Cuban president stresses role of
Chavez in Latin America
Cuban President
Fidel Castro Saturday
highlighted the role of his
Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo
Chavez, in Latin America and
denounced an alleged US plot to
assassinate Chavez.
During a speech at the closing
of an international economic
meeting, Castro said Washington
"is mad" at Venezuela and that
"if it can eliminate Chavez, it
will do it, because the
president plays a decisive
role."
"If Chavez is murdered, the
responsibility will completely
fall on the president of the
United States," he said.
Castro said an effort to kill
Chavez would be aimed at
thwarting progress in the South
American nation, and would
mirror similar efforts by the
United States and others to kill
him as he turned Cuba into a
socialist nation.
"With me they have already lost
their time, this has become too
advanced "as the revolution here
is completed, "but that (the
situation in Venezuela) is in a
crucial stage," he stressed.
Colombian president conditions
dialogue with guerrillas
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe
said Saturday that he will hold
a dialogue with the guerrillas
only when the insurgents stop
their hostilities.
In a tele-conference from the
city of Cartagena, Uribe said he
is dogmatic and inflexible in
the demand of "suspending
violence, "even if the
guerrillas do not lay down their
arms.
He accused rebel leader
Erlington Chamorro of hindering
government contacts with the
National Liberation Army (ELN).
Uribe described Chamorro as a
"saboteur of peace" who has
thwarted an agreement with the
ELN.
He said the government is also
ready to start a peace dialogue
with the other major rebel
group, the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC), if it
ceases hostilities.
Uribe held an emergency meeting
with his military and police
commanders at Cartagena on
Saturday on curbing the recent
FARC offensives, which have
claimed the lives of 50 soldiers
in the past two weeks.
The FARC, with at least 20,000
combatants, is the largest rebel
group in the country. The ELN,
the second largest, has 5,000
fighters.
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Venezuela intensifies help
for victims of rains
Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez on Saturday headed
for the flood-affected state
of Miranda to give
instructions to intensify
assistance for victims of
the torrential rains and
landslides during the last
week.
Until now, bad weather has
left at least 22 dead,
several missing, over 14,000
homeless, as well as 6,117
houses damaged, according to
figures released by the
Civil Protection Office.
The government declared a
state of emergency Wednesday
in Caracas and neighboring
states of Aragua, Carabobo,
Falcon, Miranda, Vargas and
Yaracuy, and allocated
special resources for
victims in the affected
regions.
The heavy rains, which have
since last Monday affected
the Venezuelan littoral,
extended Saturday to the
states of Merida, Tachira,
Zulia and Falcon, in the
Andean region, the
authorities said.
About 24,000 individuals who
had been isolated in the
coastal zone near Caracas,
in Vargas state, were
evacuated on Friday, they
said.
The government said that
from Saturday the
disaster-management efforts
will be shifted to the north
of the country, mainly on
reestablishing
communications and the
supply of water and
electricity, and providing
help for the homeless
population.
The government has asked the
citizens to stay home and
avoid traveling, to keep the
roads free for rescue and
relief teams.
Also on Saturday,
meteorologists warned that
on Monday and Tuesday
Venezuela could be affected
by another cold front,
though less intense than the
one that produced the
present disasters.
In neighboring Colombia,
heavy rains triggered
flooding and mudslides,
killing at least 18 people
and forced another 22,000
people from their homes in
the northeastern part of the
country, officials said. |
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