Analysis
Opinion
Scandal: fugitive bankers fund opposition campaign page 7
“Drones” a dirty word in the United Nations page 8
Friday, February 8, 2013 | Nº 145 | Caracas | www.correodelorinoco.gob.ve
Strengthening food sovereignty The Venezuelan government continues its efforts to guarantee food security for the South American nation by increasing national production and access to consumer products. Vice President Nicolas Maduro presided over the inauguration of a multipurpose agro-industrial complex in the state of Portuguesa last weekend as part of Venezuela’s bid to increase food sovereignty and boost technological development. page 3
ENGLISH EDITION/The artillery of ideas
Venezuela says Chavez “For now and forever”
Integration
Citgo Aids US Communities The Venezuelan government continues to help people in the US with heating oil. page 4 Economy
Venezuela emphasizes science
The Venezuelan people took to the streets of Caracas last Monday to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the attempted military insurrection that launched the nation’s Bolivarian Revolution and marked the beginning of the political career of current President Hugo Chavez. On February 4, 1992, Lieutenant Colonel Hugo Chavez alongside a cadre of military personnel belonging to the Bolivarian Movement 200, named after the Venezuelan independence hero Simon Bolivar, organized an uprising against the neoliberal government of President Carlos Andres Perez. Page 2
Carnival, Venezuela style
2013 sees a budget increase for science and technology projects. page 5
Solidarity
World Conference Praises Chavez The World Equilibrium Conference gathered hundreds of renowned intellectuals in Cuba. page 6
A week-long celebration, starting on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, El Callao is home to Venezuela’s biggest and best carnival celebrations. This year it will be held from February 7 – 13. The origins of the carnival date back to 1850s when the gold rush attracted people from all over the Caribbean who came to settle in the area. Today, the carnival has evolved into a culmination of music and dances from the British West Indies and French Antilles giving it a unique sound. Two of the main features of the carnival are the madamas and the devils – the madamas dressed in the flashy robes of Martinique and Guadeloupe and the devils wearing distinctive African headscarves. Many people also dress up as mediopintos, covering themselves from head to toe in black paint and threaten to the same to anyone who does not give them a donation.
INTERNATIONAL Venezuela’s internet use up, cell phone use over 100% T/ YVKE Mundial Venezuela’s telecommunications sector finished 2012 with positive numbers, according to data for the fourth quarter of the year just released by the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel). Conatel announced that in the fourth quarter of the year, investments were up 54% compared to in 2011, while its profits were up 22.4%. A 12% rise in subscribers to Conatel’s internet services indicates greater access to web among Venezuelans. The fourth quarter of 2012 saw 3.67 million new clients. There are an estimated 12.55 million internet users in Venezuela, up 6.2% in the last year, a share which now represents 42% of the national population. In terms of broadband, subscribers to this service grew 13.5% in the last quarter of the year, and 41% of those subscribers chose wireless. Meanwhile, “dial up” internet services fell by 5.7%. Last year saw 315,000 new subscribers to local phone services in Venezuela, which were up 4.3% in 2012. An estimated 93% of households nationwide have a home phone. Venezuelans spent a total of 3.76 billion minutes on the phone and sent 59 million text messages in 2012. The penetration of cell phone service is over 100% nationwide – meaning that there are more phones than people – and active subscribers to wireless plans grew 6% last year. There are 30.5 million cell phone users in Venezuela, and 93% use prepaid services. Subscription television service in Venezuela was up 21.4% last year, reaching a total of 3.39 million clients.
2 Impact | . s Friday, February 8, 2013
The artillery of ideas
Venezuelans celebrate Chavez “For now and forever”
T/ COI P/ Presidential Press
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he Venezuelan people took to the streets of Caracas last Monday to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the attempted military insurrection that launched the nation’s Bolivarian Revolution and marked the beginning of the political career of current President Hugo Chavez. Marches originating in various parts of the capital converged on the Presidential Pal-
ace of Miraflores where high ranking officials of the Chavez government spoke on the legacy that the civic-military uprising has left for the country. Venezuelan Vice President, Nicolas Maduro, referred to the date as “the resurrection of our patriotic symbols”, calling the events some of the greatest moments for the country in the 20th Century. “How beautiful it was to see the flag on February 4!” Maduro exclaimed at the rally, praising soldiers who took a
stand against the injustice and inequality that marked Venezuelan society 21 years ago. For Roisnis Grisman, socialist activist present at Monday’s demonstration, “February 4 represented the retaking of the people’s struggle”. “Thanks to Chavez, we have awoken and we began to take power”, Grisman added.
THE HISTORY On February 4, 1992, Lieutenant Colonel Hugo Chavez alongside a cadre of military person-
nel belonging to the Bolivarian Movement 200, named after the Venezuelan independence hero Simon Bolivar, organized an uprising against the neoliberal government of President Carlos Andres Perez. The rebellion was the product of a series of economic austerity measures introduced by Perez as well as the brutal repression of street protests in 1989, known as the Caracazo that left more than a thousand citizens dead. While the insurrection led by Chavez three years later was unsuccessful in toppling the discredited government of the time, it did succeed in planting the seeds for a greater political movement that would lead to the popular election of the revolutionary in 1998. Diosdado Cabello, President of the Venezuelan Congress, was involved in the planning and execution of coup and was subsequently imprisoned alongside Chavez for his participation in the insurrection. On Monday, Cabello addressed the crowd gathered in front of the Presidential Palace and lauded how the Bolivarian movement that Chavez founded more than 20 years ago continues to grow in strength. “With each passing day we are more committed to the Bolivarian Revolution, with Comandante Chavez and with the unity of the people of the Americas. We love Chavez as a father, as a brother, as a leader and as a colleague”, Cabello said of the Venezuelan President currently convalesc-
ing in Cuba from cancer surgery carried out on December 11. The head of the National Assembly also called attention to the attempts by the Venezuelan right-wing to take advantage of Chavez’s current absence by creating divisions in the socialist party and capitalizing on the political situation. “Those who believe that they’re going to return to power because [Chavez] is convalescing are making a mistake with the people”, he warned. Vice President Maduro stated that the Venezuelan President is “spiritually in the hearts of everyone here” and read a letter written for the occasion by the recovering head of state. In the message, Chavez expressed the need to follow the example set in 1992 and for the adherents of the Bolivarian Revolution to not fall into complacency. “February 4 was a day that generated a force that is still in expansion. February 4 has not ended. It’s spirit must be with us everyday because the powers that we are confronting for more than two decades still persist in their intention to stop the course of Venezuelan history, of our America and of the world”, he wrote. “We are all part of the insurgent homeland, the homeland that at last has taken the Bolivarian flag into its arms so that the light of dignity can be reborn from the depths of the people’s hearts”, the Venezuelan President penned.
. s Friday, February 8, 2013
The artillery of ideas
Venezuelan continues to strengthen food sovereignty, national security
T/ COI P/ Presidential Press
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enezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro presided over the inauguration of a multi-purpose agro-industrial complex in the state of Portuguesa last weekend as part of the South American nation’s bid to increase food sovereignty and boost technological development. The official opening of the Vuelvan Caras complex was held to mark the 14th anniversary of President Hugo Chavez’s coming to power and the political ascendancy of Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution. “We’re celebrating 14 years of revolution and the fact that the homeland will be sovereign and produce its own food”, Maduro said during the ceremony last Saturday. Land Minister Juan Carlos Loyo, Industry Minister Ricardo Menendez, and Alimentation Minister Carlos Osorio were also on hand for the event. According to officials, the new Vuelvan Caras facilities will assemble tractors equipped with 160 and 200
horse power engines at a rate of five per week. The complex will also be producing balanced livestock feed as well as the first graders to be assembled, in their entirety, in Venezuela. “Today, at 14 years (since the swearing-in of Hugo Chavez as President), we are starting to take our first steps. Venezuela now has a factory to produce some of the most modern tractors in the world”, the Vice President said. The engines utilized in the new assembly plant have been obtained from Brazil through Venezuela’s participation in the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) commercial bloc, Maduro informed. With respect to the livestock feed, the new facilities will be processing corn, rice and soy for poultry, pork and beef, with a production capacity of 480 tons daily. The technology for the processing plant is a result of accords signed between Venezuela and Argentina. “When you see these public works is when you say ‘the struggle, the sacrifices and the
victories have been worth it and it will be worth it all that needs to be done from here on out’”, the VP stated. Financing for new agrarian projects and machinery for 516 small and medium producers was also approved as part of Saturday’s inauguration. As part of the country’s Mission Agro-Venezuela social program, more than 401 thousand bolivars ($93,000) were allocated for the elaboration of a cattle ranching initiative in Portuguesa while 25 million bolivars ($5.8 million) have been destined to increase the production of corn flour, a Venezuelan staple. The interest rates for the credits have been set at four percent, a far cry from the 70 percent demanded by lending agencies during previous governments, Vice President Maduro said. The second-in-command noted that while Venezuela has made great strides in eliminating hunger in the country, the defense of food sovereignty in the country “belongs to everyone...and we have to be truly involved so that all Venezu-
elans have quality food at fair prices”. The comments come as the private market for price-regulated staple products continues to suffer the affects of speculation and hoarding by distributors who refuse to charge the legally mandated cost of basic commodities. To fight the illicit trade of common products, more than 60,000 volunteers from grassroots community councils have been organized into a new Network of Food Sovereignty and Security Defense.
FORTIFYING SECURITY AGAINST DESTABILIZATION During the last weekend’s launch, the Venezuelan Vice President informed the nation on the progress of new security measures and condemned a recent between opposition leader Henrique Capriles and members of the Colombian right-wing. Maduro reported on a meeting held between Defense Minister Diego Molero and President Chavez, currently convalescing in Cuba, regarding the configuration of the country’s Strate-
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gic Regions of Holistic Defense (REDI). “The President instructed Molero on the development of the REDI in order to continue the training process and equipping of the armed forces”, the Vice President said. Venezuela’s 2008 National Bolivarian Armed Forces Law establishes the nation’s REDI as a “national territorial space with geo-strategic characteristics” and divides the country into six such regions. Governor of Portuguesa state and former soldier Wilmar Castro Soteldo, spoke during Saturday’s ceremony on what he sees as new military ethic in Venezuela following years of domination from the United States. “We were an armed forces that was configured with a North American scheme that carried out invasions and attacks against neighboring countries. It was an armed forces conceived under an elitist conception that prohibited contact with the people”, Soteldo asserted. For Vice President Maduro, both the military and the people need to be on alert for attempts by the Venezuelan opposition to take advantage of President Chavez’s absence by sowing panic and fear in the population. To this effect, Maduro denounced a recent trip to Colombia by opposition leader and Governor of Miranda State, Henrique Capriles, which saw the ex-presidential candidate of the Venezuelan right meet with various political actors including former Spanish head of state, Felipe Gonzalez. Gonzalez, as founder of the Spanish newspaper El Pais, has been blamed by senior members of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) for publishing a falsified photo of President Chavez attached to a respirator. Maduro said Capriles’ meeting with Gonzalez was “shameful” and accused the opposition leader of conspiring with paramilitary elements in Colombia. Nevertheless, the Venezuelan Vice President exalted the unity of the PSUV, declaring that the country is ready “to confront what they are preparing”. “This revolution has been getting stronger year after year. It’s passed tests of coup d’etats, oil sabotage, economic sabotages, national and international conspiracies. But with each test we have become stronger... [The right-wing] should know that if they try to enact the conspiracies that they are preparing, the people and the government will become even more radical”, Maduro declared.
4 Integration | . s Friday, February 8, 2013
The artillery of ideas
Trade between Venezuela and Colombia back on track
Eighth annual Citgo-Venezuela Heating Oil Program launched T/ CITGO
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T/ Ewan Robertson P/ Agencies
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rade between Venezuela and Colombia increased 40.4% in 2012 compared with the previous year, Colombia’s customs and tax authority has reported. This represents a jump in twelve months of almost US $1 billion in commercial exchange, from $2.34 billion to $3.28 billion. The figures confirm that trade between the two Andean nations continues its recovery from the 2008 – 2010 crash, when bilateral exchange fell from $7.29 billion to $1.68 billion. Analysts consider that the plummet and recovery is due to political rather than economic factors, in particular due to improved diplomatic relations since Juan Manuel Santos became Colombian President in August 2010. “The trust between Juan Manuel Santos and (Venezuelan President) Hugo Chavez has generated this recovery of trade between the two countries”, said Pavel Rondon, a former Venezuelan ambassador to Colombia. He argued that bilateral trade crashed from 2009 due to “the aggressive position of exColombian President Alvaro Uribe”, who, by declarations
made toward the end of his presidential term, appeared to be ready to declare war on Venezuela. Uribe took an increasingly radical stance against President Chavez and the Bolivarian revolution during his presidency. The former President subsequently admitted in an interview last August that he had indeed considered military intervention in Venezuela towards the end of his term, but said that he had “lacked time”. However when Santos came to the Colombian presidency diplomatic relations were quickly restored. In November 2011 thirteen new bilateral agreements were signed between the neighboring countries, including a new customs regime to stimulate trade. This replaced Andean Community (CAN) agreements, from which Venezuela withdrew in 2006. “Conditions are set for trade. It has been growing progressively in recent months and this should give it a definite boost”, said Santos at the time. Meanwhile, Chavez heralded the agreements as evidence that “We want to strengthen our friendship, trust, and policies”, and transform Caracas and Bogota “into examples of governments that put their [po-
litical] differences aside so as to benefit their peoples”.
CHANGING THE BALANCE However, Venezuelan officials have raised concerns that the balance of trade between Venezuela and Colombia continues to be unfavorable to the OPEC nation. Colombian exports to Venezuela accounted for 81.8% of total trade in 2012, with Venezuelan exports at 18.2%, and while both nations increased exports on 2011, Colombia did so at a faster rate. Ex-ambassador Rondon argued that, “It’s necessary to turn around the negative balance of trade with Colombia…this has to be a national objective”. Observers also point out that the balance of trade between Venezuela and Colombia will not change overnight. “It’s going to depend on market development and that the Caracas – Bogota political axis is maintained, stimulating trust not only between the presidents but also producers”, said Rondon. According to the trade report, the main products Colombia exports to Venezuela are cattle, diapers, sweets and biscuits. Meanwhile principal imports into Colombia from Venezuela are steel, iron, chemical products and oil derivatives.
ast Thursday, at the Night of Peace Family Shelter in Baltimore, Citgo Petroleum Corporation President and CEO Alejandro Granado and Citizens Energy Corporation Chairman Joseph P. Kennedy II launched the eighth annual Citgo-Venezuela Heating Oil Program with the first heating oil delivery of this winter’s initiative. The program, which began as a single donation in 2005 in response to the high prices of heating oil resulting from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, has grown well beyond its original scope. Today, it has become a humanitarian symbol of unity between the people of Venezuela and those in need in the United States. This year, the program has a heightened sentiment as it comes at a time when Venezuelans and many in the world send their wishes for the health and prompt recovery of President Hugo Chavez, who has supported this initiative since its creation eight years ago. “The Citgo-Venezuela Heating Oil Program has been one of the most important energy assistance efforts in the United States. This year, as families across the Eastern Seaboard struggle to recover from the losses caused by Hurricane Sandy, this donation becomes even more significant”, said Granado. “This energy assistance program is an integral example of the humanitarian principles endorsed by the Citgo ultimate shareholder, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (Pdvsa), the national oil company of Venezuela”. Over the years, the program has helped more than 1.7 million people stay warm during the coldest months of winter by donating more than 200 million gallons of heating oil worth more than $400 million. It is estimated that this year the program will help more than 100,000 families in 25 states plus the District of Columbia, including members of more than 240 Native American communities and more than 200 homeless shelters. “Citgo invests relatively more than any other major oil company in social responsibility projects. As a matter of fact, our percent of revenue spent
in social programs has been five times more than those of other much larger, verticallyintegrated competing global brands. It is a core principle of our business to use the strength of our resources to help people in need”, Granado said. Since the program’s creation, Citgo has partnered with Citizens Energy Corporation, a non-profit organization created in 1979 by former US Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II. Citizens Energy Corporation, which has used successful ventures in the energy and health care industries to finance charitable programs in the US and abroad, has provided energy assistance to families in need for more than 30 years. “We are so grateful for this generous donation from the people of Venezuela and Citgo Petroleum Corporation. After eight years and more than 200 million gallons of heating oil distributed within the US, the burden of another difficult winter threatens the livelihood and safety of senior citizens and low-income families”, Kennedy said. “It is critical that we continue to support US families through this program. Thanks to this partnership, we will help more than 400,000 people stay warm and safe this winter”. Kennedy emphasized the commitment Citgo has made to US communities. He said that he has approached major US oil companies and oil-producing nations to ask them to assist the poor in bearing the burden of rising energy costs. “They all said no”, he said, “except for Citgo, President Chavez and the people of Venezuela”. Claudia Salerno Caldera, Venezuela’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for North America, addressed the plight of poor people and why humanitarian assistance is so vital. “The vision of social responsibility in the energy policy of Venezuela has allowed us to assure that our profits benefit the neediest people in our country. Just as the government of President Hugo Chavez has made significant efforts in the fight against poverty and in the promotion of social justice in Venezuela, this program demonstrates that our commitment to the poor transcends all boundaries, ideological and geographical”, Salerno said.
. s Friday, February 8, 2013
The artillery of ideas
Venezuela sees budget increases for technology, innovative projects
for the projects is a product of the reconfiguration of the country’s Science, Technology and Innovation Law (Locti), which obliges companies with high profit margins to contribute funding to national initiatives. The Locti was reformed in 2011, establishing a lower
which will promise the world just to win votes. “Regarding poverty, we achieved the Millennium Goal, because in 1990 it was at 24%, and the goal was to reduce it to half of that, and we achieved this commitment in 2006”, explained Eljuri. He went on to analyze the INE figures about the dietary status of the country. Regarding social strata’s 1,2 and 3, which are the wealthiest sectors of society,
and which make up roughly 8 million citizens, he stated that 94.8% of them eat three or more meals a day. In the 4th strata, which are people who live in “consolidated communities” and which make up roughly 50% of the country, similarly 94.9% consume three or more meals a day. Even in the 5th strata, which are people who live in situations of low resources, 97.3% have access to three or more meals a day, proving that hunger has all but been eliminated across all social sectors. “In Venezuela we are eating more and eating better”, summarized Eljuri clearly. Eljuri cited the numerous social programs of the government as key factors in this achievement, especially those which make low cost and subsidized food available to the nation, such as Mercal, Pdval, Bicentenario supermarkets and others.
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The Vice Minister explained that public financing had been allocated last year to 40 colleges and universities, breaking with a tradition that has seen the lion share of the higher education budget disbursed to the largest and oldest institutions.
The diversification is part of the Chavez government’s bid to increase the opportunities for economically disadvantages students who have been excluded from the nation’s top-tier universities. Barreto highlighted the fact that the majority of the financing
Venezuelans are “eating more and eating better” T/ Paul Dobson P/ Agencies
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enezuela was classified as the country that has made most advances in the struggle against hunger this week by the UN Committee for Agriculture and Alimentation, a claim which was supported by figures released by the National Statistics Institute (INE) regarding the dietary status of the population. Vice President Nicolas Maduro, in an event in which the government handed over 516 agricultural machines to rural workers to improve production levels, explained that the Chavez administration is committed to those who produce the food which feeds the country, and those who struggle on a daily ba-
sis to produce the food that the country depends on: “We are supporting those people who, on their shoulders, carry the food sovereignty of the country. Honest people, hard-working people, who can count on a government which is equally honest and equally hardworking”. The positive evaluation comes as Venezuela was recently announced as the country that will host and lead future meetings of members of the Community Of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) regional bloc with the particular goal of eradicating hunger. President of the INE, Elias Eljuri, reinforced this claim by the UN by explaining that the social programs of the revolution have all but erased hunger
in the country: “It is considered that Venezuela has eliminated hunger as a problem, according to all international indicators”, he stated. He went on to explain that Venezuela has achieved all of its Millennium Goals, in a further demonstration that the socialist government of President Chavez fulfills and achieves the policies and goals it presents to the nation, unlike so many other governments in the world
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threshold for revenues that must provide funding, resulting in a 253 percent increase in the resources available for scientific projects. From 2007 to 2010, the contributions made by companies via the law resulted in a budget of between 226 and 343 million bolivars ($52 and $79 million), while in 2011, the reformed mandate saw the funding for projects increase to 1.6 billion bolivars ($372 million). “[The reconfiguration] allows us to make significant investment in all areas of research and for diverse programs that include technological innovation and the incorporation of these innovations in the productive sector”, the Vice Minister said. Thus far this year, more than 170 million bolivars ($39 million) in funding has been allocated for 211 initiatives with public safety being the focus of 40 of those projects. The government has also prioritized energy efficiency, Barreto informed on Saturday, emphasizing a new measure that will see the erection of a micro-LED light bulb factory in Venezuela. The bulbs will generate less heat, will last longer and have less impact on the environment owing to their greater efficiency, the Vice Minister asserted.
T/ COI P/ Agencies he Venezuelan government invested more than two billion bolivars ($465 million) in over 1,600 scientific and technological projects in 2013, the country’s Vice Minister for the Strengthening of Science and Technology, Guillermo Barreto, reported last Saturday. The announcement was made during an interview on state television in response to criticisms from the opposition that accuse the Chavez administration of divesting in the nation’s public universities. According to Barreto, a full 46 percent of the projects funded by the government have been carried out by higher education institutions in the South American country. “What is going on is that we’ve democratized the access to resources. Now it’s not just a few universities or a few actors inside the universities that receive the benefits but rather a lot of universities with many actors”, Barreto affirmed during an interview on public television.
| Economy
6 Solidarity | . s Friday, February 8, 2013
The artillery of ideas
T/ COI P/ Agencies
gathered in pursuit of world equilibrium”. “As such”, he said, “we ask that the medical professionals attending to Hugo Chavez be protected, be strengthened, and be given the wisdom they need to carry out their work”. On Sunday, political commentator Eleazar Diaz Rangel pointed out that “Venezuela and, in particular (President) Chavez, find themselves in the epicenter of the changes” taking place in the Americas and around the world. “While efforts by the United States to isolate Venezuela have failed miserably”, Rangel wrote, “never before has Venezuelan foreign policy had so many links and so much influence in Latin America and the Caribbean, so many ties to the rest of the world”.
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n the context of his ongoing recovery from cancer-related surgery, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recently received the ardent support of numerous authors, intellectuals, and political figures gathered in Havana, Cuba for the Third International Conference for World Equilibrium. Meeting to discuss the nature of today’s globalized economy and the need for a multi-polar world, Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet and Brazilian liberation theologian Frei Betto, among others, voiced their “heartfelt solidarity” with the Venezuelan President, wishing him a “prompt recovery”. Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who gave the closing speech at the global conference, described Venezuela’s Chavez as “a comrade who has everything to do with what is currently taking place in South and Latin America”.
SEEKING EQUILIBRIUM Among the many issues discussed by some 800 delegates from 44 countries during Cuba’s Third International Conference for World Equilibrium, participants insistently reiterated the vital role played by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution he has led for over 20 years. The opening day of the conference, for example, as Brazilian theologian Frei Betto received Unesco’s 2013 International Jose Marti Award, the Dominican friar turned political analysts told those gathered that he hopes “God and the Cuban doctors, with all their capacity and talent, are able to achieve the recovery of his (Chavez’s) health, for the benefit not only of the Venezuelan people but of all of Latin America”. Using Venezuela as an example, Betto explained that “the peoples of our continent, who suffered so much during the final decades of last century’s military dictatorships, who went on to be deceived by neoliberal governments, now choose to elect leaders who govern on behalf of their majorities, who defend their peoples’ sovereignties, and who negate the dictates of foreign power in the region”. Betto later affirmed that he is “convinced that both (Hugo) Chavez and Fidel (Castro) live within the evangel because both have given themselves to others”.
LULA PAYS TRIBUTE
Participants at world conference praise Chavez
“They could be very comfortable, living like the bourgeoisie, living in tranquility like many others, but no, they have risked their lives so that others have life and that is the most evangelical there is”, he said. Commenting on the recent scandal surrounding false medical images published by Spanish daily El Pais, aimed specifically at portraying President Chavez in a vulnerable state as he continues his bout with cancer, Betto told participants that it is crucial that “we be critical of the mass means of communication”. “That paper (El Pais) uses unreliable sources”, he af-
firmed, “and, as a result, produces unreliable news”. Agreeing with Betto, internationally-acclaimed journalist and intellectual Ignacio Ramonet linked corporate media attacks on Venezuela’s Chavez to a wider effort to stop the advance of a multi-polar world led by an independent Latin America. “Oligarchs of the press”, Ramonet stated, “are currently carrying out a campaign aimed at putting the brakes on progressive and democratic reforms taking place across the (Latin American) continent”. Referring to the aforementioned El Pais scandal, Ra-
monet added that the paper committed “one of the crudest manipulations in press history” and, by doing so, “revealed its systematic opposition to the Bolivarian Revolution led by President Chavez as well as other progressive political processes such as those of Cuba and Ecuador”. In contrast to the corporate media’s “total lack of humanity”, Ramonet said, those gathered at the Havana-based conference sent Chavez “a love-filled embrace, full of solidarity and best wishes for a prompt recovery”. In 2007, Ramonet published an editorial in Le Monde Diplomatique in which he affirmed that “in Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador, inspired in the Venezuelan model, real life experiences are keeping hope alive for the emancipation of poor people”. “In this regard”, Ramonet wrote, “Chavez’s sense of balance is outstanding, which is why he has become a reference in many poor countries”. Former Guatemalan President Alvaro Colon joined others in the calls for Chavez’s recovery. Colon told those at the conference that “nothing in life can exist without balance, which is why we’re here
As part of his closing words at the conference, former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he hoped “the positive energy at this meeting serves to help our dear comrade Chavez recovery quickly”. Flanked by former Dominican President Leonel Fernandez and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Lula explained that he “didn’t come to the event dressed as the Cubans do, in a white guayabera” but instead wore a red version of the typical Caribbean dress shirt “to pay tribute to another one of our comrades (Chavez), a man who has everything to do with what is currently taking place in South and Latin America”. In July 2012, as Venezuela prepared for presidential elections, Lula issued a video recording praising President Chavez and backing his reelection bid. In it, the Brazilian labor leader and ex president detailed his appreciation for Chavez. “Progressive governments are changing the face of Latin America”, Lula said. “Thanks to them, our continent is developing rapidly, with economic growth, job creation, distribution of wealth and social inclusion. Today, we are an international reference point for a successful alternative to neoliberalism”. “With Chavez’s leadership”, he added, “the Venezuelan people have made extraordinary gains. The popular classes have never ever been treated with such respect, love and dignity. Those achievements must be preserved and strengthened”.
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The artillery of ideas
| Analysis
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Scandal: Meet the fugitive bankers who contributed 700 million dollars to Capriles T/ LaIguanaTV.com Translation by COI
and that name is Jose Antonio Briquet, regional lawmaker in Miranda, brother to, and political operative of Capriles. Proof exists that Briquet was tasked with serving as the link between the aforementioned bankers and the former presidential candidate, making frequent trips to Miami in the very recent past.
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he links between a pool of corrupt protagonists have existed for years, providing further evidence of the kind of person the opposition wants in the presidency.
WHO FINANCED THE 2012 CAPRILES ELECTION CAMPAIGN? Campaigns require candidates, slogans, publicity, trips across the country, etc. In short, they require finances. For this, the opposition’s 2012 presidential candidate, Henrique Capriles Radonski, had no trouble reaching out to individuals sought after by Interpol and the Venezuelan government for fraud against the Venezuelan state and its citizenry – fugitive bankers who provided him some $700 million dollars in campaign contributions. Who are these bankers? Among the long list of Capriles contributors are the Bozo Brothers – Gabriel and Leopoldo Castillo Bozo, both of which have Interpol warrants out for their arrests dating back to 14 November 2010. What are they accused of? Among other things, they are accused of an illegal operation relating to the Bonds of the South, financial bonds issued by the Venezuelan government in 2007. In a totally illegal act, the Bozo Brothers usurped the identities of their employees and requested the adjudication of bonds issued by the Venezuelan Central Bank (BCV). The Bozo Brothers prepared a list of over 1,000 employee names and submitted it on behalf of their now defunct bank, BanValor, securing the brothers between $6 and 10,000 dollars per employee. Once they realized what had taken place, BanValor’s employees denounced the Bozo family at the Ministry of Public Affairs, affirming none of them had authorized the bankers to request bonds on their behalf. Leopoldo Castillo Bozo, then President of BanValor, was found responsible for using his employees’ identities to obtain the public bonds, that is to say, for com-
WHY DID THESE MEN FINANCE CAPRILES?
mitting the crime of simulating securities operations. His brothers, Gabriel and Juan Jose, were accused of the same crime. However, the legal proceedings later stalled. Power, excuse the redundancy, has power. For the past two years, the Bozo brothers have lived in Miami, though their last real known residence is found in the Dominican Republic. There, they continue to enjoy the money stolen from the Venezuelan people. Before continuing, it’s important to remind readers of the 2009 incident in which Capriles and the Bozo Brothers were mutually involved. On February 17, 2009, some two months and 18 days after taking office as Governor of Miranda, Capriles illegally handed over the health insurance policies of the entire governorship’s employees to the Bozo Brothers. Capriles granted BanValor Insurance (owned by Gabriel and Leopoldo Castillo Bozo) the right to cover his employees even though BanValor’s was the most expensive of possible policy choices and, in addition, despite the fact that an agreement had already been reached with another insurance provider (Multinational Insurance, owned by Tobias Carrero).
Second on the list of fugitive bankers who helped finance the Capriles campaign is Humberto Ramirez, former Director of Banco InverUnion. Ramirez dodged the Venezuelan Justice System along with Gonzalo Tirado, former President of that same bank, and both men now live freely in Miami, Florida. What are these men accused of? Back in 2009 and 2010, when the National Government intervened in the financial affairs of 12 Venezuelan banks conducting illegal operations, some 17 bankers were detained while another 16 were prohibited from leaving the country. Unfortunately, another 25 bankers fled the country. Humberto Ramirez and Gonzalo Tirado are two of the fugitives. They are accused
of corruption and wanted by both the Venezuelan government and Interpol. The list of fugitive bankers who financed the Capriles campaign is rather lengthy, and here we have space only to list another 11: Ignacio Salvatierra, Ruben Osuna, Luis Gustavo Kowalski, Juan Fernandez Lara, Carlos Dorado, Gonzalo Ernesto Vasquez, Gustavo Jose Mancera, Eligio Cedeno, Alvaro Gorrin, Carlos Ponce Fuente, and Jose Omar Contreras. The question to ask, however, is how did these bankers actually hand the money over to Capriles given their illegal status outside of the country and their inability to carry out normal financial transactions? The answer to this question has a name to it,
The platform defended by the opposition’s 2012 presidential candidate was always and continues to be an essentially anti-Chavez platform. In other words, the platform is conservative, anti-popular, and tasked with restoring old privilege. With that shared objective numerous characters of different personal histories came together, from members of the oligarchy to sectors of the bourgeoisie, members of the displaced political casts to, of course, the fugitive bankers mentioned above. Of the many factors that bring these people together there is one element that best explains their alliance: all of them want to recover all that they’ve lost during the past 14 years of Bolivarian Revolution. The bourgeoisie wants their companies back, the oligarchy wants its lands back, the displaced political cast wants its jobs back, and the fugitive bankers want two things – impunity for crimes committed and the return of their properties. All of these people want Pdvsa back, back under control of Venezuela’s once dominant classes. To achieve their shared goals these people known they need a candidate that represents them and that can win an election. In 2012 they thought that candidate was Capriles. What is clear is that they will continue to finance all those they believe can win any election against Chavez and the political movements that back the Venezuelan President. What is unknown, for now, is precisely how much money the Capriles campaign actually obtained though what has been described above is just a part of the shady movements involving some $700 million dollars.
Friday, February 8, 2013 | Nº 145 | Caracas | www.correodelorinoco.gob.ve
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! PUBLICATION OF THE &UNDACION #ORREO DEL /RINOCO s Editor-in-Chief %VA 'OLINGER s Graphic Design Pablo Valduciel L. - Aimara Aguilera
Opinion
“Drone” a dirty word in the United Nations lexicon T/ Thalif Deen – IPS P/ Agencies
U
nited States in its war against terrorism, is obviously a dirty word in the United Nations lexicon. So when Under-SecretaryGeneral for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous was asked about United Nations plans to use drones in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), he demurred. “I would not use the word drones”, he told reporters Wednesday, opting for a military euphemism: “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAVs). Ladsous said the United Nations plans to use “unarmed UAVs” only for surveillance purposes – but with the express permission of the government of DRC and neighbouring countries. “We will see how this experiment works”, he said, adding that the United Nations will be “open” to sharing whatever in-
telligence it gathers with regional bodies in Africa, besides UN force commanders on the ground. The “green light” for the use of unarmed drones in DRC – a country battling a violent insurgency – was given by the 15member Security Council last November, and is aimed at monitoring the movement of armed groups by the 17,500-strong UN Organization Stabilization Mission in DRC (Monusco). But some UN diplomats fear that UN drones may eventually be armed, if and when the conflict in DRC takes a turn for the worse. The drones used by the United States are fully armed and have resulted in the killings of both suspected terrorists and civilians in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. According to published reports, more than 40 countries either deploy or manufacture drones. Larry Dickerson, defence systems analyst at Forecast International, a US defense market-
ing research firm, told IPS that besides the United States, there is a very long list of countries manufacturing these UAVs. These countries include UK, Israel, France, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Canada, Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Russia, China, South Korea, Austria, India, South Africa, Japan and Singapore. Ben Emmerson, a British lawyer and UN special rapporteur for human rights and counterterrorism, is in the process of preparing an investigative report on the use of drones. He is focusing on 25 drone strikes, specifically in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and the Palestinian territories (by Israeli drones), where these attacks have reportedly resulted in civilian deaths. The report is expected to be presented to the General Assembly next October or November. Secretary-General Ban Kimoon has already expressed “concern” on the use of armed
drones for targeted killings, “as it raises questions about compliance with the fundamental principle of distinction between combatants and non-combatants”. Associate UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters last month that drone attacks have also reportedly caused “substantial casualties, raising questions about the ability to ensure full compliance with the principle of proportionality”. He said the secretary-general has asked relevant member states to be transparent about the circumstances in which drones are used, and the means by which they ensure that attacks involving drones comply with international law. According to Amnesty International, there have been more than 300 drone strikes in Pakistan alone over the last few years, which have killed both civilians as well as suspected militants. Responding to a report that the administration of President Barack Obama was finalizing guidelines for “targeted killings” by drones, Susan Lee, Amnesty’s Americas program director, said bluntly: “There already exists a rulebook for these issues: it is called international law”. Any policy on so-called targeted killings by the US government, she said, should not only be fully
disclosed, but must comply with international law. To date, the justifications publicly offered by senior Obama administration officials have shown only that US government policy appears to permit extrajudicial executions in violation of international law, Lee added. Asked how far behind are China and Russia in deploying drones in conflict situations, Dickerson told IPS that both countries are increasing their UAV inventories, “but remain far behind the United States in terms of numbers fielded and the sophistication of these systems”. “Neither have the battlefield experience in the operation of UAVs that the US military gained over the last 10 years”, he said. Dickerson also said that the United States has the largest market share and produces more UAVs than any other country in the world. He said the worldwide market for UAVs is worth a staggering 70.9 billion dollars over the next 10 years: 39.2 billion dollars related to the production of these systems; 28.7 billion dollars for research and development spending; and around 3.0 billion dollars for UAV services contracts.