September  15th., 2009

Chavez travels and people protest

I have achieved that my government has its own presence and voice in world politics, Chavez said in Alo Presidente, in support of his 11-day journey through 4 continents. With signs of physical fatigue and intellectual exhaustion he spoke for 5 hours, most of the time to defend the Education Law (LOE) and discuss the accomplished agenda and speeches. The pronouncements in Libya, to praise Gaddafi, upon celebrating 40 years in power and his participation in the Summit of the African Union, together with Sudanese President Omar El Bachir, who has an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court as responsible for the genocide in Darfur. He invited him to visit Venezuela giving assurances that he would receive special protection. In Damascus he said that the Libyans living in Venezuela are by 90% with Chavez. The visit to Iran was the eighth one he completes. The signing of new agreements and the announcement of the "nuclear zone" that he will develop with Iranian support. The Interview in Ashajabad with Turkmen colleague Berdimujammédov, who showed little enthusiasm for the proposed energy deals. A route change towards Venice, to walk the red carpet at the Film Festival and offer joint press conference with Oliver Stone, ensuring that Venezuela is a model of true democracy. Return to Belarus to share friendship and ideas with Lukashenko "Europe's last dictator". In Russia he was offered "all the weapons he wants". As a matter of fact he was granted a loan of $ 2,200 million, payable in oil and gas. As he said in Alo Presidente, purchases include battle tanks T-12 and T-90, equipped with missile launchers with a range of 300 kilometers and last generation tanks. He said Russia offered cooperation for nuclear development in Venezuela.

Defending the LOE responds to criticism that has sparked massive demonstrations that reject it, demanding cessation of the civil rights repressions and freedom of political prisoners. The Prosecution has criminally accused nearly 2,000 people in the streets for expressing their disagreement with the ineptitude of the authorities. According to the Unity Table (Mesa de la Unidad), in the first 8 months of the year there have been 1,518 protests because of dissatisfaction with public policies. "It's worse to think differently than to murder", said a student leader, referring to citizens imprisoned in inhumane conditions for participating in protests, when every week there are hundreds of murders that are not even investigated. The independent media considers that besides being illegal, it is a sign of weakness to consider as of civil rebellion crimes, the protests and demonstrations. "It is clear that only by force and by repressing the citizens they can stay in power, having lost the popular support because intimidation and terrorizing the population are the essence of the revolutionary project to continue governing". The next few days with the start of classes, there will be political turmoil as the majority of students and teachers have expressed willingness not to comply with the LOE. The government ordered its enforcement, and that teachers devote part of the class to read and comment a propaganda pamphlet, El Correo del Orinoco, with which it usurps the name Bolivar gave to the first newspaper published by the independent republic.

A RELATIONSHIP THAT INTIGUES

The State of Israel has become genocidal, it is a murderer state, the executing arm of the American empire, Chavez said in Damascus, in a joint press conference with President Bashar al Assad. "Syria's resistance is the same of Venezuela, because we face the same enemies. I have denounced the U.S. aims to make Colombia the Israel of Latin America, this is the objective of the recent security arrangements agreed between Washington and Bogota”. There were private meetings between the two presidents and new cooperation agreements were signed, among others, to install in Syria Telesur network, so its signal reaches the Middle East. He announced that thousands of Syrians will come to Venezuela to "study". He promised Syria to provide them with fuel, rice and corn, which means that it would be imported with Venezuelan dollars, since in none of the three areas, national production satisfies consumption. Venezuela currently imports 200,000 bpd of gasoline to meet local consumption and is negotiating with Argentina and Brazil the purchase of rice and corn. Israel condemned the "shameful attitude and declarations" of Chavez, and the Israeli press expressed concern about his anti-Semitic phobia, and his efforts to create similar feelings in the region. It stressed that the Venezuelan airline has direct flights Caracas-Damascus-Tehran, and according to reports from the Venezuelan airport officials, flights lands and take off from the presidential ramp without passengers presenting passports or fulfillling customs formalities. The Israeli intelligence services have reported that many passengers who embark on Damascus to Venezuela belong to the military wing of the Lebanese Hezbollah or are official party activists, the Ba’ath. The national media is wondering what the activity of thousands of Syrians who, as reported by Chavez, will come to "study" will be.

According to a local newspaper, ever since the last decades of the century, Islamic terrorists have been detected in Venezuela. Simultaneously, there was a massive influx of "Turks" who obtained residence as traders. Their sons studied at national universities, where many became members of the extreme left, leading to positions as presidents of university organizations. The list is headed by Tarek El Aissami, powerful Minister of Interior, who is in charge is the escalation of repression that takes place against the dissidents. Some ministers like Eduardo Saman Namel, Haiman El Troudi Dowguara; parliamentarians as Taher Hasan Abdilhadi, Kamal Naim, Rafio Souki, Adel El Sabayar; governors as Tarek Saab Halabi, whose cousin Asskoul Saab holds the position of Ministry of Sport, who manages the activity of thousands of "athletes" sent by Cuba. They fill important positions in almost all ministries, in the petroleum sector, state banks, the judiciary, and the security agencies. Commentators draw attention to the attention taken by the "Turks" whilst choosing family as collaborators in positions they hold, and especially the role they assume in the measures of greatest dissatisfaction: arbitrary arrests, especially students, confiscation and / or closure of industrial and commercial establishments, spurious management of official statistics. Ghazy Ated Nassereddine, who does not hide his sympathy for Hezbollah, possibly a militant, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, coordinates relations with the Arab world. The ambassador in Damascus is Imad Saab. In Chavez's recent tour, his activity in Syria, strengthening the relationship with Bassar al Asaad and his obsessive aggression against Israel will be political chapter of transcendental effects.

CHAVEZ STATES HE IS A COMMUNIST

 It is important that Europe and the world recognize that we carry out the most important revolution of the century, Chavez said upon arrival in Madrid, last stage of his tour of four continents. The tour showed that Chavez is treated as a friend by dictators of Libya, Algeria, Syria, Belarus, Iran and Russia; that in Italy he was received coldly, like a rich tourist who enjoyed the documentary Al Sur de la Frontera, by Oliver Stone, financed by Chavez and presented at the Venice Film Festival, praising him. To go to Spain he required the efforts of the oil company Repsol, a major beneficiary of natural gas found in the Gulf of Venezuela, which aims to operate in partnership with Italy's Eni (70% for Europe and 35% for PDVSA). The King granted him a moment to recommend normalizing relations with Colombia. The newspapers commented that the Suite reserved for Chavez in the luxury hotel where he stayed at for a few hours, costs 5,300 Euros. Surprisingly he visited La Casa del Libro, and both going in and exiting, he was shouted: "dictator, murderer". Rodriguez Zapatero has been severely criticized by the opposition, accusing him of being a "pleasing observer" of the Chavez regime.

Chavez's tour has generated not only information but reactions. The French government warned him that his announcement to build a "nuclear village" with support from Iran and Russia is inadmissible for violating the Security Council resolutions of the UN. New York’s District Attorney Robert Morgenthau denounced that the Iranian regime intends to circumvent the sanctions for the development of its nuclear plan through Venezuelan cooperation, which has 50,000 tons of untapped uranium at Iran's disposal. Andorra's government froze the multimillion accounts of relatives of Chavez, "for possible links to terrorism financing”. The Washington Post urges more attention to the Chavez whereabouts, whose alliance with the Iranian president does not seem to be simply "ridiculous" but a serious threat to U.S. The State Department said: "The increase in the arsenal of weapons which President Chavez referred to creates a serious challenge to stability in Latin America. Venezuela must ensure that these weapons are not diverted to any irregular or illegal organization”. Washington reiterated concern over the transfer of technology between Venezuela and Iran and noted that Venezuela has signed the nuclear nonproliferation treaty and must comply with obligations set forth therein. "U.S. will closely follow up on the issue”. 

Several South American newspapers expressed concern about Chavez’s announcements, who has in recent years made major purchases of arms from Russia, worth over $ 30,000 Million, according to Russian sources. In the country many state that it has no sense to spend money on weapons, being that one third of the schools are in such level of deterioration that classes may not start, a similar situation occurs in health centers, that besides the ruinous condition that they offer, they lack of the indispensable to attend patients. Chavez has noted that such concerns impact all sectors and tried to justify himself in the event destined to delivering a prize of $ 250,000 to the Hungarian writer Istvan Mészáros, for his work El Socialismo Siglo XXI, which  provides Chavez as the leader who can prove his claim that communism did not die with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Chavez, in such event, for the first time, declares himself a communist.