Venezuela observes coup anniversary

[Judi Lynn]

Venezuela observes coup anniversary

CARACAS, Venezuela, April 12 (UPI) -- Venezuela is commemorating this week the 4th anniversary of the short-lived coup that ousted President Hugo Chavez for 48 hours.

Solemn ceremonies in Caracas marked the occasion and remembered those killed in violence when the military briefly took power and deposed the leftist Chavez.

Some 15 people were killed in the melee, though some contend many more died during the 2002 uprising.

Chavez blames the Bush administration for orchestrating the coup, an allegation the White House denies. U.S. officials did, however, speak in favor of the uprising at the time, saying the coup reflected the will of the Venezuelan people.
(snip/...)

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060412-012123-9719r

[Judi Lynn]

1. Spanish military sale to Venezuela confirmed

Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Spanish military sale to Venezuela confirmed
Spain Herald

Angel Lopez Rojas, the logistics chief of the Venezuelan navy, confirmed yesterday that Hugo Chavez's government will buy eight navy patrol boats from Spanish shipbuilder Navantia and ten military transport planes from Spanish aerospace constructor EADS-CASA. The sale, which the Zapatero administration brokered, will occur despite the United States's veto.

At the beginning of 2006, the US denied its permission to Spain to sell military planes or ships using American technological components, arguing that such sales to the Chavez regime would break up the balance of military power in South America.

Lopez Rojas said, "Soon we will sign the papers in order to turn over the necessary payments in agreement with the calendar of deliveries." The Spanish companies and Venezuela agreed that American components will be replaced by others manufactured in another European country.

He added that fifteen Venezuelan navy experts would travel to Spain in order to supervise the construction of the patrol boats and transport planes, and calculated that the first patrol boat would reach Venezuela in 2008. Each additional ship will be delivered every six months.
(snip/...)

http://www.spainherald.com/3333.html

[Judi Lynn]

2. Venezuela marks coup anniversary

Last Updated: Wednesday, 12 April 2006, 03:33 GMT 04:33 UK
Venezuela marks coup anniversary
By Greg Morsbach
BBC News, Caracas

Jose Vicente Rangel blames the CIA for the 2002 coup attempt
Venezuelans have been commemorating the fourth anniversary of a failed military coup against President Hugo Chavez.

The government accuses Washington of orchestrating the coup from which Mr Chavez returned after just 48 hours.

Venezuelan Vice-President Jose Vicente Rangel unveiled a memorial in Caracas to remember the victims of violence during the days of the coup.

More than 15 people died during large scale protests which led to Mr Chavez's brief departure from power.
(snip/...)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4901718.stm

[redqueen]

3. I'm so glad that they're not letting that slip down the memory hole.

:D

Thank you so much for posting it! :)

[951-Riverside]

4. What happened to the people involved in the coup?

They had to capture some people

[Judi Lynn]

5. The last article I've seen which refers to this said they have no one

in prison connected to this yet.

I know a few of the high-ranking military officials who took part scampered off. One went to Colombia, and a couple to Miami.

I'd like to know more, myself. Their opposition press, which aided in the coup, probably doesn't like to spend too much space discussing the failed coup, so it may take time before too much more is known.

[Mika]

8. They left for Miami. Where else do crooks & scum flee to? n/t

[killbotfactory]

6. Our tax dollars at work

Oh wait, officially Bush had nothing to do with it... riiiiigggghhhhhttttt...

[Cha]

7. Just saying on another thread

that I hope Prodi realizes the danger of the American cons like Chavez does.

[struggle4progress]

9. Venezuela Coup Linked to Bush Team

by Ed Vulliamy
UK Guardian
April 22, 2002

The failed coup in Venezuela was closely tied to senior officials in the US government, The Observer has established. They have long histories in the 'dirty wars' of the 1980s, and links to death squads working in Central America at that time ...

... The visits by Venezuelans plotting a coup .. continued until weeks before the putsch ... The visitors were received at the White House by .. Otto Reich .. a right-wing Cuban-American who, under Reagan, .. was shown by congressional investigations to report directly to Reagan's National Security Aide, Colonel Oliver North ...

Reich .. had 'a number of meetings with Carmona and other leaders of the coup' ... The coup was discussed in some detail, right down to its timing ... On the day Carmona claimed power, Reich summoned ambassadors from Latin America and the Caribbean to his office ... He said the US would support the Carmona government.

But the crucial figure around the coup was Abrams, who operates in the White House as senior director of the National Security Council for 'democracy, human rights and international operations' ... During the Contras' rampage in Nicaragua, he worked directly <with> North ...

http://www.zmag.org/content/LatinAmerica/vulliamy_coup-venezuela.cfm

[Judi Lynn]

10. It's great to see articles like this in the Guardian.

It also also deepens doubts about policy in the region being made by appointees to the Bush administration, all of whom owe their careers to serving in the dirty wars under President Reagan.
(snip)

Absolutely!

Thanks for posting the link.