03-31- 2007

BRAZIL'S FOREIGN MINISTER CELSO AMORIM: CASTRO'S BIOFUEL VIEWS ARE 'OUTDATED' 

   BRAZILIA, BRAZIL  -- Fidel Castro's criticism of biofuels are respectable but outdated because the whole world is heading in the direction of ethanol, Brazil's foreign minister said Thursday.  Celso Amorim said that while he had not read Castro's attack on U.S. biofuel policy in a Cuban newspaper, he felt it represented a respectable, if behind-the-times opinion.

   ''He has some ideas that are outdated,'' the minister added, saying that he had accompanied a Brazilian delegation to Havana 20 years ago ''and at that time Castro was already saying alcohol would never work because sugar was a noble product.'' Ethanol is a form of alcohol. Brazil produces ethanol from sugar cane, while ethanol in the United States is made from corn. In a front-page editorial Thursday in the Communist Party daily, Castro described the U.S. policy of encouraging the use of biofuels as ``the sinister idea of converting food into fuel.''

The remarks indirectly touched on Brazil because President Bush and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva agreed earlier this month to promote the use and production of ethanol. Brazil is the world's second largest producer of ethanol after the United States. Amorim said that Castro's criticisms, “are his opinion, we will respect them, but I believe this opinion has to be balanced with others.'' ''I personally believe that even Cuba would very much benefit from the world ethanol market,'' Amorim said.

SECRETARY GATES SIGNAL WILLINGNESS TO SHUT GUANTANAMO

  WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates signaled a willingness to close the U.S. prison for suspected terrorists at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as long as a way can be found to keep the most dangerous detainees behind bars. Gates told a U.S. House appropriations subcommittee Thursday that he wants to know if there is a legal solution ``to address the concerns about some of these people who really need to be incarcerated forever, but that doesn't get them involved in a judicial system where there is the potential of them being released.''

    Human rights activists and European critics have said the United States should close the prison because they say detainees are being unlawfully held. The facility, located at a U.S. Navy base, was set up after the Sept. 11 attacks and the war in Afghanistan to house so-called ''enemy combatants'' picked up on the battlefield. Suspected terrorists captured elsewhere by U.S. and allied agents also were sent there. Gates said Thursday he believes the facility carries a ''taint'' around the world that undermines the credibility of any trials of terror suspects conducted there.

     ''He's looking for ideas,'' subcommittee chairman John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat, said of Gates in an interview after the hearing. ``What he's looking for probably has to be a legislative solution.'' Gates said under questioning from House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey of Wisconsin that he was conflicted about the facility, which he said has become a symbol for opponents of U.S. policy in Iraq. About 390 detainees remain at Guantánamo. Approximately 385 have been released since 2002 and sent to countries including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Afghanistan.

CHILEAN POLICE BATTLE PROTESTERS in the streets of santiago

   SANTIAGO, CHILE  -- Police on Thursday used tear gas and water cannons to disperse hundreds of rock-throwing high school students who repeatedly blocked traffic on Santiago's main avenue. Officials said 264 people were detained.  Most shops were closing by midafternoon and many offices authorized their employees to leave earlier, as public transportation begun to disappear because of a strike by some drivers, while others feared their buses would be attacked by demonstrators.

    The demonstrations came on a date often marked by violence by far-left groups commemorating what they call "The Day of the Young Combatant," honoring two young brothers killed by police in a 1985 protest of the 1973-90 dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.  On Thursday, the judge investigating the killing of Eduardo and Rafael Vergara filed homicide charges against one active and three retired police officers. A lawyer for the retired officers, Mauricio Unda, said that they acted in self-defense during the protest.

     The protests were far smaller than the well-organized marches of May 2006, when up to 700,000 high-school students took to the streets to demand improved schools, lower public transportation fares and educational reforms.  The government announced Wednesday that it was mobilizing 4,000 police to prevent the violence that often breaks out on "The Day of the Young Combatant."

03-30- 2007

FORMER SPANISH PRESIDENT JOSE MARIA AZNAR HARSHLY QUESTIONS CASTRO, CHAVEZ AND MORALES

   MADRID, SPAIN  -- Former Spanish President José María Aznar (Popular Party) Tuesday raided on the foreign policy of his successor José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) in Latin America and strongly criticized the "totalitarian regime" of Fidel Castro's Cuba, the "racist and radical" indigenous movement embodied by Evo Morales' Bolivia and the "21-century socialism" intended in Hugo Chávez' Venezuela.

    Aznar in Madrid disclosed the latest report of the Foundation for Social Analyses and Studies, entitled "Latin America: an agenda of freedom." The document claims that countries in the region are at a crossroads and recommends finding alternatives to populism, Efe reported. According to Aznar, Latin America is "an undisputable reality," and "we Spaniards cannot turn our back or shrug our shoulders at the future of Latin America."

    Aznar strongly questioned the people who at the present time are proposing the "outdated ideas" of "revolutionary populism, neo-state control, racist indigenous movements and nationalist militarism." While he did not mention Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, Aznar claimed: "People advocating these ideas today claim they want to implement the 21st-century socialism, but we all know that the 20th-century socialism caused misery and oppression."

AMBASSADOR WILLIAM BROWNFIELD: DRUG TRAFFIC THROUGH VENEZUELA JUMPED

  CARACAS, VENEZUELA  --  The United States Envoy to Venezuela, William Brownfield, acknowledges the Venezuelan Government has the right to enter or not into counter-narcotics conventions with certain countries, but he called for "greater cooperation" to fight drug traffic, as "illegal drug traffic in the region has heightened." "The reality -which most people refuse to admit- is that over the last few years we have witnessed a significant increase in the amount of illicit drug going through the region, and particularly through Venezuela. Drug traffic has climbed from 20-30 tons a year five years ago to virtually 300 tons last year," the diplomat explained.

    "We do accept any decision the Venezuelan Government may take, the only thing we expect is increased cooperation," Brownfield stressed. Regarding Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez' announcement that he is purchasing "a real anti-aircraft system which I can use to hit back hardly, if someone else launches one of those a long-range things," Brownfield only called for "transparency" in such plans.

    "Venezuela has this right, like any other country. But Venezuela, just like the United States, does not live in a jungle. We have neighbors concerned about our military policies. The solution to ensure that you do not intend an arms race is absolute transparency, i.e. all governments should account for the quantity of weapons they intend to buy and for what purposes," Brownfield suggested. Further, the diplomat underscored that his country is "quite interested in the agreements entered into by (Venezuelan state-owned oil firm) Pdvsa and Cuban authorities regarding ethanol." "They may make a breakthrough in terms of what they have learned in technology and science and they may want to offer that to us."

HUGO CHAVEZ REQUESTED TO THINK IT OVER ON RCTV 

   CARACAS, VENEZUELA  --  The International Association of Broadcasting (IAB) asked President Hugo Chávez Tuesday to reconsider his decision not to renew the broadcasting license for private TV channel Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV).
 IAB requested Chávez "with due respect" to reconsider the move, to favor the exercise of freedom of expression in Venezuela.

    According to a communiqué released in Montevideo, the seat of the IAB Secretariat that represents over 17,000 private radio stations and TV channels of the Americas, Europe and Asia, "the Venezuelan government is entrusted with management of the radio-electrical spectrum, which is the humankind's cultural heritage." However, "it should be consistent with the audience's right to tune in the station of their choice and with the journalists' right to exercise freedom of information and give an opinion without any limitations or restrictions."

03-29- 2007

DEMOCRATS' TIMETABLE FOR IRAQ CLEARS SENATE -- PRESIDENT BUSH SAYS HE WILL VETO THE RESOLUTION

   WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  Senate Democrats yesterday thwarted a Republican effort to strip a troop withdrawal timetable from the Iraq war funding bill -- speeding Congress toward a veto showdown with President Bush. "We are not going to back down from the essential language in this bill," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, said of the mandate that a troop pullout start almost immediately with the goal of a complete exit by next March.

    The Democrat-controlled Senate voted 50-48 against removing the timetable from the $121 billion bill and sets the stage for a final vote on the bill as early as today. The House already has approved a binding withdrawal deadline of Sept. 1, 2008. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Republicans will not filibuster the bill, but, if it passes, they have the votes to sustain the president's veto.

    "To delay the bill doesn't serve the intent of getting the money to the troops," said the Kentucky Republican.  The White House yesterday said Mr. Bush and Senate Republicans have agreed to get the legislation to his desk as quickly as possible so he can veto it.  "The legislation would substitute congressional mandates for the considered judgment of our military commanders," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "Regardless of the success that our troops are achieving in the field, this bill would require their withdrawal."

100 HAITIANS SCRAMBLE ASHORE

  MIAMI, FLORIDA  --  A rickety wooden sailboat carrying at least 100 Haitian migrants came ashore near Hallandale Beach early Wednesday morning. One of the passengers died while swimming to the beach, police and witnesses said. ''You could tell that a lot of them didn't know how to swim. They were terrified. You could see it in their eyes,'' said Danny Nassi, who lives in a condo on the beach.

    One man, naked and shivering, clung to the vessel after the others had abandoned ship. Fire rescue officials had to pry him loose and place him on a stretcher. The Haitians told authorities they had spent 22 days at sea. The landing occurred at 6:30 a.m., not far from the soaring Westin Diplomat on State Road A1A north of Hallandale Beach Boulevard. The group was traveling aboard an old-fashioned, 30-foot sailing ship, witnesses said.

    When the ship ran aground, dozens of men, women and teens plunged into the water. A local lifeguard was in the water, too, trying to assist the migrants to shore. Scores of area residents watched from their balconies, witnesses said. Some had binoculars. Some snapped photos. Several suffered from hypothermia. All were being interviewed by Border Patrol officials.

ALMOST HALF of the VENEZUELAnS CANNOT STAND SOCIALISM 

   CARACAS, VENEZUELA  --  Most people in Venezuela do not support the 21st century socialism, but the poor tolerate President Hugo Chávez' passionate leadership based on social issues, reported a recent survey of pollster Hinterlaces. About 45 percent of interviewees are "in disagreement" with the proposal to establish socialism, and 22 percent "does not know or does not answer," AFP quoted. However, 33 percent backs the initiative as most associate the view of socialism with social welfare.

    Refusal soared to 86 percent when asked about the possibility of "a Cuban-like socialism." Approximately 78 percent took the issue with "the violent, gross confrontation with the United States." While a sector voiced agreement with President Chávez' "courageous, sovereign" stance, they criticized his "excess and bad manners." As for "concentration of too much power," opposite positions stroke a balance.

03-28- 2007

PARAGUAYAN VICE-PRESIDENT ATTACKS CHAVEZ' SOCIALISM

    ASUNCION, PARAGUAY  --  Paraguayan Vice-President Luis Castiglioni questioned Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez' socialism as trying to play a "paternalist" role that is harmful for other countries in Latin America, Reuters reported. Castiglioni told an Asunción-based newspaper that Chávez is leading his country to a model "incompatible with human nature," which has been an "outright failure" in the past. His remarks seemed to mark an apparent distance from President Nicanor Duarte.

    "I do not share his (Duarte's) view (about Chávez). I do believe Chávez is leading his country to the model of the extinct Soviet Union or Eastern European countries," Castiglioni told Última Hora newspaper. "That model blew up because it was not compatible with human nature," said Castiglioni, who is considered as a Paraguayan official very close to Washington. Duarte has harshly criticized US trade policies in Latin America and announced his adhesion to the Bank of the South, an initiative of President Chávez trying to offset the influence of international lending agencies in the region.

    Castiglioni said he was opposed to the "US imperialism" but clarified he did not support "the sub-imperialism other countries want to impose in Latin America and the paternalism President Hugo Chávez has developed." "What no Paraguayan should allow is him (Chávez) dictating what to do or not to do. Nobody is going to dictate the agenda in this country: neither the US nor Venezuela." He rejected the creation of the Bank of the South, claiming it would be "a tragedy" for Latin America that countries are dependent on ideological interests to be granted loans.

VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR COMPLAINS ABOUT US MEDDLING

  BOGOTA, COLOMBIA  --  The United States interferes continuously with Colombia's internal affairs, and this affects Colombian-Venezuelan relations, said Venezuelan ambassador to Colombia Pavel Rondón. Notwithstanding, according to Rondón, the neighbor countries are having a great time.

     United States "does not admit the Venezuelan political model, Venezuelans' autonomy, and is constantly meddling in Colombia's internal affairs," the diplomat told Quito's radio station Ecuadoradio, AFP quoted. "To such an extent that President Hugo Chávez denounced, and it is a well-known fact, the US involvement in the coup attempt of 2002, when Chávez was overthrown for a few hours," Rondón commented. Despite his close relationship with Washington, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe "is a good friend of Chávez."

NICARAGUAN PRESIDENT DANIEL ORTEGA FIRES OFFICIAL FOR QUESTIONING GIFT TO HUGO CHAVEZ

   MANAGUA, NICARAGUA  --  Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega removed the director of the Nicaraguan Culture Institute Margine Gutiérrez, who questioned the ruler's move to give two manuscripts of poet Rubén Darío to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, sources claimed.State radio station Nicaragua confirmed Gutiérrez' dismissal, and said she would be replace by the director of the Women's Institute Emilia Torres. Margine told reporters her destitution could be related to her criticisms of Ortega's move to give two manuscripts of poet Rubén Darío to Chávez last February.

    The former official said she "did not welcome the decision," arguing that in the Central American country "nobody abides by the law," as she reminded that world famous Rubén Darío's manuscripts are a heritage of Nicaragua, and they cannot be sold, confiscated or given away, but should be under the custody of the tutelage of the Nicaraguan Culture Institute. Ortega gave Chávez two original manuscripts of Rubén Darío when he visited Caracas late February.

03-27- 2007

VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY: HOUSE DOESN'T SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

    WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- Vice President Dick Cheney accused the Democrat-led House of not supporting troops in Iraq and of sending a message to terrorists that America will retreat in the face danger. "They're not supporting the troops. They're undermining them," Cheney told a gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition at the oceanside Ritz-Carlton hotel in Manalapan, Fla., about 60 miles north of Miami.

     On Friday, the House voted to clamp a cutoff deadline on the Iraq war, agreeing by a thin margin to pull combat troops out by next year.  The $124 billion House legislation would pay for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year but would require that combat troops come home from Iraq before September 2008 _ or earlier if the Iraqi government does not meet certain requirements.  Cheney called it a myth that "one can support the troops without giving them the tools and reinforcements they need to carry out their mission."  President Bush has threatened to veto the legislation. Cheney said Bush will not withdraw troops before there is stability in Iraq.

BRAZIL UNWILLING TO FUEL CONTROVERSY WITH VENEZUELA

  BRAZILIA, BRAZIL  -- Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs Celso Amorim said Monday that he would call both the Venezuelan Ambassador to Brazil and Brazilian Minister of Communications to have a talk about their tough remarks on public TV. "We, in Brazil, are not interested in feeding any controversy," said Amorim, and wondered that the impasse "was an involuntary thing."

    "Let us talk with the Venezuelan ambassador (…) He is fully entitled to advocate and clarify his country's points of view. But also, when addressing to a Brazilian minister, he should observe certain limitations concerning terminology," Amorim told journalists at the Foreign Ministry. "I ought to talk to Minister Helio Costa for the same purpose," the minister added without providing further details on the day and time of the talks.

     Last Friday, Venezuela's Ambassador Julio García Montoya regretted in a press release that Costa, when defending the Brazilian government plans to open a public TV channel, dismissed fears of inadequate use and explained, "State TV is what (Venezuelan President Hugo) Chávez does." García Montoya called "outrageous and dangerous" Costa's words.

FARC CALLS UPON LULA AND CHAVEZ FOR RECOGNITION

   BOGOTA, COLOMBIA  -- Raúl Reyes, spokesman of the rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), said he hoped the presidents of Brazil and Venezuela, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Hugo Chávez, respectively to help the organization by acknowledging that Colombia is faced with a new reality. "These are governments that, in a sovereign way, could recognize at a given time that in a given country a new political reality has emerged," Reyes told Brazilian magazine Istoé.

    "And that is what we are building in Colombia. It is no longer a dream, just a wish," Reyes added, as quoted by Efe. Regarding the fears the Brazilian military have expressed in connection with the closeness of FARC to border with Brazil, Reyes replied, "this present time is not a time for conflict, but a time for a joint effort to achieve a transformation leading us to create free, sovereign and integrated motherlands."

    According to Reyes, "such a significant task has started already. Just like at the revolutionary Cuba, the Bolivarian Venezuela, the Sandinist Nicaragua, and Bolivia and Ecuador. And there is Brazil of course, whose people has started to conquer the living standards they always dreamt of." Reyes added that Colombian President Álvaro Uribe is already having "troubles to continue to deceive and to claim that we are the liars."

03-26- 2007

PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR DEMANDS RETURN OF 15 DETAINED SAILORS

    LONDON, ENGLAND  --  British Prime Minister Tony Blair  warned Iran  on Sunday that the fate of 15 British sailors and marines seized off the Iraqi coast was a "fundamental" issue for his government, as Iran suggested the group may be put on trial for violating its waters.  British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett spoke by telephone with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki late Sunday, and reiterated her country's stance that the British sailors and marines were operating in Iraqi waters as they searched for smugglers at sea.

    She asked that British diplomats be allowed to meet with the service members and demanded their safe return, the Foreign Office said. In Jerusalem, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice  also called for their release. At a European summit in Berlin, Blair said Iran's claim that the sailors had crossed into Iranian territorial waters "is simply not true."

     "I want to get (the situation) resolved in as easy and diplomatic a way as possible," Blair said, but added he hoped the Iranians "understood how fundamental an issue this is for the British government."  On a visit to the Middle East, Rice said the sailors and marines should be released immediately and said "we all fully trust the British" that they were not in Iranian waters when they were seized Friday.  But the Iranians also stuck by their view that the British had violated Iranian territory.  In New York, Mottaki said his government was considering charges against the British sailors and marines.

IRAN TO RESTRICT COOPERATION WITH UNITED NATIONS NUCLEAR WATCHDOG

   TEHRAN, IRAN  --  Iran is to restrict its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog in retaliation for the Security Council sanctions over its disputed atomic programme, a government spokesman announced on Sunday. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, meanwhile, vowed that no Security Council resolution could ever halt the Islamic republic's "march" toward the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

    "Iran has decided to partially limit its cooperation with this agency until the Iranian nuclear file is transferred from the Security Council" back to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said spokesman Gholamhossein Elham. The spokesman, quoted on the state news agency IRNA, explained that Iran had accepted four years ago an arrangement under which it informed the IAEA of any decision to construct a new nuclear installation.

     But it would no longer inform the Vienna-based nuclear watchdog of new installations until six months before they are brought into service, Elham said. In Vienna, there was no immediate IAEA reaction to the announcement but one diplomat said "it was pretty clear this was coming down the pike". UN inspectors visited the Iranian nuclear facility in Natanz on Tuesday, diplomats said, but it was not clear if they resolved a dispute over monitoring a strategic underground bunker. Iran is building an industrial-scale plant in the bunker at Natanz to make enriched uranium, which can be used for nuclear reactor fuel or atomic bomb material.

HUGO CHAVEZ: CHINA TO BECOME A TOP OIL CLIENT

   CARACAS, VENEZUELA  --   Hugo Chavez said China is set to rival the United States as Venezuela's top oil buyer as he announced new plans with the Asian powerhouse to jointly ship oil, build refineries and expand crude production.  Chavez, speaking Friday after meeting with an official from the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp., told reporters that, "As a power, the United States is going down, while China is moving up."

     Chavez said Venezuela was on track to reach its goal of raising oil sales to China to 1 million barrels a day by 2012 from its current level of about 150,000 barrels a day. "When we begin speaking of 1 million barrels of crude, we're nearing the level of Venezuelan supplies to the United States," Chavez said. Venezuela currently ships about 1.5 million barrels a day to the United States. "We do not deny what a big market the United States is - one we have maintained and are resolved and interested in maintaining, as well as our refineries there and our great company, Citgo (Petroleum Corp.)," he said. "But now Venezuela is diversifying."

     Chavez announced plans for Venezuela and China to build three refineries in China that will process a total of 800,000 barrels a day of heavy Venezuelan crude. "In two years these refineries should be ready, built. Within two or three years," he said. Chavez also said the two countries decided to start a joint oil shipping company with its own tankers to carry crude and other products between Venezuela and China, as well as to other world markets. Venezuela will also allow China to expand its oil exploration activities in the Orinoco River region, Chavez said. Chavez said that the agreements "places us without doubt as one of (China's) most important partners, I think, not just on the continent but in the world."

03-25- 2007

UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL APPROVES NEW SANCTIONS ON IRAN

    UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK  --  The 15-member U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Saturday to impose new sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment program. The acting U.S. representative to the United Nations, Alejandro D. Wolff, said after the vote: "While we hope that Iran complies with this resolution ... the United States is fully prepared to take additional measures in 60 days should Iran choose another course." He didn't elaborate.

    Western nations, including the United States, contend Iran is using the program to develop nuclear weapons, but Iran says the technology will only be for civilian use. The new measures follow a resolution adopted December 23 that prohibited trade with Iran in nuclear materials and ballistic missiles. It also froze assets of individuals and institutions involved in Tehran's nuclear programs.

    The sanctions, agreed on last week by the five Security Council countries with veto power and Germany, would ban Iranian arms exports and freeze the assets of 28 additional individuals and organizations involved in Iran's nuclear and missile programs. About a third of those are linked to the Revolutionary Guard, an elite military corps. The resolution also calls for a voluntary travel embargo on Iranian officials and Revolutionary Guard commanders. The British ambassador to the United Nations, Sir Emyr Jones Parry, who led the six-nation group, said after the vote, "The path of proliferation by Iran is not one that the international community can accept.

COLOMBIA-VENEZUELA STRAINED RELATIONS 

   CARACAS, VENEZUELA  --  The Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wednesday rejected Colombian officials' remarks on Venezuela and declared that authorities are waiting for a response that "restores" respect and high-level ties between the two nations.

     In a communiqué, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied to Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Fernando Araújo's remarks. The document repudiated Araújo's comments and branded his declarations as "inconvenient," as they come from a fraternal country that has superb relations with Venezuela.

     The document added that Venezuela is deeply concerned about the possibility that Araújo "uses his tour of the United States to make statements against Venezuela," particularly even though "Venezuela and our Government have made, are making and will continue to make efforts to support the peace process Uribe is advancing with Colombian rebel forces." Venezuela also rejected Colombian Minister of the Interior Carlos Holguín's comments in an interview with Bogotá-based newspaper El Tiempo where he "deliberately attacks" Venezuelan democracy.

KIRCHNER SIGNED 39 PERCENT OF ARGENTINE DEALS IN 100 YEARS  

   BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA  --  Venezuela ranked first among the countries entering into agreements with Argentina under President Néstor Kirchner, as Caracas represented 13 percent of the deals Buenos Aires initialed with countries around the world, according to a comparative analysis conducted by researcher Milagros López Belsué for Studies Center Nueva Mayoría.

    "Kirchner administration is the Argentinean Government that executed the largest number of accords with Venezuela (39), totaling 32 percent of historic bilateral agreements," the study said. The report published on the website of Total News, disclosed that under Kirchner's almost four years in power, Argentina entered into 294 bilateral agreements, including 39 with Venezuela, 37 with Chile, 30 with Bolivia, 21 with Brazil, 12 with China, 10 with Germany, 9 with the US and Italy, and 7 with Cuba, Paraguay, Spain and Russia.

    Based on the official data provided by the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Cult of the Argentine Republic, from a total of 121 agreements initialed from 1911 to 2007 with Venezuela, 68 percent was executed in 91 years, while the remaining 32 percent was entered into over the last four years.

03-24- 2007

IRANIAN VESSELS SEIZE 15 BRITISH NAVY PERSONNEL IN IRAQI WATERS

    DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES  -- Iranian naval vessels on Friday seized 15 British sailors and marines who had boarded a merchant ship in Iraqi waters of the Persian Gulf, British and U.S. officials said. Britain immediately protested the detentions, which come at a time of high tension between the West and Iran.  In London, the British government summoned the Iranian ambassador to the Foreign Office: "He was left in no doubt that we want them back," Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said after the meeting.

A spokesman for the U.S. Navy, which operates off the Iraqi coast along with British forces, said Iran's Revolutionary Guard naval forces were responsible. Cmdr. Kevin Aandahl of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet said the Iranian Revolutionary Guards had radioed a British warship explaining that no harm had come to the 15 Britons and that they were seized because they were in Iranian waters. The British Defense Ministry said the Iranians took custody of the sailors and marines in Iraqi waters.

Aandahl said a "very limited exchange of communication" occurred between the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy after it had intercepted the Royal Navy service members saying "that no harm had come to any personnel and that they were being taken to a place of safety." The Iranians said they had captured the sailors and marines because they were operating inside Iranian territorial waters. "The Royal Navy replied that they were well inside Iraqi territorial waters (and) that was the end of the conversation," Aandahl said.

US TELLS ARGENTINA OFF FOR ANTI-BUSH EVENT

   WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns Thursday reprobated publicly the Argentinean government for okaying a rally against US President George W. Bush featured by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in Buenos Aires two weeks ago. "I do not think it was the right thing," Burns said during a conference on President Bush' recent tour of Latin America at the Council of the Americas in Washington D.C.

     "I regret that this protest was staged there (in Buenos Aires), the very day that our president was in Montevideo." Then, he addressed himself to Argentinean Ambassador José Octavio Bordón, who was present in the conference. Burns told him he was sorry, but it was his government feeling.

aRGENTINEAN FOREIGN MINISTER REJECTS US CRITICISM CONCERNING CHAVEZ's behavior

   BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA  --  Argentinean Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Taiana described as "unacceptable" and "surprising" the criticisms made in Washington by a high-level US Department of State official Washington official against the Argentinean Government for authorizing a rally last March 9th in Buenos Aires where Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez harshly questioned US ruler George W. Bush. Nicholas Burns, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, complained before the Argentinean Ambassador in Washington José Octavio Bordón during a conference of the Council of the Americas.

     According to local press reports, Burns told Bordón: "I regret that this protest was staged there (in Buenos Aires), the very day that our president was in Montevideo. I do not think it was the right thing," AP reported.

     Taiana, who is in Quito accompanying Senator Cristina Fernández, Argentinean President Néstor Kirchner's wife, added that "from the political and diplomatic standpoint, it is both surprising and unacceptable that a popular event conducted by organizations of the civil society and a South American President is branded as wrong." The Argentinean diplomat added "that rally is yet another demonstration of the right to free expression expected in any democratic country. As to correctness or incorrectness of a political action, it is to be determined by Argentineans."

03-23- 2007

SENATOR JOHN McCAIN SOUGHT SUPPORT FOR HIS CAMPAIGN IN MIAMI AND VISITED BRIGADE 2506  

    MIAMI, FLORIDA  --  Sen. JOHN McCain's swing through Miami sought to bulk up support among the city's politically influential Cuban Americans and fatten his campaign account as a key fundraising deadline looms. McCain made an emotional appearance at the Bay of Pigs Museum and Library. ''I want to tell you how humbled I am to be in your company, and how proud I am to call you comrades,'' McCain said, later posing for pictures with his arms around the men.

    McCain called for continuing sanctions against Cuba until political prisoners are released and other democratic rights restored. He also referred to the ''Cuba Program'' in Vietnam during the war, in which an interrogator nicknamed Fidel beat 18 American prisoners of war. ''I did not meet him, but I have many friends who met a Cuban who came to Hanoi and tortured my friends,'' McCain said during an interview on Radio Mambí before he met with the brigade. ``So when Cuba is free, we look forward to seeing him again. I have an additional personal interest in freedom for Cuba.''

    McCain -- who at 70 years old would be the oldest person elected president -- seemed to enjoy his campaign swing through Florida, though he has been on the road for the past two weeks. When asked in a radio interview if he had time for another question, he said, ''This is too much fun. Go ahead.'' He also insisted on fielding questions outside the museum. Then the candidate who recently revived his ''Straight Talk'' bus tour through Iowa jumped into a Jeep Cherokee and headed back to Washington.

COLOMBIAN FOREIGN MINISTER "SCOLDED" FOR TALKING ABOUT HUGO CHAVEZ'S IDEOLOGY

   BOGOTA, COLOMBIA  -- Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Fernando Araújo Perdomo Wednesday said he was scolded because of his remarks on March 20th, when he said that his country's guerrillas share Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez' ideology. "I made I mistake, and my statements were ill-fated," Araújo Perdomo told Colombian radio station "La FM" from Washington, where is paying his first visit as Foreign Minister, following his designation in February, Efe said.

    The diplomat, who was kidnapped by rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) for six years, Tuesday said that while in captivity he saw the way rebels admired Chávez and listened to his speeches "with excitement." On Wednesday, Araújo conceded Colombian President Álvaro Uribe advised him to be wise in his declarations. "I was scolded at the Palace (the presidential office). President Uribe suggested me to reflect having in mind the preservation of good relations," Araújo declared.

    Araújo explained he talked Tuesday in Washington with Venezuelan Ambassador to US Bernardo Álvarez and told him he had no intention "to ignite an international incident." Later, the Colombian FM stressed that "bilateral ties between Colombia and Venezuela are given under the framework of respect for the principle of non-interference in each country's domestic affairs." "I do respect the Government and the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, with whose country we have superb relations and have been working in a constructive way," he stressed.

Ecuador swears in 21 alternate lawmakers backers of president correa 

   QUITO, ECUADOR  --  Ecuador's constitutional crisis took a new twist as alternate lawmakers were escorted into Congress under the cover of darkness Tuesday and sworn in to replace some of the legislators fired by the country's highest electoral court.  The 21 alternate lawmakers were shuttled to the congressional building before dawn as hundreds of national police stood watch, allowing the 100-seat legislature to begin a session with a quorum for the first time in two weeks.

    The crisis deepened in early March when a majority of congressmen voted to oust the president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal for approving President Rafael Correa's version of an April 15 referendum plan on the need for a new constitution. The tribunal responded by dismissing 57 lawmakers, accusing them of trying to block the referendum. Correa has acknowledged that administration officials met with possible alternate congressmen to encourage them to take up the dismissed legislators' posts, but it is unclear what affect they will have on Correa's influence in Congress. The alternate lawmakers belong to the three major opposition parties.

    Congress president Jorge Cevallos said the installation of the lawmakers was intended to "overcome the political crisis." But he criticized the alternates for sneaking into Congress before dawn. "This is not a good start," Cevallos said. "They should come in through the front door. No one has any reason to hide." The fired congressmen condemned the alternates as traitors.

03-22- 2007

CUBA SUPPORTERS BREAK UP WHITE LADIES' PROTEST

    HAVANA, CUBA  -- Government supporters broke up a public protest Tuesday by prisoners' wives who intermittently shouted "Freedom! Freedom!" as they marched through a neighborhood in the capital to mark the crackdown that put their loved ones behind bars.  More than 40 government supporters shouted down the smaller "Ladies in White" group with cries of "Long Live Fidel!" in a reference to ailing leader Fidel Castro. There were no physical confrontations between the two groups, and it was not immediately known if there were any arrests.

    The Ladies in White protest was unusual during what has been a low-profile period for dissidents, who largely have eased many public activities since the 80-year-old Castro fell ill in late July and temporarily ceded his functions to his brother Raul, the defense minister. The wives and other female relatives of political prisoners, dressed all in white to signify peace, march silently down Havana's Fifth Avenue every Sunday following Roman Catholic Mass.

    Since Saturday, the Ladies in White have held activities every day to mark the fourth anniversary of the crackdown launched against dissidents on March 18, 2003, just as the first U.S. military strike on Iraq was getting under way. Authorities rounded up 75 critics in the crackdown who were tried on charges of being U.S. mercenaries to undermine Castro's government and sentenced to long prison terms. The independent journalists, rights activists and other dissidents denied they received U.S. government funds.  Sixteen of the original 75 have since been released on medical parole. The 59 still behind bars are among the 283 political prisoners rights activists say were held in Cuba at the beginning of this year - 50 fewer than those counted in January 2006.

 CUBA BASIC INDUSTRY MINISTER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT FIDEL'S RECOVERY 

   HAVANA, CUBA  -- A member of Cuba's Cabinet on Tuesday shared Bolivian President Evo Morales' optimism about the recovery of Fidel Castro. But she did not directly confirm Morales' declaration that the ailing Cuban leader will return as the island's president in late April. "That was a declaration by President Evo and he would have some elements to have made it," Basic Industry Minister Yadira Garcia told reporters. "Our leader is recovering."

    The 80-year-old Castro has not appeared in public since July 26, a few days before he announced that he had undergone emergency intestinal surgery and was temporarily ceding his functions to his brother Raul, the defense minister.

    His condition and exact ailment remain a state secret, but he is widely believed to suffer from diverticular disease, which can cause inflammation and bleeding of the colon. Morales said over the weekend that he expects Castro to end his monthslong absence from public life and return as Cuba's president in time for an April 28 summit meeting in Havana. "Our expectation is that we will soon have him with us, in the most active way," said Garcia, adding that she personally received instructions from Castro since he fell ill.

CHILE "HAS NO RUSH" TO APPOINT AMBASSADOR TO VENEZUELA

   SANTIAGO, CHILE  --  Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs Alejandro Foxley said designation of the Ambassador to Venezuela "is an issue on which there is no need to rush." His remarks came when asked whether the designation would come ahead of Chilean President Michelle Bachelet's visit to Caracas next April 18th. In this regard, socialist senator Alejandro Navarro said the appointment of the Chilean Envoy to Venezuela should be quickly and an indication of friendship and closeness to Caracas.

    Navarro found it appropriate that the person that is to replace Claudio Huepe -who resigned after disclosing a private conversation with President Bachelet- is a political ambassador, so that "there is no room for those whose agenda consists of plans to create artificial conflicts with Chávez' Government."

03-21- 2007

TERRORIST CAPTIVE HELD AT GUANTANAMO CONFESS HE PLANNED ATTACK AGAINST THE USS COLE

     WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  A Yemeni captive being held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, confessed to recruiting the suicide bombers and buying the speedboat that blasted a hole in the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen, in 2000, killing 17 U.S. sailors, according to a transcript of a hearing released Monday by the Pentagon. The captive, Waleed Mohammed bin Attash, also admitted in the document that he helped plan the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya that killed more than 200 people, mostly Africans.

    Together, the two episodes were among the worst anti-American attacks blamed on al Qaeda before Sept. 11, 2001. U.S. authorities have long said they held at Guantánamo conspirators in the attack that nearly sank the Cole, a $1 billion U.S. Navy destroyer. The transcript appears to offer the first explicit, if brief, admission by a U.S.-held captive of a key organizational role.

    The military released the 10-page transcript of the hearing, held a week ago as part of a process of certifying bin Attash as an ''enemy combatant'' at the remote U.S. Navy base in southeast Cuba. Bin Attash was transferred to the U.S. military prison camps in Cuba from CIA custody six months ago, along with alleged al Qaeda kingpin Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Mohammed, in a transcript released last week, allegedly confessed to orchestrating the 9/11 attacks and being involved in a string of worldwide plots.

IRAQ FORMER PRESIDENT UNDER SADDAM HUSSEIN HANGED

     BAGHDAD, IRAQ --  Taha Yassin Ramadan, the former vice president under Saddam Hussein, was hanged just before dawn Tuesday, according to a source close to Iraq's High Tribunal. An official who witnessed the execution told The Associated Press measures were taken in order to prevent a repeat of what happened to Hussein's half brother, Barzan Hassan, who was decapitated on the gallows. Ramadan was weighed before the execution and the appropriate size rope was chosen, the official said.

    Last month, Ramadan was sentenced to death by the Iraqi court for his role in the 1982 killing of 148 men and boys in Dujail. An appeals court upheld the sentence last week.  Ramadan was sentenced to life in prison in November on charges that included willful killing in the 1982 crackdown, but the next month, the tribunal's nine-member appeals chamber decided the original sentence was too lenient and ordered the court to resentence him.

    The court's decision drew opposition from coalition officials and nongovernmental groups in Iraq, and some members of Iraq's legal advisory community suggested judges came under pressure from politicians. Hussein, Hassan and another official from his regime -- Awad Bandar -- also were hanged for their roles in the Dujail crackdown.

COLOMBIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: FARC VIEW HUGO CHAVEZ AS AN IDEOLOGICAL LEADER

   WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- The Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) regard Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez as an ideological leader, identify with him and admire him, said Tuesday Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Fernando Araújo, a former hostage.

    "The FARC guerrilla I met, views Venezuela's President Chávez as an ideological leader," Araújo asserted. Last December 31st, the minister tapped into a military incursion and managed to escape from captivity after almost six years in the Colombian jungle.

    "I was much interested to see that they (the rebels) constantly study Chávez' biography, see documentary films of Chávez on TV. There is a feeling of excitement among guerrilla members when they listen to President Chávez on the radio," the senior official told reporters on the occasion of a seminar in Washington D.C.

03-20- 2007

MADRID-BASED ABC NEWSPAPER CALLS HUGO CHAVEZ AN "ELECTED DICTATOR"

     MADRID, SPAIN   --  While he has faced a number of elections since he came to power in 1998, Venezuelan President is a "dictator," according to Madrid-based ABC newspaper, which accused the ruler of heading the most corrupt government in his country's history. "Chávez is a great example of a concept that may seem contradictory but is not. He is a dictator. He was elected, but he is ultimately a dictator, with a questionable electoral mechanism and an opposition he disarmed and destroyed morally," ABC said.

    "Chávez is not the responsible democratic ruler of Venezuela, the catastrophic economic situation of which we do not even need to take the time to describe, but he is the uncontrolled extravagant ruler who wastes huge oil revenues. Corruption and dictatorship, that is all you can find in Venezuela," said the article "An elected dictator," written by Enrique Serbeto and published Sunday in ABC.

    The article questions the fact that Chávez initialed trade agreements with other Latin American countries, during his recent tour of five countries, amounting to USD 5 billion, "without budget or audit." "Things like that do not happen in a normal country, or at least they do not happen without a subsequent scandal. But things are not that way in the Bolivarian Republic," the Spanish writer said.

HUGO CHAVEZ: THOSE WHO RESIST FORMING SOCIALIST PARTY NOT WANTED

     CARACAS, VENEZUELA  -- Hugo Chavez on Sunday urged some of his political allies who are resisting his plan to form a single socialist party to leave his movement and go their own way, saying he hopes the split will be amicable even if they defect to the opposition. Chavez aims to create the United Socialist Party of Venezuela to replace some two dozen smaller pro-government parties, but the idea has faced resistance from the parties Podemos, Fatherland for All and the Venezuelan Communist Party.

    Chavez said he already considers the leaders of Podemos, including a handful of state governors and lawmakers, to be "almost in the opposition."  "If you want to go, leave," Chavez said during his television program "Hello, President." "In reality, you aren't indispensable."  If some politicians refuse to join the new socialist party, they could form a splinter group outside of Chavez's camp. The three parties hold small minorities in the 167-seat National Assembly, which has been entirely filled with Chavez's allies since major opposition parties boycotted 2005 elections.

    The parties' reasons for resisting vary. While Podemos' leaders have taken issue with adopting a single party ideology, many communists wholeheartedly support Chavez yet have held off on disbanding until the new party's principles are clearly defined. "I've concluded that the party Podemos, the party Fatherland for All and the Communist Party of Venezuela — at least their spokespeople, their leaders — don't want to join in the effort of building the United Socialist Party of Venezuela," Chavez said. "Well that's fine. They have a right. Now, leave us alone to create our own great party."

RECALL REFERENDUM AGAINST ARAGUA GOVERNOR ENDANGERS CONSTITUTED AUTHORITY

   CARACAS, VENEZUELA --  Opposition Alianza Bravo Pueblo (ABP) claimed Monday that the attempts at enforcing a recall referendum against Didalco Bolívar, Governor of central Aragua state, put in jeopardy the institutional framework. According to ABP member Richard Blanco, Bolívar was elected by the people under his jurisdiction and that the move against him is for being at odds with the proposal of President Hugo Chávez to organize one single party.

     In his view, officials should be challenged for failure to meet the expectations of those who voted him, instead of the "whim of the dictator in power." ABP urged all political parties nationwide "not to play the game of President Hugo Chávez" and support institutions.
 

03-19- 2007

CUBAN DISSIDENTS' WIVES MARK FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CRACKDOWN OF MARCH 18, 2003

     HAVANA, CUBA  --  Forty Cuban women took turns Saturday standing behind fake prison bars to symbolize their loved ones' arrest during a government crackdown on dissidents four years ago.  Gathering at dawn for a 12-hour protest, the women erected metal bars under a staircase and stood in the fake prison cell one at a time in half-hour shifts. They sipped coffee and chatted quietly while going without food. On the opposite wall, they hung a Cuban flag scrawled with the names of their jailed loved ones. "We don't have weapons, we are peaceful," protest host Laura Pollan said.

     Pollan's husband, Hector Maseda, and 74 other government critics were rounded up in a 72-hour crackdown that began March 18, 2003, just as the first U.S. military strike on Iraq was getting under way. Those arrested were tried as "mercenaries" working with Washington to undermine Fidel Castro's socialist system and sentenced to prison terms of up to 27 years. Both the dissidents and American officials denied the U.S. government was paying opponents to harm Cuba. Sixteen of the 75 - including the only woman arrested - have been released on medical parole. Rights group say Cuba has about 283 political prisoners.

    Pollan said Saturday's low-key gathering was part of a quiet period among dissident groups, many of which have been waiting to see what will happen since the 80-year-old Castro had emergency surgery and temporarily ceded power to his 75-year-old brother Raul in July. She said Communist Party officials and others have visited leading activists in recent days, attempting to dissuade them from holding public acts to mark the anniversary of the crackdown. "They told us the country was living through difficult moments and that we shouldn't upset public order because the people could attack us," she said.

THOUSANDS IN U.S., ABROAD SPEAK OUT IN FAVOR AND AGAINST THE WAR IN IRAQ 

     WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- Thousands of anti-war demonstrators and supporters of the U.S. policy in Iraq shouted at each other Saturday from opposite sides of a street bordering the National Mall as protesters formed a march to the Pentagon to denounce a war entering its fifth year. The anti-war group carried signs saying "U.S. Out of Iraq Now," "Stop Iraq War, No Iran War, Impeach" and "Illegal Combat." The other side carried signs saying "Peace Through Strength," "al Qaeda Appeasers On Parade" and "We Are At War, Liberals Root For the Enemy."

     Police on horseback and foot separated the demonstrators, who were on opposite sides of Constitution Avenue in view of the Lincoln Memorial. Barriers also kept them apart.  But war protester Susanne Shine of Boone, North Carolina, found herself in a crowd of counterdemonstrators. She came out in tears, with her sign in shreds. "They ripped up my peace sign," she said.

    Thousands crossed the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial to rally loudly but peacefully near the Pentagon.  An hour into the three-hour rally, with the temperature near freezing, fewer than 1,000 protesters were left.  Police reported no arrests Saturday, after more than 200 Friday night. Saturday's march was the main event in anti-war demonstrations around the country.  Rallies also took place in Los Angeles, California; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Hartford, Connecticut; Lincoln, Nebraska; and other cities.

ISRAEL REJECTS PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT CALL FOR 'RESISTANCE'

   GAZA CITY, ISRAEL --  Israel rejected the newly anointed Palestinian unity government Sunday after the Palestinian prime minister said the deal didn't rule out "popular resistance against occupation." Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his Cabinet that the Palestinian government's platform "includes problematic elements that cannot be acceptable to Israel and the international community, like the right to resist, the use of terror and the non-recognition of Israel."

    The Cabinet voted 19-2 to back Olmert's boycott, dashing hopes that the Palestinians and Israelis will sit down for the peace talks that the formation of a unity government was supposed to help facilitate. Other aims of uniting the Hamas and Fatah factions are quelling a bloody feud between the two groups and ending a Western boycott of the Palestinian territories that has crippled the Hamas-led government since it toppled the moderate Fatah party in January 2005.

     The United States and Israel consider Hamas a terror organization. But while Israel was quick to denounce the new Palestinian government, the U.S. responded more cautiously, saying the deal was still under review. Meanwhile, the European Union and Norway welcomed the coalition, and Norway said it was willing to lift sanctions on the government.

03-18- 2007

LAwmakers diaz-balart and ros-lethinen request more information after publication of new book on cuba spy ana belen montes 

     WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  A new book on convicted Cuban spy Ana Belén Montes prompted calls by lawmakers Friday for the Bush administration to reveal more on the damage done by a spy who may have caused the death of a U.S. green beret.  Miami Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said Montes ''may well turn out to be one of the most notorious spies to infiltrate'' the Defense Intelligence Agency, where she worked as the top Cuba analyst with access to secret documents and intelligence gathering methods for years.

    Ros-Lehtinen and fellow Miami Republican Reps. Lincoln and Mario Díaz-Balart have requested ''a top-to-bottom assessment'' of the damage caused by Montes, who was arrested shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. ''Our questions are simple,'' they said in a joint statement. “How many reports did Montes write? How much influence did she have on the final reports the policymakers read? The persons she met with? What was the extent of her spying?''

    In his new book True Believer, Scott W. Carmichael, the senior counterintelligence investigator for the DIA, suggests Montes was at least ''partially responsible'' for the death of Army Sgt. Gregory Fronius, a green beret who died in a battle with left-wing guerrillas that overran a Salvadoran army camp in 1987. The book, which was cleared by the DIA, is unusual because Carmichael is an active agent who investigated Montes for five years before her arrest. He told The Miami Herald Friday that he wanted to raise public awareness on the threat posed by Cuban intelligence services and their ability to penetrate the U.S. government. Montes is now serving a 25-year prison term.

BIG OIL COMPANIES MULLING CONTINUITY IN VENEZUELA

     NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK -- Chevron's new investment in Venezuela depends on current negotiation. Chevron Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dave O'Reilly said that appetite for new investments in Venezuela is dependent on the treatment the firm is given during talks currently under way with the Venezuelan government regarding the company's heavy-crude oil operation in Orinoco strip.

Venezuela has kicked off a process to take over a majority stake in extra-heavy crude oil enhancing projects at the Orinoco oil belt that are currently operated by big oil firms, Efe reported. O'Reilly also said that Chevron would continue to buy back shares until markets are relatively healthy.

03-17- 2007

RICARDO ALARCON: "FIDEL CASTRO FIT TO RUN IN 2008"

     HAVANA, CUBA  --  Cuban dictator Fidel Castro will be in "perfect shape" to run for re-election to parliament next spring, the first step toward securing yet another term as Cuba's president, National Assembly head Ricardo Alarcon said Thursday. "I would nominate him," said Alarcon, the highest-ranking member of parliament. "I'm sure he will be in perfect shape to continue handling his responsibilities." Mobbed by foreign reporters following a parliamentary session to discuss Cuba's upcoming elections, Alarcon said Castro "is doing fine and continuing to focus on recovery and rehabilitation."

    A lengthy process of nominating candidates for municipal elections will begin this summer, leading to several rounds of voting. Then, by March 2008, Cuba should be ready to hold parliamentary elections that are expected to include Castro, Alarcon said. The 80-year-old Castro was the world's longest-ruling head of state, occupying the island's presidency for 47 years before temporarily stepping aside in favor of his younger brother, Raul, following emergency intestinal surgery in July.

    Alarcon said he has been in contact with Castro many times in recent weeks, but stopped short of saying he has seen him in person. He said that even though Castro ceded power to his 75-year-old brother, he never "abandoned his role." "Fidel has been and is very involved, very connected, very active in all manner of important decisions that this country makes," Alarcon said. "What's happening is, he can't do it the same way he did before because he has to dedicate a good part.

CHILEAN AMBASSADOR TO VENEZUELA RESIGNS

     SANTIAGO, CHILE  -- Chilean Ambassador to Venezuela Claudio Huepe Thursday filed his "indeclinable resignation" from his position, following a TV interview where he leaked a private conversation he held with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet last year. Huepe announced his decision before reporters after he met early Thursday for two hours with Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs Alejandro Foxley. Huepe arrived in Santiago from Caracas Thursday morning, after the Chilean Government summoned him to give an explanation on the incident, Efe reported.

    Following his meeting with Foxley, Huepe confirmed his decision in a short statement and would not answer any questions from reporters. "I have filed my indeclinable resignation with Minister Alejandro Foxley because I do believe that my statements provoked a political occurrence I did not seek or thought I could provoke," said Huepe. He added that President Bachelet in a private conversation told him that Chile would not support Venezuelan candidacy to the United Nations Security Council because the Latin American and Caribbean countries could not select a candidate by consensus.

    However, last March 12th, in an interview with Latin American multi-state TV network Telesur, Huepe said Bachelet had expressed her intention to vote Venezuela for the UN Security Council, but she could not because she came under pressures from the Christian Democrat Party.

EXXON WEIGHTS CONTINUITY IN VENEZUELA ORINOCO STRIP

   CARACAS, VENEZUELA  -- ExxonMobil said it is yet to decide whether it will keep a minority stake in multi-million dollar heavy-crude oil enhancer Cerro Negro in Orinoco strip, eastern Venezuela, following President Hugo Chávez Government move to take over operations from foreign firms, Reuters reported.

    Chávez ordered foreign firms to hand over operations by May 1st, while a four-month term has been agreed upon to allow operators to negotiate. ExxonMobil said it is holding talks with the Venezuelan Government to address "assessment, non-infringement of the agreement and compensation. "Transfer of operations will not have any impact in Mobil Cerro Negro's determination to migrate to a joint venture structure," said Richard Bailey, Exxon spokesman in Venezuela.

03-16- 2007

VENEZUELA DROPS TO FIFTH POSITION AMONG OIL SUPPLIERS TO THE UNITED STATES

     WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- Venezuela went down from the fourth to the fifth position among the major oil suppliers to the United States, as shipments in January amounted to 955,000 bpd, below the average oil sales from Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Nigeria.

    Therefore, Venezuelan oil sales to the US plunged 90,000 bpd (8.6 percent) in January compared to the volume of Venezuelan crude oil placed in the US market in December last year. Further, in January oil sales to the US plummeted 273,000 bpd (22.2 percent) versus sales in January 2006, based on the figures disclosed by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical arm of the US Department of Energy.

    Last January, Venezuelan oil shipments to the US dropped for the sixth consecutive month. Ending 2006, the annualized decrease in Venezuelan oil sales to the US amounted to 102,000 bpd or 8.21 percent. Overall, the United States last January imported 9.62 million bpd, a slight increase of 39,000 bpd compared to December. "Canada continued as the largest supplier, with an average of 2.44 million bpd, a small decrease compared to 2.41 million bpd in the previous month," the EIA reported.

circular posted in citgo gasoline service stations across the nation

     WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- TO OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS:

     We will be changing our gasoline brand from Citgo very soon! The reason for this change is because Citgo is owned and operated by a dictator, Hugo Chávez.  He hates the U.s.a. and supports terrorists. I refuse to send anymore dollars to this dictator. My current distributor, PETROSOUTH is an AMERICAN owned company from Griffin, Georgia. They have been my distributor of gasoline for many years.  We guarantee our fuel to be as good as or better than any fuel you can buy! The only difference you will notice is we will NOT be able to accept CITGO cards.  All other cards will be accepted.

    We certainly VALUE your business!
    May God Bless the U.S.A.!

PARAGUAYAN PRESIDENT RAILS ON PRESIDENT BUSH AND HAILS HUGO CHAVEZ

   ASUNCION, PARAGUAY  -- Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte lashed out at his US counterpart George W. Bush for failing to contribute to development in poor countries, and hailed Hugo Chávez' Venezuela as a country "with an overdose of democracy." In an interview broadcast late Wednesday on TV station Red Guaraní, Duarte said "it cannot be possible that the US Government does anything it pleases in much sensitive areas such as waging wars, setting international prices, but at the same time it does not have the strength to convince developed countries to suppress protectionist barriers."

     Duarte claimed he would believe in Bush "when there is technology transfer, when tariff barriers are lifted and when he stops treating our fellow citizens in a miserable way when they try to travel to his country." When asked whether the so-called "democratic clause" of the Common Market of the South should be enforced against Venezuela, Duarte stressed that the new member of the bloc "has an overdose of democracy."

     "What is the Mercosur regulation that is endangered because of Venezuela? Venezuela has an overdose of democracy, with one election after the other. It is the only country where the Constitution provides for a (presidential recall) referendum in the middle of the presidential term," Duarte added. Chávez "is the result of the Venezuelan historically corrupt leadership, and all leaderships are the fruit of failed liberalism."

03-15- 2007

MEXICAN PRESIDENT CRITICIZES BORDER FENCE, ASKS BUSH TO CURB U.S. DRUG USE  

     MERIDA, MEXICO  --  President Bush sought to soothe strained ties with Mexico on Tuesday by promising to prod Congress to overhaul tough U.S. immigration policies. But Mexican President Felipe Calderon criticized U.S. plans for a 700-mile border fence and said Bush must do more to curb American drug appetites. Mexico was the last stop on Bush's five-nation Latin American tour, and the one where the political stakes seemed the highest.

    This was Bush's first meeting with Calderon since the Harvard-educated Mexican conservative took office Dec. 1 after a razor-thin victory. They clashed, though gently. Welcoming Bush to a restored hacienda on the sun-drenched Yucatan Peninsula, Calderon said it would be hard to reduce Mexico's drug production while demand remains high in the United States. "We need the collaboration and the active participation of our neighbor," Calderon said. Bush and Calderon — both pro-business conservatives — acknowledged their differences and vowed to work together.

    Relations between the two neighbors have worsened since Bush last year signed a law calling for construction of fencing along the long border the two countries share. Calderon has ridiculed the fence — a mix of physical and high-tech barriers — and likens it to the Berlin Wall. Calderon argued that the fence would do little to stem illegal migration. It is questionable whether the full 700-mile fence will be built. A bill authorizing the fence did not come with any new funding, and the $1.2 billion that Congress previously approved is not enough. A 14-mile stretch under construction in the San Diego area is estimated to cost $126.5 million.

FELIPE GONZALEZ AND ERNESTO ZEDILLO HARSHLY CRITICIZE HUGO CHAVEZ

     MADRID, SPAIN  -- Former Head of the Spanish Government Felipe González Monday branded as "nonsense" an enabling law under which Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is empowered to dictate decree-laws for 18 months without prior passage of such resolutions by the National Assembly. However, González also claimed that the existence of a "single-color" parliament in Venezuela, where only the parties loyal to Chávez have a representation, is attributable to the "irresponsibility" of the political opposition, Europa Press reported.

    González' remarks came during an event called "Dialogues on human rights and juridical security in Latin America," organized by Obra Social La Caixa and hosted by Justice Baltasar Garzón of the Spanish National High Court. Former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo also attended the event. According to Zedillo, Chávez' attempts at gaining geo-political influence in the region could be a maneuver to deviate attention from the weakness of his regime. In Zedillo's view, the Venezuelan Government "is not seizing" the historic opportunity the Venezuelan huge oil reserves represent to "build solid foundations for the future."

    In this regard, González underscored that a system like Venezuela's "cannot last" if it cannot ensure "over eight percent of tax collection excluding oil" -as it is the case with Venezuela. Further, the former Spanish Head of Government added the relationship between Chávez and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not relevant and should not be a source of concern. As to the fact that US President George W. Bush and Chávez have just completed tours of different Latin American countries simultaneously, González claimed that finally "both presidents have shown a good coordination."

RICARDO ALARCON: FIDEL CASTRO'S IDEAL LIVE ON

   HAVANA, CUBA  -- Communist leaders called Tuesday for the revolutionary ideals of ailing leader Fidel Castro to live on as they marked the 50th anniversary of a failed attempt to assassinate dictator Fulgencio Batista.  "This revolution will continue for all time," parliament speaker Ricardo Alarcon told hundreds of students and top government leaders, including acting president Raul Castro, who watched the event from a front row seat but did not address the crowd.

    Alarcon praised the courage of Jose Antonio Echeverria, the University Student Federation president who was killed by police after the attack a half-century ago, and said that Cubans like him would ensure the socialist revolution would endure. On Jan. 1, 1959 - barely 18 months after Echeverria's failed assassination attempt at the presidential palace - Fidel Castro led an army of revolutionaries who toppled Batista's government.

    The 80-year-old Castro announced on July 31 he had undergone intestinal surgery and was temporarily ceding power to his brother Raul, the defense minister. Raul Castro, 75, appeared less reserved than at many of his recent public events, smiling broadly and waving to the crowd before and after the hour-long event.

03-15- 2007

GENERAL PETER PACE, CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINTS CHIEFS OF STAFF, CALLS HOMOSEXUALITY 'IMMORAL' 

     WASHINGTON, D.C.  --   A gay advocacy group Tuesday demanded an apology from the Pentagon's top general for calling homosexuality immoral.  "I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way," Gen. Peter Pace said of the "don't ask, don't tell" rule concerning gays in the military.

    In a newspaper interview Monday, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had likened homosexuality to adultery and said the military should not condone it by allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces.  "General Pace's comments are outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful to the 65,000 lesbian and gay troops now serving in our armed forces," the advocacy group Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said in a statement on its Web site.

ARMY SURGEON GENERAL OUSTED AMID WALTER REED SCANDAL

     WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley has lost his job as Army surgeon general, another casualty of the care scandal at Walter Reed Medical Center. Acting Army Secretary Pete Geren asked for Kiley's resignation, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates approved the action, a senior Pentagon official said. In its official announcement, the Army said Kiley had requested retirement.

     Kiley had been made temporary head of Walter Reed, the Army's top hospital, after Army Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman was ousted in the wake of a series in The Washington Post that found soldiers living in deplorable conditions. However, he was quickly replaced by Gen. Eric Schoomaker amid criticism that Kiley, who was head of Walter Reed from 2000 to 2004, had been aware of the problems at the facility.

     Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey, who had placed Kiley in temporary command of Walter Reed, resigned March 2 in wake of the scandal. Kiley, who was also commanding general of Army Medical Command, submitted his request to retire on Sunday, the Army said in a news release. Geren announced Kiley's request to retire and said Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, current deputy surgeon general, will take over Harvey's duties until a permanent replacement can be named. That selection requires the approval of the president and confirmation in the Senate.

03-13- 2007

NORTH KOREA EXPECTS U.S. TO LIFT SANCTIONS

     SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA   -- North Korea expects the United States to lift financial sanctions as part of a nuclear disarmament deal and will retaliate if it fails to do so, a senior North Korean official said Saturday.  Kim Kye Gwan, the North's envoy to the disarmament talks, said Pyongyang is carefully watching to see if the U.S. fulfills its pledge to end the restrictions on Banco Delta Asia. The Macau-based bank, accused of abetting North Korean counterfeiting and money-laundering, is holding $24 million that Pyongyang is unable to access.

    "The U.S. has promised the North it would scrap financial sanctions on the Banco Delta Asia," Kim told South Korean and Japanese reporters at Beijing's Capital Airport before taking a plane to Pyongyang. If Washington fails to do so, Kim said, North Korea "will be forced to take corresponding steps."

    Kim did not elaborate on Pyongyang's options. But North Korea could delay implementation of the disarmament deal should it feel that the U.S. or other parties - China, Japan, Russia and South Korea, were not meeting their commitments. The agreement, reached last month, sets out a schedule for North Korea's phased disarmament in return for inducements along the way. One of the first commitments was the U.S. pledge to resolve the fate of the frozen North Korean funds within 30 days of the agreement. That deadline falls next Thursday.

TRAIN CARRYING PROPANE DERAILS AND EXPLODES IN ONEIDA, NEW YORK

     ONEIDA, NEW  YORK --  A train carrying liquefied propane derailed Monday morning, setting off an explosion and fire that forced evacuations from this small central New York city and shut down a section of highway. The 7 a.m. blast sent a huge fireball into the dawn sky. Thick smoke continued pouring out hours later as about half a dozen propane tanker cars burned, said Police Chief David Meeker. He said the explosion followed the derailment of about 15 of the train's 80 cars.

     Fire crews fought to keep the flames from spreading to other tanker cars, about half of which carried propane.  "There is danger of further explosions," said Fire Department Lt. Kevin Salerno. There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities.

    The derailment occurred in an unpopulated area on Oneida's north side. Officials were evacuating an area of about a one-mile radius, covering most of the downtown area of the city of 10,000. Up to 4,000 people live within that area, but the evacuation was mandatory only for homes closest to the blast. A 23-mile stretch of the state Thruway, which passes within a mile of the explosion, was closed in both directions as a precaution, said Patrick Noonan, a spokesman for the Thruway Authority.

MAN BLOWS HIMSELF UP IN MOROCCO WEB CAFE

   CASABLANCA, MOROCCO  -- A man who was prevented from looking at terror Web sites by the owners of an Internet cafe blew himself up with explosives hidden on his body, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry said Monday. Four other people were injured in the Sunday night blast, including the dead man's companion, who was hospitalized with burns and an injury to the throat, said Ministry spokesman Abderrahman Achour. Authorities, uncertain about the circumstances of the blast in a Casablanca slum, held off labeling it a suicide bombing, Achour said in a telephone interview.

    A series of near simultaneous suicide bombings that killed 45 people, including a dozen bombers, took place in Casablanca in 2003. Since then, this Muslim North African country has made hundreds of arrests and has been scouring the country for Islamic extremists.

03-12- 2007

PRESIDENT BUSH CLAIMS PROGRESS WITH URUGUAY'S PRESIDENT TABARE VAZQUEZ  

     MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY   -- President Bush claimed progress on trade with Uruguay's president on Saturday, courting another leftist leader on his Latin American tour. "We care about the human condition," Bush said, trying to co-opt the populism of one influential leftist rival he won't meet: Venezuela's firebrand, Hugo Chavez.

    In a part of the world where the U.S. invasion of Iraq is particularly unpopular, Bush is not talking much about the global war on terror. And while he won't mention Chavez by name, his soft-sell pitch clearly is intended to counter the Venezuelan leader's rising stature and rants that blame Latin America's poverty on U.S.-style capitalism.

    "I would call our diplomacy quiet and effective diplomacy - diplomacy all aimed at helping people, aimed at elevating the human condition, aimed at expressing the great compassion of the American people," Bush said at a joint news conference with Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez. As he has on other stops, he mentions increases in U.S. aid programs during his presidency. The two met at the Uruguayan presidential retreat in Anchorena Park, a riverside ranch and national park about 120 miles west of here. Bush traveled by helicopter.

PRESIDENT BUSH'S TRIP TO AMERICAN LATINA HAS BEEN FOLLOWED BY PROTESTS

     MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY --  Police put down violent demonstrations in Colombia, and in Guatemala, Indian priests plan to purify an archaeological site after Bush visits. In Sao Paulo on Thursday, riot police fired tear gas and clubbed some protesters after some 6,000 people held a largely peaceful march.

    On Friday night, Chavez led a two-hour anti-Bush rally attended by nearly 20,000 people at a soccer stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, just across the river from where Bush met with Vazquez on Saturday. Chavez called Bush a "political cadaver" and said he was on his way to becoming "cosmic dust." Shouts of "gringo go home!" erupted in the stands.

    Shadowing Bush, Chavez plans to be in Bolivia while the American leader is in nearby Colombia. And when Bush is in Guatemala, Chavez will be not far away in Haiti.  Bush has steadfastly ignored Chavez. But it's becoming more difficult as the outspoken Venezuelan steps up his personal attacks.

US ACCEPTS VENEZUELA'S TERMS ON ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS  

   CARACAS, VENEZUELA  -- US Ambassador to Caracas William Brownfield Thursday voiced Washington's willingness to resume bilateral efforts with Venezuela in the fight against narcotics. "Back in July 2005, the Venezuelan Government announced severance of cooperation with the US administration. I wish we could recommence anti-drug efforts under any terms the Venezuelan Government wants to set," Brownfield said upon delivering a donation to the Venezuelan Scouts Association.

     "If counternarcotics cooperation requires a new agreement, we are ready and prepared to initial a new agreement. If no new deal is necessary, then we are not pushing for a new deal. If collaboration with some Venezuelan agencies is required, we agree. If cooperation is taking place at a higher or lower level, we agree. In other words, we are ready, prepared and willing to accept any terms for cooperation," the US Envoy underscored.

      According to the diplomat, drug traffic "is one of the major areas in the Venezuela-US relation." If both countries fail to work together to counter this problem, drug dealers are the only winners. Brownfield conceded that Venezuelan "Bolivarian" model and US "market" model are different, but hoped both countries can hold serious talks and make headway in pragmatic topics.

03-11- 2007

HUGO CHAVEZ: VENEZUELAN OIL SALES TO US WILL CONTINUE TO FALL

     BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA --  Venezuelan oil shipments to the United States will continue to drop as Venezuela continues to diversify its economy, and an example is the negotiations currently under way with China, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez told an Argentinean TV channel. Chávez stressed that Venezuela's entry into the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) has been accompanied by calls to reformat the bloc. "We have to take asymmetries into account.

    Now, the largest countries -Brazil and Argentina-, and Venezuela too, should listen to the small countries facing more difficulties. According to Chávez, Mercosur "either transforms itself or dies," like the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) died. “The latest reports show that Venezuela is no longer among the three largest oil providers to the United States, and (Venezuelan oil sales to US) will continue to drop because we are diversifying. We are selling oil to China.

     This year, sales will be around 500,000 bpd. This crude oil is deducted from the stream of oil we are sending to the United States everyday,” Chávez said.  According to Chávez, the United States has been plundering Venezuela. “In almost 100 years, a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil had not arrived in Argentina. We are free now.” Chávez underscored that decreasing oil sales to the US are not undermining Venezuelan economy. “We have been cementing very solid alliances with countries such as China, and now we are working with India, South American countries, and we are going to build a refinery in Brazil. We are virtually bulletproof regarding oil issues.”

INTER-AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION CONDEMNED VENEZUELA FOR REFUSING TO ALLOW A FACT-FINDING VISIT 

     CARACAS, VENEZUELA  --  The human rights arm of the Organization of American States Friday protested Venezuela's refusal to let in one of its investigative missions for nearly five years, further straining relations between President Hugo Chávez and the hemispheric body.  A statement by the 34-member Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) said its inability to travel to Venezuela is making it harder to verify allegations that the leftist Chávez is systematically undermining democratic rights and bullying the opposition into submission.

    The statement was unusual because it came as a separate pronouncement at the end of a regular session of hearings, rather than in the IACHR's annual report, where such complaints are usually listed. 'This has the effect of interfering with the verification of the situation of human rights in the country and with the promotion of a dialogue with state authorities and different sectors of the Venezuelan civil society,'' it said.

    The areas of concern cited included a ''lack of independence of state actors and the increasing concentration of power in the executive,'' restrictions on freedom of expression, ''extreme'' political polarization, a ''hostile ambience'' to carry out political activities and impunity in cases involving violations.

03-10- 2007

PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNED BIOFUELS PACT IN BRAZIL

     SAO PAULO, BRAZIL  -- President Bush sees the new agreement with Brazil on ethanol as a way to boost alternative fuels production in the Americas and get more cars running on something other than gasoline. Demonstrators upset with Bush's visit here worry that the president and his biofuels buddy, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, really have visions of an OPEC-like cartel on ethanol.

    While Bush's nemesis in Latin America,  Hugo Chavez, is using his vast oil wealth to court allies in the region, Bush is sealing the deal Friday on an ethanol agreement with Brazil where nearly eight in 10 new cars run on fuel made from sugar cane. Call it ethanol diplomacy.

     Brazil is the first stop on Bush's eighth trip to Latin America, which also includes visits to Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico. On his 45-minute ride from the airport to his hotel on Thursday night, Bush's motorcade sped by a dozen or so gas stations where drivers in this traffic-clogged city can pump either gasoline or ethanol.

HUGO CHAVEZ TO LEAD ANTI-BUSH RALLY IN BUENOS AIRES

     BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA  --  HUGO CHAVEZ said Friday that President Bush's Latin American tour was nothing more than an attempt to improve America's image, dismissing pledges of U.S. aid as a cynical attempt to "confuse" the region. Chavez, who complained last week that Bush's tour was meant to divide Latin America and isolate his leftist government, launched a counter-tour of his own, arriving late Thursday in Buenos Aires. He said the U.S. leader only recently "has discovered poverty" in the region.

     "I believe the chief objective of the Bush trip is to try to scrub clean the face of the (U.S.) empire in Latin America. But it's too late," Chavez said of recent Bush pledges of aid. "It seems he's just now discovered that poverty exists in the region." In an interview with Argentine state television Channel 7, Chavez promised his scheduled soccer-stadium rally Friday night in Buenos Aires "will be confrontational. I believe you have to point out the contrasts. If he says 'Yes,' we say, 'No!'"

    Just as Chavez whips up cries of "Bush, Go Home!" at the rally, the U.S. leader is expected to be arriving in Uruguay, the second stop on his tour, about 40 miles across the Plate River from Argentina. Chavez, in Buenos Aires, called Bush's tour an attempt to "divide" and "confuse" Latin American countries. "The future belongs to us," Chavez told reporters, adding "Oh, ho ho! Gringo go home!"

IRAQI SPOKESMAN SAYS LEADER OF MAJOR AL-QAEDA-LINKED GROUP CAPTURED NEAR BAGHDAD 

    BAGHDAD, IRAQ  --  The leader of the Al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, has been captured in a raid west of Baghdad, an Iraqi military spokesman said Friday. U.S. officials had no confirmation of the statement by Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, spokesman of the Baghdad security operation.

     Al-Moussawi said al-Baghdadi was captured Friday in a raid in Abu Ghraib on the western outskirts of Baghdad. "One of the terrorists who was arrested with him confessed that the one in our hands is al-Baghdadi," al-Moussawi said. A prominent Iraqi Shiite close to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also said al-Baghdadi had been captured. But he spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not supposed to release the information.

     Al-Baghdadi, also known as Abu Abdullah Rashid al-Baghdadi, has been identified in statements posted on Islamic extremist Web sites as the head of the Islamic State, which was proclaimed last year after the death of the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraqi, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Al-Baghdadi was said to have headed the Mujahedeen Shura Council, an alliance of Al Qaeda and other jihadist organizations, which was set up last year to downplay the role of foreigners in the Iraqi insurgency.

03-09- 2007

PRESIDENT BUSH DEPART ON LATIN AMERICA TOUR

     WASHINGTON, D.C.  --   President Bush departed for Latin America today in a trip aimed at portraying the United States as a caring ally in the face of a resurgent populist movement in some nations, led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.  This is President Bush's eighth trip to Latin America -- more than any other president in U.S. history -- but Bush has battled a perception that his administration is either distracted by bigger problems in the Middle East or out to push its own interests to the detriment of the region's legions of poor people.

    ''The trip is to remind people that we care,'' Bush told the CNN Spanish-language network Wednesday. Bush arrives in Brazil later today. He has no official activities planned until Friday, when he will visit a facility at the state-owned Petrobras oil company and deliver a joint statement on biofuel technologies.

    Afterward, he is scheduled to have lunch with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a socialist who has pursued orthodox economic policies and is touted by U.S. officials as a kind of left-wing government with whom the administration can have close relations. The two countries are planning a joint initiative to promote the use of ethanol in third countries. Even before his departure, some groups demonstrated against the U.S. president in Brazil and Colombia, two of his five stops on the tour. He is also to visit Uruguay, Guatemala and Mexico.

GREAT CUBAN PATRIOT AND RADIO HOST AGUSTIN TAMARGO DIES

     MIAMI, FLORIDA  --  Agustín Tamargo, the gravelly voiced, fast-talking Spanish-language radio commentator known for his passionate and insightful analysis of local politics, Cuba and Fidel Castro, died last night of a heart attack. He was 82. Tamargo had his own show on Radio Mambí 710-AM since 1985 when the station premiered. He was also a regular on Mesa Revuelta, a round table discussion on which the main topic was usually Castro, and hosted his own afternoon show.

    Tamargo also wrote an opinion column for El Nuevo Herald. His extensive knowledge on almost any subject won Tamargo a reputation as a respected and intelligent radio host. Tamargo last appeared live on the air three weeks ago, the station said. The station had recently played repeats of his old shows, where his voice sounded stronger and clearer than it had in recent years.

    ''He was born a classy man,'' said fellow radio personality Lourdes D'Kendall, who spent this morning fielding calls from distraught callers. “He was tall and very elegant. He would always wear a suit and an ascot. He was a real gentleman.'' One radio listener expressed regret that Tamargo would not live to carry out his dream, which he often repeated on the air, of returning to Cuba to “open a little school house and just teach kids.'' Tamargo had battled throat cancer for three years, his wife said. He recently fell ill for the sixth time with pneumonia and suffered a heart attack last night. He is survived by his wife and seven children.

GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS: MILITARY FORCE ALONE 'NOT SUFFICIENT' TO END IRAQ VIOLENCE 

    BAGHDAD, IRAQ  --  Military force alone is "not sufficient" to end the violence in Iraq and political talks must eventually include some militant groups now opposing the U.S.-backed government, the new commander of U.S. forces in Iraq said Thursday. "This is critical," U.S. Gen. David Petraeus said in his first news conference since taking over command last month. He noted that such political negotiations "will determine in the long run the success of this effort."

    American troops have stepped up efforts to clear and secure major highways around the capital as part of the Baghdad security crackdown, which began last month. The Pentagon has pledged 17,500 combat troops for the capital.

    Petraeus said Thursday "it was very likely" that additional U.S. forces will be sent to areas outside the capital where militant groups are regrouping, including the Diyala province northeast of Baghdad. The region has become an increasingly important staging ground for groups including al-Qaida in Iraq. Meanwhile, many Sunni extremists apparently have shifted to Diyala to escape the Baghdad clampdown. Petraeus declined to predict the size of the expected Diyala reinforcements.

03-08- 2007

thomas shannon regrets hugo chavez' reluctance to cooperate

     WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  Hugo Chávez was accused Wednesday of unwillingness to join efforts with the US Government in areas of common interest, on the eve of the upcoming tour by US President George W. Bush of five Latin American nations.

    "We would like to come closer to the Bolivarian Venezuelan President, but it seems that he has no intention of making a commitment with us," said US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon during a press conference prior to Bush trip to Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico. "Our message has been always that we have been open to a positive relationship, and we have thought always about specific areas where our commitment could be useful for both countries," the diplomat added..

    "However, the Bolivarian gentleman has clarified by his rhetoric, at least for the time being, that he does not value such a commitment," the senior official answered when asked if Bush could achieve his goal of "completing the revolution" of Simón Bolívar and George Washington in the Americas, as he said last Monday.

IRAN-VENEZUELA AGREEMENTS TOTAL USD 8 BILLION

     TEHRAN, IRAN  --  Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicolás Maduro Tuesday was welcomed by President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the headquarters of the Iranian Government. Maduro arrived in Iran on Monday from Syrian capital Damascus, where he met Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, Vice-President Farouk Al Share and Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Wali al- Mualln.

    In Tehran, Maduro kicked off a Venezuela-Iran cooperation committee, and Iranian Minister of Industry and Mines Ali Reza Tahmasbi told reporters that Iran and Venezuela so far have entered into agreements amounting to USD 8 billion, Efe reported.  Caracas and Tehran have initial 152 instruments, Tahmasbi said, adding that both governments "have started taking steps to implement some of these projects," but he would not disclose any further details.

03-07- 2007

11 WET CUBAN BALSEROS ARRIVE AT TOLL BOOTH OF KEY BISCAYNE

     KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA  --   Soaked, shivering and disoriented, five migrants walked up to the Key Biscayne toll booth this morning, where they received kindness from strangers. It happened about 6:30 a.m. The group included men, women and children. Workers at the toll booth separating Key Biscayne from the mainland kept them warm and gave them coffee until the U.S. Border Patrol arrived. One of the five walked away but the others stayed put.

    Thirty minutes later, six other migrants showed up -- also wet, also shivering. Four of the six in the latter group identified themselves as Lidia Lugo, 34; son Jose Carlos Rodriguez Lugo, 9; daughter Amanda Rodriguez Lugo, 15; and 13-year-old Mario Nunez, who is not related.

    An employee of Miami-Dade County let them huddle in his truck for warmth until the Border Patrol arrived. Lidia Lugo said they left Sunday from Cuba's Pinar del Rio. She declined to say how they made the voyage. She said she has a relative in Hialeah named Clara. The toll booth employee let her call Clara. ``Gracias a Dios,'' she said, shortly before the Border Patrol took her and her children away for processing.

TRIO OF CUBAN DEFECTORS DISCOVER 'SECOND HOME'

     MIAMI, FLORIDA  --  Cuban Olympic boxing champions are not easily rattled, but Odlanier Solis, Yan Barthelemy and Yuriorkis Gamboa never faced anything as daunting as deserting their teammates in a foreign country and sneaking away in search of freedom, not knowing when -- or if -- they will see their families again.

    The trio of 2004 Olympic gold medalists left their team hotel in Venezuela on Dec. 20 during a training camp, crossed the border into Colombia a few days later, cried their way through New Year's Eve and eventually made their way to Miami, where they will train for the next four to six weeks in hopes of making their pro debuts here April 13. Expectations are so high for the boxers that they each signed a three-year, seven-figure deal with German promoters Arena Box Promotion and First Artist.

    The boxers, who will do a media tour in Germany this week, are being managed by Miami-based attorney Tony Gonzalez, who guided them through their circuitous journey the past 2 ½ months. Solis, like all Cuban heavyweight champions, was a national hero in his country, but the 26-year-old and his two teammates craved the opportunity to fight professionally and live freely.

u.s. ARMY MEDIC IS FOUND GUILTY OF DESERTION

    WUERZBURG, GERMANY  -- A U.S. Army medic who jumped out a window of his base housing and fled to California to avoid a redeployment to Iraq was convicted of desertion Tuesday at a court-martial. He could be sentenced to seven years in prison. Spc. Agustin Aguayo, 35, who refused to return to Iraq because he believes war is immoral, admitted the less serious charge of being absent without leave but was unsuccessful in contesting the more serious desertion charge.

    In a shaky voice, Aguayo told the court at the Army's Leighton Barracks near Wuerzburg how his convictions led him to flee his base rather than go back with his unit. "I respect everyone's views and your decision, I understand that people don't understand me," he testified before the judge, Col. R. Peter Masterton. "I tried my best, but I couldn't bear weapons and I could never point weapons at someone."

     Aguayo added: "The words of Martin Luther come to mind, 'Here I stand, I can do no more."' Masterton sided with prosecutors in finding him guilty of desertion. He also was convicted of missing a troop deployment. Capt. Derrick Grace, the lead prosecutor, said being absent without leave was by itself grounds for a desertion conviction. Masterton did not immediately issue a sentence, which could also include loss of pay and rank and a dishonorable discharge.

03-06- 2007

VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY TREATED AT HOSPITAL FOR BLOOD CLOT

     WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  Vice President Dick Cheney has a blood clot in his left leg, tests revealed Monday. He will be treated with blood thinning medication for several months, a spokeswoman said.

    Cheney visited his doctor's office in at George Washington Hospital Center in Washington after feeling minor discomfort in his calf, said spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride, but was not admitted to the hospital. An ultrasound showed the blood clot -- called a "deep venous thrombosis" -- in his left lower leg, she said. Cheney, 66, returned to the White House after the medical exam and advisors are stressing the vice president is "fine" and "at the White House working." "He'll maintain his regular schedule," McBride said. "He feels fine."

    The vice president returned last week from a nine-day trip overseas that included stops in Afghanistan and Pakistan - a trip of "over 67 hours" in the air, according to his aides and a trip distance of 22,827 nautical miles.  Cheney has had a long history of heart ailments. In 2005, he underwent six hours of surgery on his legs to repair a kind of aneurysm, a ballooning weak spot in an artery that can burst if left untreated.

BRAZILIAN NEWSPAPER:  PRESIDENT BUSH BELIEVES CHAVEZ IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN FIDEL CASTRO

     SAO PAULO, BRAZIL  --  US President George W. Bush believes his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez is more dangerous for Latin America than Cuban leader Fidel Castro because "he conquers with money what the Cuban used to conquer with ideology," Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported. Quoting "people who met recently with Bush," the newspaper claimed that the US ruler is "obsessed" about the Venezuelan President's ascent in the region.  Bush is visiting the region in March 8-14 and his tour includes Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico and Uruguay. Besides, Chavez is simultaneously visiting Argentina and Bolivia.

    Further, Folha de Sao Paulo suggested that Washington is using Bush' visit to Brazil next March 8-9 to "demand" Brazilian ruler Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to take "a clearer and tougher stance vis-à-vis Chávez," DPA reported. In this connection, the newspaper quoted Republican lawmaker Dan Burton, who summarized Washington's concerns about Chávez by saying that the Venezuelan ruler "uses poverty in the region in his favor, as he devotes large amounts of petro-dollars to drive popular governments to the left."

    According to Folha de Sao Paulo, in order to revert this situation, the United States is using a joint project with Brazil to encourage both ethanol production worldwide and a new strategic alliance with Brasilia. Both countries are expected to use this energy agreement as a "bargaining chip" to defend a number of interests. The US, besides its "major" goal of stopping Chávez' power in the region, is proposing Brazil an alliance against the European Community to unlock the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization. Brazil is seeking the US to eliminate import tariffs on Brazilian alcohol imports, as well as US support to obtain a permanent seat at the Security Council of the United Nations Organization.

HUGO CHAVEZ IS HEADING ANTI-BUSH DEMONSTRATION IN BUENOS AIRES 

    BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA   --- Some 40 human right groups and Argentinean piquetero organizations are meeting next March 9th with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to hold a demonstration in a Buenos Aires stadium, in a rally against US President George W. Bush and imperialism. Argentinean Madres de Plaza de Mayo organization, hosting the event, called people to "welcome massively" the Venezuelan ruler in the football stadium of Ferrocarril Oeste team and rally "for Latin American unity" with mottos "Welcome President Chávez" and "Get out, Bush! Get out, imperialism."

    Chávez-headed demonstration is taking place parallel to Bush' visit to Uruguay. According to Buenos Aires La Nación newspaper, last March 3rd organizers disclosed details on the logistics and mobilization required for the anti-US rally, and costs were estimated at USD 192,000, which would be partly funded by the Venezuelan Government.  Chávez is scheduled to talk to some 40,000 people, and he will be accompanied by 300 troops of the Venezuelan Bolivarian Army to ensure security during the demonstration. Piquetero groups supporting Argentinean President Néstor Kirchner are placing some 1,000 undercover military troops among the crowd.

    La Nación claimed that five chiefs of the Venezuelan Presidential Guard met last March 2nd in Buenos Aires with the secretary general of the Argentinean Presidency Oscar Parrilli. The report alleged that Kirchner unsuccessfully tried both to cut the number of people attending the controversial rally to 6,000 people and to hold the demonstration in Luna Park. The anti-Bush demonstration has caused serious discomfort both in the United States and among the Jewish community in Argentina, with which Kirchner is trying to achieve a hard balance.

03-05- 2007

IRAQ PRIME MINISTER VOWS CABINET CHANGES BEFORE IRAQI CONFERENCE THAT WILL INCLUDE US, IRAN AND SYRIA

   BAGHDAD, IRAQ  --  Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said he will reshuffle his Cabinet within two weeks and pursue criminal charges against political figures linked to extremists. The move appears to be a sign of the government's resolve to restore stability during the U.S.-led security crackdown in Baghdad.  Al-Maliki has been under pressure from the the United States to bring order into his factious government of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds since it took office last May. Rumors of Cabinet changes have surfaced before, only to disappear because of pressure from coalition members seeking to keep power.

    Nevertheless, al-Maliki said there would be a Cabinet reshuffle "either this week or next." After the changes are announced, al-Maliki said he would undertake a "change in the ministerial structure," presumably consolidating and streamlining the 39-member Cabinet. The prime minister did not say how many Cabinet members would be replaced. But some officials said about nine would lose their jobs, including all six Cabinet members loyal to radical anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, an al-Maliki ally.

    U.S. officials had been urging al-Maliki to cut his ties to al-Sadr and form a new alliance of mainstream Shiites, moderate Sunnis and Kurds. Al-Maliki had been stalling, presumably at the urging of the powerful Shiite clerical hierarchy that wants to maintain Shiite unity. But pressure for change has mounted since President Bush in January ordered 21,500 U.S. troops to Iraq despite widespread opposition in Congress and among the U.S. public -- weary of the nearly five-year-long war.

SOUTH KOREA WANTS NO TRACE OF NUKES BEFORE SENDING NEW SHIPMENT OF AID

     SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA  --  South Korea's foreign minister said yesterday that North Korea must abandon all aspects of its nuclear endeavors, including a suspected uranium enrichment program, as part of a deal to solve the peninsula's nuclear crisis, even if the program has barely gotten off the ground.  Song Min-soon, Seoul's minister for foreign affairs and trade, sidestepped new questions over the state of Pyongyang's uranium-enrichment program, the key charge in the Bush administration's case that the North had violated past agreements to halt its nuclear weapons programs.

    In Pyongyang yesterday, officials from the North and South agreed to work on the first phases of the Feb. 13 accord, as well as on reuniting divided families, testing a pan-Korean rail link and preparing new shipments of aid to the North.  "The South and the North will work jointly to ensure a sound implementation of the agreement on denuclearizing and peace on the Korean Peninsula," the two sides said in a joint statement issued after four days of ministerial-level talks.
 
   The Beijing deal calls for a phased end to all the North's nuclear programs in return for aid, energy and the prospect of full diplomatic relations with the United States and countries in the region. But South Korean officials yesterday refused to restore full aid shipments until the North's main nuclear reactor facility had been shut down. Seoul suspended aid after the North's missile tests last summer, and Pyongyang responded by cutting diplomatic contacts and meetings of divided families. The South agreed verbally to provide the North with rice and fertilizer, but did not specify the date of delivery or the amount to be shipped.

CASTRO'S MISSING SIGNATURE IN THE CUBA'S ANNUAL HABANOS FESTIVAL SPURS MYSTERY

    HAVANA, CUBA   --- It is the closest you get to a capitalist stock market in communist-run Cuba: dozens of wealthy merchants bidding high stakes for humidors full of premium cigars.  Cuba's annual Habanos festival ended on Friday night with an auction of five ornate humidors of cedar and mahogany stacked with hand-rolled stogies that raised 533,000 euros ($703,560) for the country's health care system.

    The 80-year-old revolutionary has missed the last four annual auctions, but three of his sons attended the lavish $550 a plate gala dinner for a thousand cigar aficionados and retailers from the world over.  Missing Castro's signature, the humidor auction brought in less than the 610,000 euros ($805,200) made last year.  Cigar merchants were still confident they would easily sell the humidors filled with famed Montecristo, Partagas and Cohiba cigars to their best clients.  "In Hong Kong, people buy cigars like there is no tomorrow. It is full of cigar collectors," said Dag Holmboe, chief executive officer of Pacific Cigar Company, the exclusive distributor of Cuban cigar in the Asia Pacific region.

03-04- 2007

VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY WARNS AGAINST HASTY IRAQ PULLOUT

    WASHINGTON, D.C.  --   A quick withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq could allow victorious Muslim extremists to fan out into other countries, with some militants going to Afghanistan to fight alongside a resurgent Taliban, Vice President Dick Cheney says. The vice president, just back from a trip that included unannounced stops in Afghanistan and Pakistan, addressed a conservative conference Thursday night where he sharply criticized efforts by some Democrats to restrict funds for President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq or to place restrictions on their deployment.

    While noting that the House already had passed a nonbinding resolution voicing opposition to Bush's Iraq policy, Cheney said that "very soon both houses of Congress will have to vote on a piece of legislation that is binding." The legislation would, among other things, help pay for the additional 21,500 troops Bush is sending to Iraq.

    "I sincerely hope the discussion this time will be about winning in Iraq, not about posturing on Capitol Hill. Anyone can say they support the troops, and we should take them at their word. But the proof will come when it's time to provide the money and the support," Cheney said. "We expect the House and the Senate to meet those needs on time and in full." The vice president spoke at an annual dinner of the Conservative Political Action Conference. The audience included conservative activists, leaders and policymakers.

RICH VENEZUELANS, ALARMED BY CHAVEZ'S SOCIALISM, HEAD TO FLORIDA

    MIAMI, FLORIDA  --   As Hugo Chavez further tightens control of the South American country's economy, wealthy Venezuelans who once thought they could live with his socialist edicts are turning to their backup plan - flight to the United States, particularly Florida. Venezuelans have long gobbled up condos and pre-construction deals in Florida as investments, but the latest buyers want homes where they can live and business properties that will help them earn a green card.

    "First the people who come are the businessmen in the highest circles, then the losing politicians, then the military and then the professionals," said Miami-based immigration attorney Oscar Levin. "You're beginning to see the (Venezuelan) professionals." This latest and largest potential group of emigrants say they fear the effect Chavez's socialist policies will have on the economy and on proposed educational reforms that could mirror the ideologically imbued education of Chavez ally and mentor, Cuba's Fidel Castro.

     "There is so much insecurity, political insecurity, economic insecurity," said Venezuelan Miguel Medina, a business executive who moved to the Miami in August. "You don't know if a contract you signed today will be honored by the government in the future....This was definitely my plan B, but it was time to do the plan B." Between 2000 - a year after Chavez took office - and 2005, the number of Venezuelans living in the U.S. doubled to about 160,000, according to the latest U.S. Census numbers. Nearly half live in Florida.

03-03- 2007

ARMY SECRETARY QUITS IN WAKE OF WALTER REED HOSPITAL SCANDAL

    WASHINGTON, D.C.  --   Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey resigned Friday in the wake of recent reports of substandard conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a key facility treating troops wounded in Iraq.  Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Harvey's resignation at the Pentagon, just a day after Harvey removed the hospital's commander, Maj. Gen. George Weightman, from his post.

    A statement from the Army said it had "lost trust and confidence in the commander's leadership."  Harvey had been the Army's top civilian official since November 2004. Before President Bush appointed him to the position, he spent much of his career working for defense contractors, according his Army biography.

    Earlier Friday, Bush said he is "deeply troubled" by the reports from Walter Reed and will form a bipartisan panel to assess medical care for wounded U.S. service members. Troops recuperating from wounds they received in Iraq and Afghanistan were discovered to be living in substandard conditions in Building 18, an adjunct structure that was once a hotel. There also were complaints of too much bureaucratic red tape.

US: VENEZUELAN SITUATION FAVORS ILLICIT DRUG TRAFFIC

     WASHINGTON, D.C. --  Venezuela, with "a rampant high level of corruption, weak judicial system and lack of international counternarcotics cooperation" is increasingly enabling a growing illicit drug transshipment industry, US authorities said Thursday.  This forms part of the conclusion of the 2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, a document made public each year about international cooperation in the fight against drug traffic, news agency Efe reported. The report states that according to officials from the US embassy in Caracas, Venezuelan security forces are involved in the drug traffic.

     Also, the authors of the report claim that "because of the permissive and corrupt Venezuelan environment, and the success of Plan Colombia in neighboring Colombia, traffickers have set up operations to transship illicit drugs through Venezuela to the eastern Caribbean, Europe, Africa and the United States. Venezuelan traffickers have been arrested in the Netherlands, Spain, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and other countries." According to the report, Venezuela is one of the major drug transshipment countries in the Western hemisphere.

     During the presentation of the report, Abelardo Arias, a director for Latin America of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, US  Department of State, said that cooperation between Washington and Caracas is at the minimum level, adding that Venezuela refuses to sign any agreement of information exchange on drug traffic. "Venezuela failed demonstrably to adhere to its obligations under international counternarcotics agreements and take the measures set forth in US law."

ARGENTINA AGAIN ADVOCATES DEEPER TIES WITH HUGO CHAVEZ

   BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA   --- The Argentinean Government will be "very pleased" to welcome Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez next week, Friday said in Buenos Aires Alberto Fernández, the head of the Argentinean Ministerial Cabinet. The official declared that "Argentina has a very good relation with Venezuela, a friendly country." "We are betting on deeper ties, on continuing to build things together," he added. According to Fernández, "what happened with the Bond of the South shows the huge potential Argentina and Venezuela have when they work together."

     Replying to media reports rejecting the fact that Chávez' visit to Argentina is coming concomitantly with US President George W. Bush' tour of Latin America, Fernández argued: "Argentina -an independent, autonomous country- sees an opportunity in this, and has a natural brotherhood with Venezuela. We want to continue to work together."

     He reminded Venezuela is a country that "has been very helpful in times of crisis." "We will be very pleased to welcome President Chávez. The rest are mere analyses and speculations made around this topic." Fernández stressed that Argentina has "a very good relation" with and also has "a good, mature relation with the United States." While Chávez is paying his visit to Argentina next week, Bush will be visiting Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico and Uruguay in March 8-14 to address topics such as energy, drug traffic and illegal immigration.

03-02- 2007

FIVE CUBAN DISSIDENTS SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS

    HAVANA, CUBA  --   Five Cuban dissidents arrested 19 months ago and held without trial ever since finally got their day in court -- and two-year prison sentences. Emilio Leyva Pérez, Manuel Pérez Soria, Lázaro Alonso Román and René Montes de Oca Martija were sentenced to two years in prison. Independent journalist Roberto de Jesús Guerra Pérez, a correspondent of the Miami-based Payo Libre and Nueva Prensa Cubana news agencies, was sentenced to 22 months.

    Their sentences were announced Monday. They were arrested July 13, 2005, after attending a protest to commemorate the 1994 deaths of 41 people who drowned when the Cuban Coast Guard rammed the tugboat in which they were trying to flee the island. The ceremony was disrupted by up to 5,000 counter-protesters. In the melee that followed, up to a dozen people were arrested and several were injured.  The cases drew widespread condemnation from Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, including Reporters Without Borders.

HUGO CHAVEZ LOANS SQUEEZE IMF FROM LATIN AMERICAN REGION

     CARACAS, VENEZUELA  --  Hugo Chávez is squeezing the International Monetary Fund out of Latin America, the region that once accounted for most of its business. IMF lending in the area has fallen to $50 million, or less than 1 percent of its global portfolio, compared with 80 percent in 2005. Meanwhile, Chávez has used his oil wealth to lend $2.5 billion to Argentina, offer $1.5 billion to Bolivia and hold $500 million out to Ecuador.

    Chávez, 52, is promoting what he calls a ''socialist'' alternative to the Washington-based IMF and its biggest shareholder, the U.S. Treasury. The timing couldn't be worse for the IMF, whose global clout is diminishing as countries from Uruguay to the Philippines pay their debts. ''Chávez is the No. 1 enemy of the IMF in the region,'' said Jose Guerra, a former head of economic research at Venezuela's central bank and now a professor at Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. ``He views the IMF as an agent in the service of the U.S.''

     ''We don't accept the kind of development the World Bank and International Monetary Fund want to push on us to change our hopes, our souls, our pain,'' Chávez told a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Havana last September. Chávez has proposed creating Banco del Sur, or Bank of the South, to supplant international lenders. Such a bank would allow Latin American nations to avoid the policy conditions that generally come with IMF loans.

HONDURAS NAMES AMBASSADOR TO CUBA

   TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS   ---  Honduras named its first ambassador to Cuba in 45 years on Wednesday, completing the restoration of diplomatic ties with communist-run island that were severed during the Cold War. "Today, we have sealed our relationship with Cuba," said President Manuel Zelaya following a two-hour meeting with visiting Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque. Zelaya announced that Juan Ramon Elvir will be sent to Havana as Honduras' ambassador.

    Honduras broke off diplomatic relations with Havana in 1962, when Cuba was expelled from the Organization of American States. It renewed formal relations with the island in January 2001, but did not name an ambassador until now.

    In recent years, some ties between the two countries - like medical services - have increased. About 340 Cuban doctors have served in this Central American country, and around 500 Hondurans study medicine in Cuba.

03-01- 2007

FIDEL CASTRO SPEAKS SAYS 'I FEEL GOOD' ON HUGO CHAVEZ'S RADIO TALK SHOW

    CARACAS, VENEZUELA --   Cuban DICTATOR Fidel Castro called in to Hugo Chavez's radio talk show on Tuesday, declaring he's "more energetic, stronger" and his country is running smoothly without him at the helm. "I feel good and I'm happy," Castro said in a phone call to Chavez's weekday radio program. "I can't promise that I'll go over there soon, but, yes, I'm gaining ground."

     Castro thanked Chavez for spreading news of his progress and complained that his supporters have "the habit, the vice of getting news daily." "But I ask for patience, calm ... the country is marching along, which is what is important," Castro said in a soft but steady voice. "And I ask for tranquility also for me so that I can fulfill my new tasks," he said.

      "You don't know how happy we are to hear your voice and know that you're well," Chavez said with obvious surprise in his voice at the unexpected call. Chavez ended his conversation with his mentor telling him: "We will win time and win the battle for life." "Fatherland or death. We will prevail!," the two leaders repeated after each other.

VENEZUELA  REACTIVATEs COSTA RICAN ALUMINUM processing plant alunasa

     SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA  --  Venezuela-owned aluminum processing plant Alunasa -based in Costa Rica- is restarting operations with a focus on social issues, according to the agreement reached between plant workers and Venezuelan officials. People's Power Vice-Minister for Basic Industries and Mining Jesús Paredes explained that a group of Alunasa workers who visited Venezuela voiced their concerns during a meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who ensured continued operations.

  Paredes stressed that Alunasa is resuming operations, "now focused on using aluminum as mechanism of integration between Latin American countries," official news agency ABN reported. Paredes expects some changes to be introduced in Alunasa will allow the plant to work differently from other Central American companies "that are only pursuing profits, regardless of workers' living standards."

HUGO CHAVEZ AID TO CUBA EXPECTED TO TOTAL USD 1 BILLION IN 2007 

   CARACAS, VENEZUELA  -- Cooperation between Venezuela and Cuba under the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) amounted to some USD 700 million in 2006 and is expected to total USD 1 billion this year, said Cuban Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Marta Lomas, as quoted by AFP.

    She added that in 2007 both countries are to undertake virtually 300 projects and reminded that Caracas and Havana are working to organize 15 joint ventures."Our integration is just starting. Steps towards integration under ALBA are starting."