Venezuelan Coup Foiled – Arms Cache Revealed

Thursday, 21 November 2002, 2:09 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

NEWSFLASH - BREAKING NEWS
7 p.m. ET: Another Coup Foiled in Venezuela

“I was fooled when they told me that they sought a democratic solution and what had really been intended was a secret pact between (union boss) Carlos Ortega and (ex-General) Medina Gómez that a general strike… would try to generate disorder, violence and death so that the Armed Forces could take political control of the country. For that, they have accumulated weapons below Plaza Altamira and the Four Seasons Hotel…”

– Army Captain Pedro Sánchez Bolívar, minutes ago, breaking from the “dissident” ex-military commanders in Caracas

- For latest breaking news in English from Venezuela see… http://www.vheadline.com/p1/latestedition.htm

In its latest report Vheadline.com is reporting that the rebel army units, presently encamped over an arms cache in the center of Caracas, have been receiving funding from a "Western Embassy".

News Background: Alfredo Peña's Little Army

Over the past few days, AP, Reuters and other simulators of international public opinion have produced a number of articles that comment on the Venezuelan National Guard’s “takeover” of the Caracas Metropolitan police stations. What’s missing in most of these articles is context. The following article, by Alex Main, provides a little background information on the PM that helps understand why the Venezuelan government decided to have it de-clawed.

I met Alex Main last June, while I reported from the Venezuelan capital. A clean-cut young man from the United States, he had recently arrived in Caracas to see, with his own eyes, what was happening. We went, together, to the popular barrio of San Juan and spoke directly with the people. Main has subsequently become an important organizer of international solidarity efforts with Venezuelan democracy, and an honest set of eyes and ears for the rest of us.

Read his report at:
Alfredo Peña's Little Army
http://www.narconews.com/article.php3?ArticleID=541

Imagine, for a moment, that the Washington DC municipal police had repeatedly shot and killed peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators, looted radio and TV stations, attempted a coup d'etat and terrorized the population...

Would the national government then be justified in taking it away from the rogue forces? That's what has happened in Venezuela, and as Main reports, the common people - the majority, the ones that AP, Reuters and the NY Times never allow to be heard - are cheering that it was long overdue.

What the professional simulators have distorted as a repressive act - uniformed guardsmen removing uniformed police chiefs - was in fact a liberation from a serious repression by uniformed rogue police against civilians. The true facts show how knowingly dishonest the commercial US correspondents have been with you, kind readers. If we had an honest media, those simulators would have already have been fired.

from somewhere in a country called América,

Al Giordano Publisher
The Narco News Bulletin
http://www.narconews.com/
narconews@hotmail.com

TRANSCRIPT FROM: GOOGLE AUTO TRANSLATION OF SPANISH LANGUAGE REPORT

Military man of Altamira retracta and denounces full cellar of arms
By: LB
Published: 20/11/02

Link to Audio Of Press Conference..
http://www.aporrea.org/investigacion/021119/SanchezBolivar.wma

The captain of the Pedro Army Sanchez Bolivar, pronounced itself minutes ago against the military coup participants of Altamira, with those who he had been united 22 of October the past, the same day that the 14 of patíbulo pronounced and occupied the seat.

The captain denounced the presence of arms in the cellars of the Altamira Seat, as well as a plan orchestrated by "the military leader, major general Enrique Medina Go'mez against the union leader Carlos Ortega."

The captain denounced, according to Union Radio, that "was deceived when they said to me that they would look for a democratic exit and later I understand that the real derived intention of a secret pact between Carlos Ortega and Medina Go'mez who is the one of general unemployment that indifferently of the success she tries to generate disorder, violence and death so that the FAN assumes the political control of the country. For it there are accumulated arms underneath the Altamira Seat and the Hotel Four Seasons, under the indifferent glance of the Mayorship of Chacao."

"day 14 of November general Medina Go'mez ordered to send panfletos to me in the Tiuna Fort, and that carried out recognitions with a view to sending a grenade in the commando of the Third Infantry division and soon to attempt against the life of one of the leaders of an opposition party, with the purpose of blaming the government of Hugo Chávez Fri'as."

He denounced in addition that great amount of money that the coup participants have received from third Venezuelans who single have served for personal profit. "I have seen It with my own eyes."

"given Fuí of loss and not even I received breath words, only disappointment; it has never taken to me into account. Loyal Fuí and I continue being loyal. When subalter to us never they give in, and to my they left to me. I was loyal until the latest. But I am not ningun killer, nor I am going to assume the fault before any type of misdeeds."

In addition, "I was threatened of death by a captain who is now in the Altamira Seat; to you, we are going to see us frente.a.frente." It made responsible to the military of Altamira by any thing that happens to him to him or its family.

Like it was to be expected, Union Radio informed that this era "an infiltrated" military man, who had seen meet him in restaurants with Eliezer Otaiza (it is normal that a spy reuna with its heads in a restaurant) and that had been terminated the past 5 of November.

Sanchez Bolivar participated in the facts of the 11 of April (she directed to the transit in Tiuna Fort that day), and was investigated (and we think that blamed) by the launching of a tear pump in the Separate military command of the Army in last August.

20 of November, 2002
Military man of Altamira pronounces itself against the rebellious officials

The captain of the Army, Pedro Sanchez Bolivar, who had declared itself in "legitimate" and added disobedience to the military in revolt in the France Seat, pronounced east Wednesday against his comrades-in-arms because, according to he said, he was deceived. Although the officials of high rank denounced that Sanchez they saw it "having lunch" in a restaurant of the capital center with the ex- head of the Disip, Eliécer Otaiza.

Sanchez Bolivar was put under advice of investigation and terminate the past 05 of November. The support to the military of the France Seat did same the 22 of October, day in which the 14 generals and admirals spoke.

Nevertheless the today announcement did it carrying the military uniform, revealed that arms in the cellars of the seat exist and that the military leader, major general Enrique Medina Go'mez has a plan orchestrated with the union leader, Carlos Ortega.

Its displeasure arises "after understanding the low motivations that motorize the decisions of the personnel like general Medina Go'mez and the rest of the generals who accompany it. In such sense I want to formulate the denunciations since I was deceived when they said to me that they would look for a democratic exit and later I understand that the real derived intention of a secret pact between Carlos Ortega and Medina Go'mez who is the one of general unemployment that indifferently of the success she tries to generate disorder, violence and death so that the FAN assumes the political control ".

Lawyer of the captain: Its conduct is quite irregular

On the other hand, lawyer Alonso Medina Roa, representative of Sanchez, said to Union Radio that the expositions of the captain are "quite light. Since I came making his defense to request of his superior ones, to grief that that has said it was never supported; that is false. Its conduct is quite irregular; I understand that everything obeys to impasse of the officials and its person, since it was seen in a restaurant with Eliécer Otaiza, because this called the attention to the officials and concludes with this quite slight and irresponsible act ".

"it must assume its personal responsibility if it has said that it participated in criminal facts, it would have to be given to the authorities and to ask for an inquiry. In hours in the morning it showed to me that it was going to do something and that it did not go to me to bother; that was our last communication ", expressed Alonso Medina Roa, already ex- lawyer of the captain.

González González: It is a strategy of Chávez

On the other hand, the rebellious military man and brigadier general of Altamira, Néstor González González, informed that the rest of their comrades-in-arms knew that "asi was going to do something '; it remained within the Altamira Seat because we knew that she was an official infiltrated within the organization and we maintained it in discretion, this captain already had been making his work and we had information that received money of the FUS and was sent so that it was related to the military and based on that it expressed the opinion that is doing ".

In addition it considers that the denunciations of the captain Sanchez Bolivar lack foundation and "comprises of the campaign that establishes president Chávez with the objective to discredit the military". It notices that "it is possible to be hoped much more. There is a commentary that circulates of which the officials we are part of one componenda orchestrated by Hugo Chávez and for that reason it has not deactivated to us which soon and is part of the disrepute campaign ".

This campaign of disrepute must, according to González to that Head of State "knows that we are in the heat of reason, within the law and that there is no form to deny to us". It considers that the declaration of the ex- lawyer of the captain, Alonso Medina Roa, is "truthful and very honest (...) because that is the situation and is the information that we handled. The means can look for in their archives so that they notice that the captain does not appear mainly in the uprisings to side of our companions ".
It informs that when knowing its objectives "we decided to handle itself very well". González assures that they do not have hidden agenda; "... it cannot be more than what we have said since tests that do not exist there is componendas. When we called to unemployment we do it with the identification of the town and in cameras we requested the resignation of the president and make the call to the town so that it concurs to its exit ".

The general also denied that in the cellars of the France Seat and the hotel where the military meet hidden firearms exist. "the only arms are our words, our permanence of 24 hours in the seat; there is no different agenda and if there is arms in a while in which the seat is taken part it is because it is going it to seed the same Government in the cellar. The situation of the cellars came to the public light, it is known how we slept and the only thing that there is is that; there is no type of arsenal, is part of his fanaticism of which we are coup participants ".

New uprisings do not discard, according to González. "It can that are other cases like the one of Sanchez. We are not exentos to be infiltrated, but we are alert before any situation and for that reason when there is a new uprising we asked why they are pronounced, where are, as it is his relation. It left there that we knew that the captain had had meetings with Otaiza, in the FAN, internally, we have any amount of officials that alerts to us ".

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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