VENEZ: Opposiiton Ldrs. Prepare "Civil Rebellion" With Media Support.

[Say_What]

Transcript in Spanish available at site.

<clips>

Caracas, Oct 31 (Venezuelanalysis.com).- On October 29th, Venezuelan National Assembly deputies Nicolás Maduro, Juan Barreto and Roger Rondón, presented new evidence of an opposition plan for "civil rebellion" to sabotage their own signature drive to call for a referendum to revoke President Chavez's mandate. The sabotage will be blamed on the government. The plan also contemplates another lockout and strike to try to oust Chavez.

The tape presented by the deputies, shows a phone conversation between Carlos Ortega, a fugitive of Venezuelan justice who lives in Costa Rica, and Manuel Cova, the current president of the pro-bosses Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV). Ortega is a former president of the CTV, and he was a key figure in the coup d'etat against Chavez last year, by calling for a general strike and ordering demonstrators to march into the Presidential Palace.

In the conversation, the opposition leaders refer to a "common friend", whom they call "the secretary general", who is supposed to be helping them with their plans.

Ortega and Cova talked about a "movement" where some opposition political parties are involved. This "movement" seems to be separated from other sectors of the opposition that still believe in the referendum as a way to oust Chavez from office.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1084

[xchrom]

1. well it's halloween

and the hob-goblins are busy.

[Judi Lynn]

2. So U.S.-paid Venezuelan labor leader, Carlos Ortega's in Costa Rica

One wonders why he didn't stay in Miami, where he and temporary El Presidente Carmona were the guests of honor at the Cuban-American anti-Chavez parade last year...

For a great look at the recently released film on Chavez and the coup, see AP's thread in D.U.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=623194

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On 11 April CTV president, Carlos Ortega, lead a protest demonstration of more than 200,000 people. The size of the demo was at least in part due to an incessant campaign of media promotion presented by Venezuela’s largely anti-Chávez media outlets. With the exception of one state channel, Venezuelan TV is owned entirely by big business and is overtly antipathetic to Chavez’s radical socialism. Carlos Ortega diverted the rally away from its original destination, the PDVSA headquarters, towards the presidential palace of Miraflores. There the demonstrators were faced by a counter-demonstration of Chávez supporters and, as police intervened to separate the two groups, shots rang out from surrounding buildings. More than 20 people died with 100 wounded. Commercial TV stations showed footage of the violence edited to give the strong impression that the gunfire had come from Chávez supporters, and that a peaceful demonstration had been brutally suppressed. The President responded by ordering the temporary suspension of TV broadcasts for their incitement to violence. (snip)

We also know that US Asst. Sec for the Western Hemisphere, Otto Reich, had a meeting with Carmona, in November last year. . We also know that the Venezuelan Army’s Inspector General Lucas Romero Rincon, had visited the Pentagon in December 2002 for a meeting with the US Asst. Sec. of Defence for the Western Hemisphere, Rogerio Pardo-Maurer; another George W appointee to have been heavily involved in supporting the contra rebels in Nicaragua. Two of the coup leaders, General Efraín Vázquez and Ramirez Poveda, are also known to have graduated from the notorious School of America’s, the CIA’s school of insurgency which has trained a multitude of covert operators.

Furthermore US ambassador Charles Shapiro, who had been appointed only a couple of months previously, was seen on12 April emerging from the presidential palace with Carmona; the Spanish ambassador is also reported to have been present at one point. The US government admit their ambassador met Carmona the day after the coup but insist he simply advised the junta’s leader to return Venezuela to democratic rule. Much to the embarrassment of the US, however, Carmona insists no such advice was given. (snip)

(snip) US fingers have plunged into Latin American pies before but never have they been so hastily rebuffed by popular insurrection and Latin American solidarity. (snip)
http://www.squall.co.uk/squall.cfm/ses/sq=2002051001/ct=2

[AP]

3. Ortega should give back whatever he stole from the Millaflores safe.

Go see this movie, everyone: