English edition Nº 41

Pg. P g. 6 | So Social ociall Justice Justice

Pg. P g. 8 | O Opinion pinioon

Venezuela and ALBA nations hold strong at Cancun Climate summit and call on others to show their “will to save the planet”

Eric Walberg analyzes the hypocrisy behind Washington’s persecution of Wikileaks and Julian Assange

FRIDAY|December 10, 2010 |No. 41 |Bs. 1|CARACAS

ENGLISH EDITION The artillery of ideas

Rains cause state of emergency in Venezuela Ibero-American summit reinforces regional democracy Nations from Latin America met last weekend with their Spanish counterparts to further ties and take a firm stance against coup d’etats and other threats to democracy in the region.

The Summit focused on guaranteeing access to universal education and strengthening democracy in the region. Strong statements were also made in support of Argentina’s battle for sovereignty over the Malvinas (Faulkland) Islands still under British control.

Venezuelan chocolate in London

The Chavez administration announced a major reconstruction plan this week to rebuild areas devastated by the heavy rainfall that hit the nation President Chavez has been inspecting regions affected by the largest rainfall to hit the South American nation in 40 years. Wading through flooded areas and mud in villages nationwide, the Venezuelan chief held dozens of community meetings this week throughout the country to find solutions for those displaced and suffering from agricultural losses. He announced a major reconstruction plan and multibillion-dollar fund to ensure agricultural production would recover and housing would be provided for thousands of families left homeless by the rains.

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Politics

PSUV party takes big win in regional vote The pro-Chavez socialist party won 8 of 13 electoral races held last Sunday, reaffirming its dominance nationwide.

Colombia and Venezuela fight drug war The governments of Colombia and Venezuela are working together to stop drug-trafficking and production in their territories.

Analysis

Tea Party threatens Latin America A US Congress with a republican majority threatens to turn US-Latin America relations into a Cold War.

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Venezuela: Highest support for democracy in the region V

enezuelans are more likely than their counterparts in the region to support democracy according to the 2011 Latinobarometro report, an annual survey of public opinion in 18 countries in Latin America.

The report, which is widely considered an accurate reflection of public opinion and trends in Latin America, found that Venezuela’s support for democracy has grown in the years that President Hugo Chavez has been in office. While support for democracy in 1996 and 1997 stood at 62 and 64 percent, respectively, it jumped to 84

percent for both 2009 and 2010.

The report also shows that satisfaction with democracy in Venezuela is amongst the highest in the region. Additionally, the survey shows how that satisfaction increased under President Chavez’s government. In 1997 and 1998 satisfaction stood at 35 percent, rising to an average of 48 percent between 2000 and 2010 (in 2010 it reached 49 percent), third in the region behind only Uruguay (62 percent) and Costa Rica (53 percent) and above the regional average of 35 percent.

When asked to rank how democratic their government was, with 1 being “Not Democratic” and 10 being “Totally Democratic,” Venezuelans ranked their government 7.1.

This ranking put Venezuela fourth in the region, tied with Chile and above the regional average of 6.5.

Venezuelans also ranked highest in terms of their interest in politics, were least likely to argue that politics in their country are “complicated” and stood in fourth place when asked whether they believed their ideas had an impact on the government.

number b off B British iti h chocoh latiers will be showcasing chocolate made from Venezuelan cacao at the forthcoming Chocolate Festival at London’s Southbank Centre. The annual festival, running from December 10-12, features Venezuelan chocolate by chocolatiers Damian Allsop, White Fox and Valrhona.

Damian Allsop’s Pure Collection features chocolate made from Venezuelan cacao bean varieties such as Porcelana, Criollo and Trinitario and is served at Michelin-star restaurants across the country.

White Fox uses Valrhona’s Araguani, a 72% cocoa content chocolate from Venezuela made Criollo and Trinitario varieties. The world-famous chocolate-maker, Valrhona, will also be exhibiting at the festival. The French company is well known for its sustainable production in Venezuela, particularly in working to reinstate the threatened cocoa species Porcelana.

Entrance is free to the festival and visitors will be able to taste all kinds of chocolate as well as watch demonstrations and master classes from the UK’s top chocolatiers.

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IMPACT

The artillery of ideas

President Chavez approves fund and measures to help flood-hit agricultural sector not only on political and security issues, but also on social matters and with an overall goal of transforming economic production by giving to the people what belongs to them and redistributing the lands in the most equitable way possible”.

Likewise, Chavez announced the creation of a network of radio stations that will be managed by the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB).

“The Tiuna network will be created here. The Army is working on it, as well as the National Guard, in order to increase the presence of State, people and sovereignty in this vast region”, he stated.

Major resources were approved on Wednesday along with a reconstruction plan to provide relief to agricultural producers affected

by November’s heavy rainfall, which left crops and farms devastated by floods

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fter a an extensive tour of affected farmlands in the western state of Zulia, on Wednesday evening Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez approved the creation of a 200 million bolivars ($46 million USD) fund to aid national agricultural production, which has been seriously affected by the heavy rains lashing the country during the last two weeks.

Through this fund, special attention will be oriented towards the crops of rice, corn, cocoa, potato, onion, tomato and plantain production, all major staples of Venezuelan consumption.

Chavez announced that funds would be primarily allocated to recover crops and agricultural production in areas such as the Quibor Valley, in the state of Lara; the northern region of Guarico; southern Aragua; and south of Lake Maracaibo in Zulia; among others.

“We have decided to create a fund to rescue production. It will be managed and overseen by the Agricultural and Socialist Development Fund (FONDAS) and will consist of 200 million bolivars, which we already have available.

This money will be used especially for the recovery of plantain production”, the President said.

Similarly, he announced the creation of a special fund to cultivate vegetables, which will be coordinated by the company Agropatria and will count on 30 million bolivares for its implementation.

JOURNEY THROUGH SOUTH LAKE MARACAIBO On Wednesday afternoon, the Venezuelan President inspected the current situation in the Andean state of Merida and the southern area of Lake Maracaibo in Zulia, which have been seriously damaged by the latest rains.

During his working visit, he bore witness to a large extension of land that has been flooded by the atypical rainfall, which includes “complete neighborhoods, thousands and thousands of hectares, banana plantations, crops, roads, agricultural pathways, schools and houses”. “There are people struggling against major difficulties”, said Chavez, after meeting with hundreds who followed him throughout the towns and villages he visited.

Chavez explained that municipalities south of Lake Maracaibo require special attention because such areas still present significant levels of poverty, necessitating an economic push in the area.

As such, the Venezuelan head of state informed the general public that 43 large land estates (latifundios) would be intervened by the state in order to convert them into productive lands for agriculture. The selected latifundios comprise 20,200 hectares in the Andean state of Merida and in Zulia. The decision is aimed at “ending exploitative capitalism” and placing those fertile lands in the hands “of the poor, working people, those who need it”.

Chavez reasoned that these interventions are necessary now more than ever because of the emergency caused by the rains.

As part of the economic push in the region, President Chavez also approved a reconstruction plan to rebuild and improve conditions in the southern region of Lake Maracaibo and surrounding states. He also requested an immediate study to determine productive strategies that could be implemented in the short term in the areas hit by heavy rains.

President Chavez additionally said that in order to handle the emergency situation caused by the natural disaster, he approved another special fund of 50 million bolivares for this area and 50 million bolivares to reconstruct the Guajira region, also in the state of Zulia.

According to Chavez, these resources will come from a fund of 10 billion bolivares ($2.3 billion USD) created to deal with the emergency caused by the recent rains.

“I have ordered, and I will sign a decree within the next few hours, to completely reconstruct the region. You (Vice President, cabinet members and presidential commissioner) must define the limits of the region. I have already decreed a state of emergency in Zulia and now we must select the most damaged areas and begin reconstruction”, announced the President.

FIXING RURAL ROADS Another measure announced

by President Chavez to reactivate the agricultural sector was the creation of a plan to repair rural roads in all the states affected by rains. Such program will be implemented with 150 million bolivares.

“We have a plan to deal with the issue of rural infrastructure in all the flood-hit states. This plan encompasses agricultural roads, defective edges, collapsed bridges, sewers, drains”, he said.

Moreover, President Chavez confirmed the implementation of a special program to temporarily relax procedural requirements along with an integral strategy to transport and protect animals. He said these measures particularly aim at helping cattle raisers.

Furthermore, he approved the exoneration and refund of debts for farmers who lost their crops.

MILITARY DISTRICTS President Chavez recalled the necessity to create Military Districts throughout the nation as stipulated in the new organic law of the Armed Forces, as well as establishing operative areas for integral defense.

“The idea behind these Military Districts and operative integral defense regions must be focused

124,000 AFFECTED As of Wednesday evening, President Chavez confirmed that the number of families taking refuge in shelters increased by 31,600, for a total 124,000 people who are being aided in 851 public centers deployed nationwide.

He said the Venezuelan government’s situational room has registered 35 citizens dead as a result of the rains and six disappeared, who are still being searched for by security officers.

The Venezuelan President said the situation in the country continues to be critical, though there were no further damages as of Wednesday as rains began to cease.

“We are navigating over the crisis, especially over the social impact it has caused. This is not only about the flooded lands, but about the impact they cause”, declared Chavez.

INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AID The Venezuelan President thanked all the countries that have sent contributions to help those affected by the torrential rains which devasted regions in 12 states nationwide.

“I want to thank the collaboration sent from Brazil, Belarus, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Cuba. Thanks to all our friends in the world”, exclaimed Chavez.

T/ AVN P/ Presidential Press

INTERNATIONAL

The artillery of ideas

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Ibero-American summit strengthens regional democracy Notwithstanding, many country’s representatives used the summit as a platform to express their anger with the US government and appealed for action to be taken against Washington.

“Latin America and the entire world must tell the United States to stop interfering with our sovereignty”, President Correa said.

Venezuela echoed Correa’s reproach.

“We condemn the operations of political intrigue from the United States that are trying to divide our continent and undermine our governments”, Foreign Minister Maduro said as he called for a “pluri-polar” world to balance US international hegemony.

“This is a huge scandal and it forces us to reflect on the need for a new world that we’re constructing – a pluri-polar world based on the respect for international law, based on new principles of cooperation, solidarity and equal respect between states”, he stated.

Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, also lashed out against US interference.

“The most recent scandalous revelations, through Wikileaks, exposes an imperial diplomacy where outright intervention in internal affairs is considered diplomacy”, he exclaimed.

Strengthening democracy and expanding access to universal education in Latin America were two of the main outcomes of the 20th Ibero-American Summit held in Mar de Plata, Argentina last weekend

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he summit, which saw the presence of 17 heads of state from 22 member countries, was marked by discussions and debates on a range of issues from US interference in Latin America to Argentina’s sovereignty over the Malvinas (Faulkland) Islands and the US blockade against Cuba.

As a concrete result of the meetings, member nations signed a joint educational declaration calling for the promotion and expansion of “quality education as a fundamental and inalienable human right to be protected and guaranteed by Ibero-American States” without discrimination.

The so-called Mar de Plata Declaration obliges nations to provide “free and universal primary and secondary education” for their respective populations under “the principle of equal opportunity” and sets a goal of full literacy in the region by 2021.

An educational fund of $3 billion USD will be created to meet the goal.

The United Nations’ Educational and Cultural Organization (Unesco) currently reports that there are 39 million illiterate people in Latin America while 110 million adolescents in the region have not finished primary school.

REJECTING COUPS In terms of strengthening constitutional rule, a “democratic clause” was also ratified during the summit, which expels member countries from the organization in the event of undemocratic practices such as coup d’etats.

Secretary General of the group of nations, Enrique Iglesias, referred to the anti-coup statute as “an important advancement”,

representing the first time that member countries have made a unified decision regarding democratic processes.

According to Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Nicolas Maduro, attending the summit in the absence of President Hugo Chavez, the clause’s emphasis on democratic rule is critical to stability in the region.

“Steps are being taken that are the result of a process of political maturity on behalf of the governments of the South American continent and the Ibero-American governments regarding the threats of coup d’etats that have resurfaced”, the Venezuelan diplomat said.

Maduro pointed out as examples of recent coups those carried out against Hugo Chavez in 2002, Bolivian President Evo Morales in 2008, Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa in September of this year and the illegal removal from office of Manuel Zelaya in Honduras in 2009, reason for the Central American nation’s exclusion from the summit this year.

“It’s very important that we activate mechanisms and penalties to prevent those sectors that are intending to conspire and subvert democracy”, Maduro said.

Some member states, such as Ecuador, called for the application of more stringent sanctions

for countries that violate democratic mandates.

In addition to expulsion from the group, President Rafael Correa – who survived a coup attempt in September – advocated for the enactment of economic embargoes and the shutting of borders to isolate illegitimate regimes.

WIKILEAKS AND US MEDDLING The topic of Wikileaks and its recent disclosure of more than 250 thousand pages of classified US State Department correspondence evidencing Washington’s interference in Latin American governmental affairs also figured prominent in the discussions in Mar del Plata.

Although many member states called for an official repudiation of the United States for its continued interference, no official condemnation emerged from the summit as Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, host of the event, maintained the focus of the talks on the established agenda of education and democracy.

Fernandez, who reportedly received a phone call from Hillary Clinton days before the summit apologizing for correspondence that directly exposed the State Department’s meddling against the Argentine government, avoided a direct confrontation with Washington, opting to “not strain relations with the United States”.

CONDEMNING TERRORISM In addition to education and democracy, various declarations on terrorism, narco-trafficking, and Argentina’s sovereignty over the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands were also drafted during the Summit.

With respect to the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands, a resolution was passed calling for renewed dialogue between the United Kingdom and Argentina “to find a quick solution to the disputed sovereignty” of the islands.

A “total condemnation of all acts of terrorism as criminally unjustifiable acts” was also declared, in addition to an expression of concern for the violence linked to narco-trafficking activity in the region.

T/ Edward Eillis P/ Presidential Press

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ECONOMY

The artillery of ideas

States of emergency in Venezuela due to heavy rains President Chavez and his team continued to increase rescue operations and provide solutions for the over 100,000 Venezuelans affected by the heaviest rainfall the South American nation has seen in over 40 years

POLITICS

The artillery of ideas

he torrential rains that have pounded much of Venezuela since November continued last week, forcing the national government to declare a state of emergency in an additional four states across the country.

The Andean states of Merida and Trujillo as well as the coastal states of Zulia and Nueva Esparta were officially declared to be in emergency for the next 90 days last week, opening possibilities for the government to take drastic measures to confront the problem.

Classes have been suspended until January in order to use schools as shelters for those displaced by the heavy rains.

Thus far, at least 34 people have died across the country and another 100 thousand have been left homeless as a result of the downpours.

“Everything is completely calm here”, said General Motta Dominguez, Head of the National Guard, referring to the situation in the state of Miranda. “The private businesses are willingly collaborating. The owners of the hotels have spoken with us and until now they have provided 150 rooms”, he confirmed.

PROVIDING SOLUTIONS Touring affected areas in the states of Falcon and Miranda on Sunday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez spoke with victims of the disaster and encouraged them to persevere.

“All of you are going to come out of this stronger because of the difficulties you’re facing”, he said.

The Venezuelan head of state also gave the order for those unable to stay in government shelters to seek refuge in vacant tourist hotels and resorts.

“We’re going to temporarily occupy these buildings because right now we’re in an emergency.

Afterward you’re going to go back to your homes”, Chavez told affected residents.

According to reports from government sources, private hotel owners have willingly cooperated with the order.

OPPOSITION SAYS VIOLATION OF PROPERTY RIGHTS Although business owners have agreed to utilize hotels for displaced families, opposition aligned media outlets have attacked the move as an assault on private property.

During a phone call made to the state television station Venezolana de Television (VTV), Vice President Elias Jaua clarified the intentions of the government’s actions.

“This is a temporary occupation due to dramatic situation that people are going through”, he explained. “This measure is going ahead with the consent of those in charge of the buildings and is of a humanitarian nature”, adding, “No property is being confiscated or used without the approval of the owners. The opposition and their media try to manipulate and distort everything to their advantage”.

HOUSING SOLUTIONS In addition to finding shortterm shelters for victims, the Chavez government has also been accelerating housing construction.

On Monday, in addition to approving 10 billion bolivars ($2.3 billion USD) in aid for victims, the Venezuelan president announced the imminent delivery of 1,400 new homes acquired from private firms.

“Tomorrow we’re going to deliver some of the homes that we’ve acquired. It’s a total of 1,405 homes above and beyond the hundreds that we’ve already handed over to some families”, he affirmed.

Vice President Jaua also announced on Tuesday the construction of an additional 22 thousand homes over the next 18 months to aid those displaced by the rains.

“The Bolivarian Government [of Hugo Chavez] can assist our people more effectively because this is a socialist government that has broken away from the fears that have been instilled in people regarding the role of the state in the economy. For this reason, we have ample reserves available to serve the people”, he said.

COMMUNITY HELP A number of independent efforts by people and organiza-

tions around the country have also strengthened the overall response to Venezuela’s worst rain in 40 years.

The Venezuelan Network of Afro-Descendants has opened its Center for Integral Studies of the African Diaspora in the coastal region of Barlovento to house and provide basic services to flood victims.

Several labor unions and community organizations have also initiated spontaneous efforts to aid flood victims. The state-funded leftist youth organization Frente Francisco de Miranda has sent brigades of relief workers to affected communities nation-wide.

Maria Rosa Jimenez, a national coordinator of the Frente Francisco de Miranda, described the civil society relief effort to the state television station VTV: “What is happening is the people are deepening their solidarity with one another, and their trust in the government, which has shown its face”, she said.

“The crisis is the product of the economic and social model we live in”, Jimenez said, reiterating the argument made by many Venezuelan socialists that capitalism has caused environmental destruction that in turn has created natural disasters such as the recent rains.

“Whatever the government of President Hugo Chavez does, those who sustain this model and the private media that serve it and serve the historically dominant classes are going to try to generate fear and fabricate a reality that is not the one the people are living”, said Jimenez.

Government officials and members of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela have repeatedly called on the Catholic Church and the opposition-controlled state and local governments to help in the flood relief effort by opening their facilities to people displaced by the rains and by actively helping the relief effort.

Venezuela experienced a record-setting drought in 2009 that nearly shutdown the nation’s largest dam and contributed to a national electricity shortage. The recent rains have punctuated a particularly heavy rainy season this year.

David Sanchez of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology announced on Tuesday that light rains are expected to continue throughout the week in Venezuela’s eastern and Andean regions.

T/ Edward Ellis and James Suggett P/ Presidential Press

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Pro-Chavez party wins clear majority in regional elections The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) affirmed its political dominance last Sunday by winning 8 out of 13 contests in regional elections held in 10 states across the country

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No 41 • Friday, December 10, 2010 |

fter a day marked by the peaceful expression of popular democratic will, the current governing party of President Hugo Chavez came up victorious in one out of two gubernatorial races and seven out of eleven mayoral contests.

The PSUV also won the total popular vote. “In these 13 [electoral] processes, the PSUV obtained 474,164 votes which represents 58% of the total electorate that voted”, informed party leader Rodrigo Cabezas in a press conference held in the capital of Caracas.

“This is a tremendously satisfactory result which demonstrates the strength and potential of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela”, he stated. The new victories come in the wake of congressional elections last September that saw the socialists take 98 of 165 seats in the country’s legislative body, the National Assembly.

On Sunday, over 1,142 polling places received nearly 900 thousand voters and no major inci-

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dents were reported.

In terms of specific races, PSUV candidate Luis Enrique Gallardo won the governor’s office in the state of Guarico with 77% of the vote and promised to use his position to transfer power to grass-

roots neighborhood organizations known as community councils.

“We’ve been granted a work mandate and we’re going to support the labor of the community councils”, Gallardo stated. “I reaffirm my commitment to the

collective participation of all residents of Guarico”.

In the state of Amazonas opposition candidate Liborio Guarulla of the right-wing Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition won his third consecutive term with 51% of the vote.

With respect to the mayoral bids, the PSUV defeated their conservative rivals in eleven municipalities in the states of Apure, Carabobo, Trujillo, Yaracuy and Zulia.

The opposition, for its part, was able to secure mayorships in the states of Miranda, Nueva Esparta, and Tachira.

Right-wing MUD candidate Eveling de Trejo also defeated her socialist opponent to claim the mayorship of Maracaibo in the state of Zulia, a traditional opposition stronghold. De Trejo is the spouse of former mayor and governor of Zulia, Manuel Rosales, who fled the country last year after being charged by the attorney general’s office with corruption.

De Trejo claimed that her win would “ensure Manuel will be present”, insinuating that Rosales would govern “through her”.

Despite the PSUV loss in the city of Maracaibo, Cabezas pointed out the advances that the socialist party has made in the area.

“The right-wing lost by 95 thousand votes in two polling places [in Maracaibo]. That’s something noteworthy”, he commented.

“We didn’t win, but we recovered ground in these two polling places and we won in all the popular neighborhoods”.

HIGH PARTICIPATION, DESPITE RAINS Although concerns of a low turnout marked the beginning of the process as a result of the torrential rains that continue to affect the country, the National Electoral Commission (CNE) reported a voter participation of approximately 57.6 percent.

“We always prepare with contingency plans that include backups of electoral material, even more than usual when the rains can create problems”, said CNE President Tibisay Lucena.

For many in the PSUV, the victory last Sunday is an important step towards the elections of 2012 when Hugo Chavez will run for his third full term as president.

“This is a very important for us in terms of the work that the party has to do en route to 2012”, Cabezas said, while also commenting on the transparency of Venezuela’s voting process.

“December 5 will be registered as another affirmation of our profoundly democratic country. We’ve given an example once again to the world that a true democracy exists in Venezuela”, he stated.

T/ Edward Ellis

Colombia-Venezuela strengthen anti-drug fight

enezuelan Minister of Interior Relations and Justice, Tareck El Aissami, met with Colombian officials in Cartagena to strengthen mechanisms between both nations to prevent drug smuggling and cross-border trafficking.

The Venezuelan official confirmed that the Chavez Administration has managed to seize over 566 tons of drugs during the past decade in counter-narcotics operations.

Colombia’s Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera applauded the binational meeting as “bad news for criminals”. Rivera emphasized that drug traffickers and criminals “will now face an alliance between the governments, which will hinder every attempt to find shelter” in either country.

The meeting is part of the efforts to advance ties between Colombia and Venezuela, agreed

manufacture and processing of illegal drugs; control over production, entrance, deviation and trafficking of chemical substances; combating drug trafficking networks; interdiction; and money laundering; among other topics.

upon by both Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Colombian Juan Manuel Santos.

Technical officers from the two countries will analyze new strategies to reach a rapprochement among Colombian and Venezu-

elan authorities to enable joint efforts against drug smuggling.

In bi-national working groups, representatives from both nations will continue to develop strategies to handle issues such as eradicating illegal crops; impeding the

VENEZUELAN ADVANCES AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING During the last 10 months, Venezuelan authorities have seized 60 tons of drugs through different procedures carried out nationwide.

As part of the policies implemented by the Chavez Government to fight drug smuggling, 17 dangerous drug kingpins and members of different narcotics organizations involved in the sale and distribution of drugs wanted

by INTERPOL have been arrested and deported this year.

Before the Venezuelan government ceased cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), few were arrested and none were extradited for drug-trafficking related crimes.

After evidence of DEA sabotage of Venezuelan counter-narcotics operations became clear, the Chavez government suspended the cooperation and since then, Venezuela has seized the largest quantity of drugs in the country’s history and 54 drug lords have been deported.

Arrests and deportations have been carried out in compliance with international accords and national laws, evidencing Venezuela’s commitment in the fight against terror and drug smuggling.

T/ AVN

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SOCIAL JUSTICE

The artillery of ideas

“Continuation of the Kyoto Protocol cannot be subject to conditions” T

he continuation of Kyoto cannot be put under negotiation, conditions or blackmails, because it’s the only legally biding agreement we have to actually control the emissions from the big countries”, declared Claudia Salerno, Venezuela’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, during an interview with Amy Goodman broadcast by Democracy Now from Cancun this week.

Delegates from 193 nations gathered in Cancun to participate in the XVI Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will be held until December 10.

“Kyoto is important for the world because it’s the only legally binding agreement we have to actually control the emissions of the big countries, which are actually historically responsible for what we are living right now”, emphasized Salerno during the interview.

Claudia Salerno also represents the member-states of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA) in the Cancun negotiations, all of which agreed to participate as a bloc at the conference. ALBA is a Latin American political alliance formed by Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Venezuela.

When asked about whether ALBA countries would pull out of the talks in case a legally biding agreement is not reached, Salerno clarified that this regional bloc never considered abandoning the discussions. “We, the

ALBA countries, never said that we would leave this process if something doesn’t come up. We criticized that blackmailing approach (…) No, even in the worst minutes of Copenhagen we did not leave, and we will never ever leave”, she affirmed.

Additionally, Salerno said that the countries that didn’t sign the Kyoto Protocol, such as the United

States, should not have the power of decision in an agreement they are not part of. “It’s an irony how the system is functioning. The only country that is not part of the Kyoto Protocol [the US] has the power to end it. That’s unfair.

It’s unfair to the rest of the countries that signed it and ratified it”, she emphasized.

“Obligation cannot be black-

mailed, obligations have to be enforced and fulfilled”, added the Venezuelan negotiator.

The United States, whose Congress did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol, doesn’t want to assume a commitment for a second round of obligations in this agreement, once the first deadline for achieving those commitments finishes in 2012. Japan, for its part, an-

nounced in Cancun this same position, which has created an environment of disconcert and keeps the negotiations at a standstill. According to the experts, this would mean the death of the Kyoto protocol.

During the interview, broadcast by WPFW Pacifica Radio in the United States, Salerno pointed out that Venezuela, even as an oil-exporting country has a long tradition of commitments with the environment. Furthermore, she highlighted that Venezuela is part of the Amazonian basin and has one the largest protected areas in Latin America.

“We were the first country in Latin America to have a Ministry of Environment, and the first country of the region to have a penal law on the environment, so we are very committed with the environment and conservation”, Salerno added.

As an example, the Venezuelan diplomat said that 60 million conventional light bulbs were replaced by energy-saving light bulbs in Venezuela, part of a joint project between the Chavez administration and grassroots communities nationwide.

In several meetings, President Chavez has reiterated his government’s commitment with the environment and, therefore, with the rational consumption of natural resources in Venezuela. The Venezuelan leader has also insisted on the need to change the predator model of the neoliberal system, which is destroying nature.

T/ Venezuelan Embassy Press

ALBA Calls on Developed Nations to Show Willingness to Save the World O

n Monday the member-states of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA) demanded that developed nations show the necessary political willingness to save the world from global warming.

The announcement was made by the Venezuelan Presidential Envoy for Climate Change, Claudia Salerno, during the Sixteenth United Nations Conference on Climate Change Summit currently being

held in Cancun, Mexico, reported Prensa Latina news agency.

“Climate change is a global challenge in which we have common responsibilities. But everyone must do their part, as we will do ours. Nevertheless, we want to see the same concrete expressions of political willingness, without hesitation, double standards, blackmail or pressure”, said Salerno, who spoke on behalf of the Bolivarian Alliance.

Salermo affirmed that the nations of the regional bloc are engaged with the process and that they firmly believe in the multilateral system, since it can produce the necessary results in an appropriate time.

“The road has been long and arduous since the fateful night in Copenhagen. We trust that Mexico, as the chair country of the summit, will ensure that the multilateral system does not

reach an agreement again of just a few countries in a clandestine fashion”, she remarked referring to the 2009 summit.

The ALBA representative affirmed that the people expect the discussions in Cancun will allow for the adoption of a legally binding agreement to ensure that there will not be a lack of engagement between the first and the second period of the Kyoto commitments.

“We consider it unthinkable that the required goal to save our planet will not be achieved because of the lack of engagement of some delegations”, Salerno exclaimed.

She recalled that ALBA, together with the rest of G-77 members and China, has ratified its willingness to remain united to reach the second period of engagements under the Kyoto Protocol.

T/ AVN

ANALYSIS

The artillery of ideas

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The Tea Party’s vendetta After two years of Obama’s foreign policy pragmatism toward Latin America, Republicans in Congress are threatening to turn back the clock to Cold War times. That would be a disaster for the US and its neighbors

T

he recent midterm election in the United States didn’t just put the Republican Party in a greater position of influence over US domestic policy, it also gave a small section of southern Florida significant power over the country’s diplomacy towards Latin America. The new Congress’s influential House Committee on Foreign Affairs will be chaired by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla), who represents the Miami area, while the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere will likely be led by Rep. Connie Mack (RFla), who represents the nearby Fort Myers area. Both lawmakers are throwback Latin American cold warriors, catering to their Cuban-American constituents with belligerent policies toward any neighboring government that seeks independence from US influence. Needless to say, what’s satisfying for this narrow segment of Floridians won’t be in the US greater national interest.

The duo’s intransigence will be most felt in terms of the 5-decade-old embargo against Cuba, on which Ros-Lehtinen and Mack have refused to compromise, though most objective analysts have questioned the policy’s strategic and tactical sense. They have also indicated that they will push President Obama’s administration to end its attempt at nuanced diplomacy in Latin America and replace it with the George W. Bush administration’s simplistic policy of dividing the region into “friends” and “enemies”.

But if certain members of Congress think they can drive a wedge among the countries of the region, they are mistaken.

Latin American countries have been expanding their ties with one another, including a recent rapprochement between Venezuela and Colombia, and there is a

deepening consensus that their differences should be worked out in an atmosphere of mutual respect. If Washington, instead of accepting this new reality, relies on antagonistic foreign-policy dogma to placate local constituencies, it will only lose in regional and global influence.

Now is an especially inopportune time for the US to alienate its southern neighbors. Latin American countries are gaining in confidence and increasing their political and economic connections with the rest of the world, both regionally through organizations like UNASUR and bilaterally with countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. It’s not just Latin America that needs the US anymore; increasingly, the US needs Latin America.

Unfortunately, Ros-Lehtinen and Mack are hard-line ideologues.

Given that she once called for Fidel Castro’s assassination, it’s no surprise that Ros-Lehtinen is an antiCuba hawk. But she has in recent years also become more aggressive toward Venezuela. This year, for example, she made unsubstantiated accusations against Venezuela for serving as a conduit between the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and

al Qaeda. In a March 11 interview with the Council of the Americas, Gen. Douglas Fraser, chief of US Southern Command, debunked those claims in no uncertain terms: “I don’t see any evidence of terrorist activity within Latin America or the Caribbean from outside of the region”.

Even more disturbing was RosLehtinen’s meeting with Venezuelan terrorist Raul Diaz in Miami several months ago. Diaz had just arrived in the US after escaping prison in Venezuela, where he was serving a sentence for participating in the 2003 bombings of the Spanish and Colombian consulates in Caracas. It is troubling that Ros-Lehtinen would think it appropriate to use the powers of her office to extend legitimacy to a violent criminal simply because he opposes Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Ros-Lehtinen has also remained conspicuously quiet on Luis Posada Carriles, a Venezuelan-Cuban dual national wanted in Venezuela for the 1973 bombing of a Cuban civilian airliner that left 73 innocent people dead. Posada snuck into the US in 2005 after years of clandestine operations in Central America and Cuba, many for the CIA. He now lives

in South Florida and Venezuela’s repeated requests for extradition have remained unanswered.

But in terms of anti-Venezuelan enmity, Ros-Lehtinen is outdone

by Mack, who, though newer to the House, has quickly established himself as the Republicans’ go-to hard liner on Chavez. He has called Chavez a “sworn enemy of the United States” and more recently called on Obama to deal with the “inherent threat that Chavez poses to our nation and the region”.

Mack has twice introduced resolutions to have Venezuela added to the US State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move supported by Ros-Lehtinen. Just recently, I received letters from a number of the 37 rightwing congressmen supporting Mack’s most recent attempt. Seeing as most have never shown any interest in Venezuela, it is clear that extremists within the Republican caucus have made my country a political priority.

If Venezuela does indeed end up on the terrorism list, it would amount to the imposition of a Cuba-like embargo on the country.

Commerce and oil would be disrupted, and even cursory financial and economic transactions would be made prohibitively expensive.

It would also put the large USVenezuelan commercial relationship in jeopardy. And it would serve as more evidence that some policymakers in Washington use the “terrorist” label as a cudgel against their political foes.

Ros-Lehtinen and Mack are not alone in advocating for a Cold War-era stance toward Latin America. In fact, they’re being educated and enabled by a chorus of similarly hard-line former Bush administration officials.

Chief among them are Otto Reich and Roger Noriega, both of whom served as assistant secretaries of state for Western Hemisphere affairs under Bush. Reich has a long track record of using the battle over Cuba to determine US policy toward the entire region, while Noriega honed his skills as a foreign-policy aide to late Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC) and currently works at the right-wing American Enterprise Institute.

Most recently, Noriega has been claiming that Venezuela is working with Iran on a nuclear-weapons program, a claim so outlandish that the only prominent public figures who repeated it were John Bolton (another hard-line Bush administration official) in an OpEd in the Los Angeles Times and Jackson Diehl, deputy editor of the Washington Post’s editorial pages and a crusader against anything that has to do with Chavez.

It might be easy to call Noriega and Reich out-of-touch extremists, but their views now hold greater sway on Capitol Hill and at many Washington think tanks.

For example, a Nov. 17 conference in Washington organized at the Capitol and called “Danger in the Andes” was a forum for outlandish views to be exchanged by ostensibly serious policy analysts.

The guests of honor at the conference? Ros-Lehtinen and Mack.

Now that the Republicans are no longer marginalized in Congress, dogma threatens to totally trump the greater US national interest. That would be terrible for people in the US, and their neighbors to the south. The remaining pragmatists in Washington should do everything in their power to prevent it.

T/ Bernardo Alvarez, Venezuelan Ambassador to the US

FRIDAY|December 10, 2010 |No. 41|Bs. 1|CARACAS

ENGLISH EDITION The artillery of ideas

A publication of the Fundacion Correo del Orinoco • Editor-in-Chief | Eva Golinger • Graphic Design | Alexander Uzcátegui, Jameson Jiménez • Press | Fundación Imprenta de la Cultura

I

t was US President Woodrow Wilson who called for “open diplomacy” so that “diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view”. He would surely approve of Wikileaks’ efforts at open diplomacy, though current US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called them “an attack on America’s foreign-policy interests” and indeed on “the international community”, though she failed to specify which particular community members were the victims, or what they were the victims of.

On December 7, the bane of US empire voluntarily gave himself up to Scotland Yard and will face trial and extradition to Sweden possibly by the end of the year, accused of “rape, unlawful coercion and two counts of sexual molestation”, alleged to have been committed in August 2010. The trumped-up cases involve consensual relations, one an obvious “honey trap” by a CIA plant and the other a spurned Lewinsky-like groupie.

Assange is nothing short of a legend after a year of leaks, especially an April video taken from a US helicopter in Iraq in 2007 showing GIs shooting at least 12 innocent Iraqis like rabbits. Starting in July, he issued 500,000 US military documents on the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The straw for the imperial camel was a batch of 250,000 US diplomatic notes (19662010) in November, revealing a US diplomatic world increasingly acting as a branch of the CIA, and the cynicism of both Western and Arab regimes anxious to destroy Iran.

The leaks have been hailed as a blow to US criminal activity by people around the world, including US Congressman Ron Paul, and condemned by lovers of US empire such as former US vicepresidential candidate Sarah Palin, who called for Assange to be “pursued with the same urgency we pursue Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders”. Former UK Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said WikiLeaks’ actions were “active assistance to terrorist organisations”, neglecting to reflect on the UK’s own long history of worldwide terrorist activities.

The 39-year-old Assange is an Australian citizen, though his Prime Minister Julia Gillard has

OPINION

Wikileaks vs. the Empire

Julian Quixote

threatened to cancel his passport.

He is described by colleagues as charismatic, driven and highly intelligent, with an exceptional ability to crack computer codes. To his critics, he is just a publicity-seeker and womanizer.

In 1995, he was accused with a friend of dozens of hacking activities and fined, promising to be a good boy. He quietly co-authored Underground with Suelette Dreyfus, dealing with the subversive side of the Internet. Dreyfus described Assange as “quite interested in the concept of ethics, concepts of justice, what governments should and shouldn’t do”.

He began Wikileaks in 2006 as a “dead-letterbox” for would-be leakers — the real heroes of this saga, the unknown soldiers disgusted with their role as hired killers.

His collective developed a Robin Hood guerrilla lifestyle, moving communications and people from country to country to make use of laws protecting freedom of speech.

Co-founder Daniel Schmitt describes Assange as “one of the few

people who really care about positive reform in this world to a level where you’re willing to do something radical”.

Wikileaks was forced this year to switch to a Swiss host server after several US Internet service providers shut him down, claiming he was endangering lives, though he made clear he was careful to vet the military cables from Afghanistan and Iraq precisely to avoid this. His site also came under cyber attack and PayPal cut off his ability to raise funds.

There is no doubt that Gillard, the Swedish prosecutor, PayPal, etc are all being pressured by the US government to help snuff out this ray of light exposing its many crimes.

Only French Internet service provider OVH said it had no plans to end the service it provides to Wikileaks.

Hackivist admirers of Mr. Quixote have set up mirror sites faster than traditional servers can shut Wikileaks down and are launching denial-of-service attacks targetting Internet enemies. Coldblood, a member of the computer group

Anonymous, told BBC, “Websites that are bowing down to government pressure have become targets. We feel that Wikileaks has become more than just about leaking of documents, it has become a war ground, the people vs the government”.

Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said Assange’s arrest was an attack on media freedom but assured, “Wikileaks is operational. We are continuing on the same track as laid out before”.

Strangely, Assange has been attacked on the left as a stooge of the CIA or Israel, though the former makes no sense at all. The latter comes off relatively clean amidst the diplomatic cesspool. But what the few tight-lipped US leaks relating to Israel really show is the fear that US diplomats have of saying anything negative about Israel. Perhaps they fear they will be passed over for their “anti-Semitism” or perhaps they fear that all their missives are read by Mossad.

An interesting comparison is between Assange and another expo-

ser of US military secrets, Jonathan Pollard, the (only) US-Israel spy serving a life sentence he received in 1987 for revealing US military secrets. The big difference is Pollard did not apply the “open diplomacy” principle. If he had blacked out the sensitive names, and exposed the secrets to broad daylight, like Assange, he could have had a beneficial influence on world politics.

Instead he sold the secrets to Israel, and uncounted CIA agents lost their lives in the Soviet Union as a result.

Another worthy comparison is with the legendary Daniel Ellsberg, leaker of the Pentagon Papers in 1971, who like Assange, gave himself up and faced the music.

The judge dismissed all charges against him in 1973 and the New York Times pompously applauded him in 1996, saying that the papers demonstrated “the Johnson Administration had systematically lied” about “a subject of transcendent national interest and significance”.

Ellsberg and Assange, following the advice of Woodrow Wilson, are heroes. Pollard, truly a villain, is worshipped today in Israel, where his 9000th day in prison last year was commemorated with a light show in Jerusalem. Last month 39 Congressmen petitioned US President Barack Obama to pardon him.

Last summer, Netanyahu had the gall to offer to hold off a few more months on settlements if Obama freed him.

Will Assange suffer the fate of Pollard or Ellsberg? The US military machine was in disarray in 1971 and Ellsberg gave it a brave shove and helped bring the troops home.

But this is 2010. The open calls to free Pollard are treated as a matter of course. While the Hillaries and Sarahs are calling to assassinate Assange for doing something noble, their like are calling to free a traitor who was responsible for betraying his country and causing untold deaths of US officials.

The sides are lining up, much like Bush predicted in 2001 with his “You are with us or against us”. A brave Aussie, a principled French judge, an American libertarian congressman, a youthful computer nerd — the enemies of empire come in all shapes and sizes.

Eric Walberg