with a paramilitary plot.

Relations between Venezuela and the U.S. have been
tense since Chavez, who led a failed coup as an army
lieutenant colonel in 1992, took office in 1999.
Chavez says the U.S. helped plan a failed coup attempt
against him in 2002, a charge the U.S. denies.
-------------------------------------------------------
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2004/05/12/457157-ap.html


Associated Press
May 13, 2004

Venezuelan president: U.S. knew about plot


-Chavez said his government thwarted a sophisticated
international conspiracy with the arrest this week of
more than 80 suspected members of Colombia's
right-wing paramilitary groups....
-Chavez said Wednesday he suspected [U.S. army Gen.
James Hill, the commander of U.S. military operations
in Latin America] knew about the plan because of
comments the general made during a U.S. Senate
committee hearing in April.



CARACAS - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused a
senior U.S. military commander Wednesday of knowing
about a purported conspiracy to send Colombian
paramilitary fighters to overthrow his government.

Although he acknowledged he didn't "have proof at this
moment," Chavez said he is "completely sure" U.S. army
Gen. James Hill, the commander of U.S. military
operations in Latin America, "knew about the plan that
was being prepared against Venezuela." Chavez stopped
short of accusing Hill of involvement.

Chavez said his government thwarted a sophisticated
international conspiracy with the arrest this week of
more than 80 suspected members of Colombia's
right-wing paramilitary groups, most of them at a farm
outside the Venezuelan capital Caracas.

Authorities detained 14 more alleged paramilitaries
near Caracas on Wednesday, Chavez announced.

Some opposition leaders have dismissed the arrests as
a government ploy to distract attention from efforts
to stage a referendum to recall Chavez.

Chavez said Wednesday he suspected Hill knew about the
plan because of comments the general made during a
U.S. Senate committee hearing in April. Hill, who
heads the Miami-based U.S. Southern Command, accused
Chavez of pursuing anti-democratic policies that pose
a serious threat to the region.

Southern Command spokesman Raul Duany rejected the
allegation.

"We have had no relationship with, participation in or
knowledge of paramilitary groups or individuals
violating the sovereignty of another country," Duany
said.

Venezuela provides about 15 per cent of U.S. oil
imports but diplomatic relations are strained. U.S.
officials accuse Chavez of becoming increasing
autocratic, while Chavez accuses Washington of
supporting efforts to overthrow his government,
including a failed 2002 coup.

On Wednesday, a Venezuelan Defence Ministry spokesman
said the government ordered a U.S. military liaison
mission to vacate its offices in the Caracas Fort
Tiuna military base, arguing it needed the space for
an education program for poor pre-schoolers.

The ministry informed the U.S. Embassy on Friday the
mission has until May 31 to vacate the offices, the
spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

Embassy officials said they do not yet know where the
mission would relocate. In 2002, the government also
told the mission to leave but never followed through
on the order.

On Monday, Venezuelan soldiers seeking weapons raided
a warehouse used by the U.S. Embassy to store
furniture. The search turned up nothing.

Authorities have also detained three active-duty
Venezuelan military officials for allegedly
co-operating with the suspected paramilitaries.

Venezuelan officials have provided only vague
information about who the masterminds of the purported
conspiracy could be.

Robert Alonso, owner of the farm where most of the
arrests were made Sunday, denied involvement and said
he hasn't lived on the property for more than a year.
He told television stations he has been in hiding
since March, when government supporters accused him of
leading violent protests.

Alfredo Defendini, president of the opposition group
Bloque Democratico, acknowledged Alonso attended
several of the organization's meetings.

But Defendini insisted his group, a hardline coalition
of civil organizations pushing for a
civil-disobedience campaign against Chavez, denied the
group had anything do with the alleged plot and said
he doubted Alonso did either.

"We think this is a big set-up," Defendini said.

Without providing evidence, Chavez accused Pedro
Carmona, the businessman who became interim president
during a short-lived coup in 2002, of being involved.

On Tuesday, soldiers raided coffee farm owned by
billionaire Gustavo Cisneros, the owner of the Latin
American media conglomerate Cisneros Group. But
officials did not specify whether Cisneros was a
suspect.

A military tribunal ordered 86 of the suspected
paramilitary fighters to stand trial for military
rebellion, the Venezuelan news agency Venpres reported
Wednesday.








	
		
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