VENEZUELA: The opposition is determined to force the President to quit, writes Michael McCaughan from Buenos Aires
Armed forces chief Gen Julio Garcia Montoya blamed the nation's media for engaging in a "well-planned psychological war" designed to draw the army into civil strife and provoke the downfall of President Hugo Chavez.
"The armed forces cannot act as a referee in civil unrest" said Gen Montoya, ruling out army involvement in suppressing street disorder. Army troops were called to safeguard abandoned oil tankers this weekend while a proposed government decree would force troops to take over oil production with the help of retired oil workers.
A similar business-led strike combined with street violence led to an army coup in April, but the manoeuvre was quickly overturned by Chavez supporters and loyal army troops. "The opposition offensive has the same format as the previous one," said President Chavez, addressing the nation on Saturday, "but this time they do not have any high-ranking army officers on their side." President Chavez, elected in 1998, has engaged in an ambitious project to redistribute wealth in this oil-rich nation where 80 per cent of people live in poverty.
An estimated 300,000 Chavez supporters marched through Caracas this weekend while 100,000 opposition activists held a silent march to the headquarters of oil company PDVSA. Five of PDVSA's eight directors resigned at the weekend, obliging the government to reshuffle management for the second time in six months.
The anti-government march was sparked by the violence of the previous day, when gunmen opened fire on an opposition camp in a Caracas square. A group of dissident army officers declared a "liberated zone" in an exclusive suburb of Caracas in October, beginning a round-the-clock effort to unseat Chavez from office. Unidentified gunmen opened fire on the protest camp, sparking panic among the assembled people.
Eight men were arrested but there has been no statement on the motives of the detained suspects.
The Organisation of American States (OAS) has sent one delegation after another to mediate in the dispute but anti-Chavez representatives want the president's resignation. The opposition collected over one million signatures this year to demand a plebiscite on whether Chavez should remain or call fresh elections. President Chavez' presidential period runs until 2006, but the constitution permits a mid-term referendum in August 2003.
"Once the strike continues in the oil sector then the strike is succeeding" said Timothy Zambrano, a member of the Democratic Co-ordinator leading the strike. "We will get to the point where water, gas and electricity supplies are cut off" he added.