Venezuelan Minister denounces new plot by Washington

CARACAS (EFE).- In a recent news release the government of Venezuela declared that Washington has started a new media campaign bliss aimed at destabilizing that nation with the objective of stopping other Latin American countries from copying their model as a model of social development.  

Venezuelan Minister of Communications, Andrés Izarra, before reporters making a plea for support, stated, "We make an urgent plea to the people of Venezuela and our friends in Latin America to be on the alert for the new offensive by the Bush administration", adding, "Be aware of what is happening and don't be fooled or manipulated by the news media and those false reporters that propagate a dirty war against Venezuela.  

 Minister Izarra pointed out that the new campaign to destabilize the nation would be in the form of spokesmen of the US government slandering the nation in mayor newspapers like The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Miami Herald and Fox News network. 

According to the ministers these articles would be supported in total complicity by the local press of most of the nations in Latin America.

"The campaign's goal is to isolate and to discredit the government of Venezuela, so as to present it as a collaborator with terrorists groups, interested only in an armament race, whose sole purpose is to set up a dictatorship", asserted Izarra, further stating that, "We believe that what bothers Washington the most is the Venezuelan model of social inclusion, a model which has made great strides in education, health and poverty; a model completely different from what they promote".         

Izarra pointed out that in the last few weeks there has been more than 45 articles written against Venezuela, along with numerous declarations made by government officials and representatives of the State Department.

He went on to say, "The mechanisms used by Washington are well known and are based on reporting lies, using half truths, fraudulent statements, exaggerations, false sources, the twisting of events, the use of anonymous sources, manipulate statistics etc".      

Mr. Izarra went on to explain how the US government is trying the media campaign as the first step leading to an international intervention by the OAE (Organization of American States), this precludes a modification of the charter of the OAE so as to legitimize the aggression.   

Izarra accused Washington of, "Preparing, fertile ground as they have done for decades in implanting dictatorships who cater to their interests in South and Central America; dictators like for example Pinochet of Chile".

The Minister on a few occasion mentioned recently appointed National Director of Intelligence John Negroponte and ex-counsel of Latin America Affairs of president Bush, Otto Reich, as sinister people with a dark past that include gross violations of human rights violations.

Izarra reminded reporters that under the orders of the then head of the US embassy in Honduras , Negroponte, the base of "El Aguacate" was built; a base which was used to murder and torture people and in which a mass grave was found containing the remains of 185 people. *

 Izarra also pointed out the ties of Reich with the Iran-Contra scandal. **

The declarations made by the Minister come after the recent speech made by the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, where he denounced a plot by Washington to assassinate him in case that other options fail.    

* US sponsored terrorism in Latin America in the 70's and 80's.   Under the code name Operation Condor hundreds of thousands of people were murdered, kidnapped and tortured.  Every week a new mass grave is found, containing the remains of the victims of this terrorist operation.

** While Ronald Reagan was demonizing Iran, it was selling arms to that country via Israel as a way of illegally funding the Contras of Nicaragua (armed groups fighting the Nicaraguan government of that time - the Sandinista government).  The funding of the Contras was illegal as the congress had voted to forbid funding of the Contras.  It should be added that the funding of the Contras also came from the importing, distribution and sale of Cocaine and Marihuana in the US.  Cuban born Otto Reich a CIA agent along with Oliver North were involved in the drug trafficking.  Source: The Cuban Exile Movement by Hernando Calvo and Katlijn Declercq         

Source: Translated from Cubadebate