7-18-06, 9:34 am

Caracas, Venezuela, July 12, 2006 —Venezuelan President Chavez and other high level government officials sharply criticized U.S. efforts to undermine both Venezuela and Cuba. Yesterday, Chavez directed his comments against a Bush administration report, which claims that Venezuela is providing funds for Cuba to “subvert democratic governments” in Latin America. Vice-Foreign Minister Mari Pili Hernandez also attacked the Bush administration, but on the issue of its efforts to prevent Venezuela from acquiring a temporary seat on the UN Security Council.

Recently U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presented President Bush with a report on “Assistance to a Free Cuba,” which claimed that Cuba “is using money provided by the Chavez government in Venezuela to reactivate its networks in the hemisphere to subvert democratic governments.” The report goes on to specify exactly how the U.S. government should help organize a “transition government,” once Fidel Castro dies.

Chavez reacted angrily to the report, saying “This is what I say to U.S. imperialism: Now is when Venezuela will support the Cuban revolution, because there will be no empire, no matter how powerful it believes it is, that could demoralize us.” Chavez went on to say that the report represented yet another threat that the U.S. has launched and that it also affects Venezuela because the plans also aim to stop any country that supports Cuba.

Instead of working on transition plans for Cuba or Venezuela, the U.S. ought to prepare for its own transition, said Chavez, because, “this century will put an end to the U.S. empire.”

Chavez also confirmed the Caribbean countries’ support for Venezuela as one of the ten temporary members of the UN Security Council. The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Baldwin Spencer, visited Venezuela a few days ago and said that he ratifies the Caribbean Community’s support for Venezuela.

Vice-Minister Says U.S. Lobby Against Venezuelan Seat is Illegal

Vice-Foreign Minister for North America, Mari Pili Hernandez, made extensive remarks today about Venezuela’s effort to secure a UN Security Council seat and U.S. efforts to prevent this. According to Hernandez, U.S. efforts to prevent Venezuela from acquiring the seat are illegal.

The U.S. “has launched a furious campaign on an international level against the aspiration of our country to form part of the Security Council,” said Hernandez. “It cannot be accepted that the United States uses its power and its position within the Security Council to make a campaign against the legitimate aspiration of Venezuela,” she added.

Venezuela should have a seat because, “it has demonstrated that it is an independent country that does not accept pressure from any state,” affirmed Hernandez. Also, Venezuela “respects the sovereignty of all nations,” in contrast to the U.S.

The country the U.S. supports for the Security Council vacancy is Guatemala. If no consensus can be reached within the Americas region, then the decision for which country gets the sear goes to the UN General Assembly, where a two-thirds vote is needed to win. The decision about the open seat will be made in October.

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