[R-G] Venezuela Accuses U.S. of Instigating Student Violence

[Anthony Fenton]

Venezuela Accuses U.S. of Instigating Student Violence
November 9th 2007, by Chris Carlson - Venezuelanalysis.com
http://64.191.57.43/news/2815

Mérida, November 9, 2007 (venezuelanalysis.com)- Venezuelan Foreign  
Minister Nicolas Maduro rejected statements from the US State  
Department yesterday, and accused the government of the United States  
of being involved in the violent events in Caracas. US spokesperson  
Sean McCormack had criticized the recent student violence in  
Venezuela, calling it "appalling," but Maduro claimed that the  
statement from the US is proof of their involvement in the acts.

"We don't have any doubt that the government of the United States has  
their hands in the scheme that led to the ambush yesterday," said  
Maduro, referring to a shootout between students at Caracas' Central  
University on Wednesday. Opposition groups quickly blamed the Chavez  
government after several students were wounded at the university,  
including at least one from gunshot wounds, after a violent clash  
between pro-Chavez and anti-Chavez students.

"We know this whole scheme. And the people of Latin America have  
reached a level of maturity about the politics of the empire, so that  
we know when a high-ranking official comes out about something  
happening in the world, in some country, that it means that the  
government of the United States is involved in some way or is looking  
to produce a further action," said Maduro.

The US State Department criticized Wednesday's violent events at a  
press conference on Thursday. Upon being questioned by reporters,  
State Department Spokesperson Sean McCormack labeled the events in  
Caracas "an appalling act."

"It's just an appalling act, and just another indication of the kind  
of atmosphere that you're seeing in Venezuela," he said, although he  
admitted that they do not know who is responsible, or who fired the  
shots. McCormack emphasized that violence had occurred against  
"peaceful protesters" who were expressing themselves against the  
proposed constitutional reform.

But the Venezuelan foreign minister rejected the claim and assured  
that the event at the university was "a vile attack" on a group of  
students that was meeting and organizing peacefully in support of the  
constitutional reform. Maduro accused both the US government and  
major media such as CNN of misrepresenting the events.

"It is obscene the role that CNN is playing right now, to attempt the  
impossible: the destabilization of the political atmosphere," he said.

Maduro accused the United States of playing a destabilizing role in  
the world, and assured that their discourse proves it.

"The desperation in the face, expressions, and language of this  
member of the state department that came out against our country,  
shows that their hand is behind all of these events." Maduro assured  
that the only thing that is "appalling" is the "criminal government"  
of the United States.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega also claimed that the government  
of the United States is behind the Venezuelan opposition movement,  
and offered his solidarity with the Venezuelan president.

"What we can do is express our solidarity with the revolutionary  
people of Venezuela and with our friend Hugo Chavez, who is being  
subjected to aggression from a counterrevolution fed by the traitors  
from inside the country and by the empire."

Ortega made the comparison to his own country, stating that the  
United States is also organizing opposition movements in his country  
that are "financed by the United States Embassy" in Managua.

But the Venezuelan minister discounted opposition efforts to defeat  
the upcoming referendum on the constitutional reform proposal,  
assuring that the Chavez government would win the election.
"We have no doubt that, as the surveys show, a huge majority of  
Venezuelans will vote 'yes' on the reform. And that moment on  
December 2nd, will be the moment that the Venezuelan people will cut  
down the declarations of the State Department, and we will teach them  
a lesson."