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First Sanitarios Maracay Demonstration for Factory Expropriation

Venezuela B0livariana- 2004 documentary on the impact of financial neo-liberalism on Latin America and other parts of the world and what Hugo Chavez is doing to stop its spread in Venezuela.

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VIO Venezuela Weekly News Roundup
Friday, February 29th, 2008
VENEZUELAN MISSION LIBERATES COLOMBIAN HOSTAGES
On Wednesday, a Venezuelan mission freed four Colombian captives who had been held by FARC rebels for six years.  The captives, all former members of Congress, were picked up by Red Cross helicopters and flown into Venezuela, then continued on to Caracas to be reunited with their families.  Once free, Gloria Polanco (pictured here, at far right) thanked President Chavez for her release, saying, "You've given me the opportunity to live again."

 The Los Angeles Times reports that Colombian President Uribe also thanked President Chavez in a televised address, calling the event a "moment of happiness for all Colombian people."  After this second successful hostage release, President Chavez proposed that an international arbitration team be organized to help achieve peace in Colombia.  According to the AP, the new plan for reaching a negotiated settlement in Colombia's 50 year-long conflict has support from Argentina, Ecuador, France, and Brazil.  Chavez said the plan is based on "humanitarian sentiment and the current of world opinion."  It remains unclear whether the Uribe government could be persuaded to abandon its U.S.-funded military campaign against the rebels.

 Wednesday's hostage release  brought news of other high-profile captives still held in Colombia.  Reuters reports that French citizen Betancourt is in poor health, and French leaders continue to push for her release.  According to the AP, U.S. military contractors Thomas Howes, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell wrote letters to President Bush, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and presidential candidates asking them to negotiate for their release.  The Miami Herald reports that the letters, which were confiscated, had asked the U.S. leaders not to "abandon them in the Colombian jungle.''

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VENEZUELAN OIL FIRM FACES TRIAL, GETS SUPPORT IN UK
On Thursday, Venezuelan oil company Pdvsa asked a London court to overturn the $12 billion assets freeze waged against it by Exxon Mobil.  Venezuelan leaders have called the hostile measure "judicial terrorism."  Meanwhile, a letter in UK newspaper the Guardian signed by prominent politicians and academics expressed support for Venezuela, stating that "the court ruling contravenes the right of Venezuela's democratically elected government to exercise sovereignty over its natural resources."

 Earlier this week, Pdvsa offered to settle with Exxon by relinquishing its stake in a joint venture between the two firms.  However, it is unclear whether Exxon responded to the offer, or if it will heed Venezuela's call for continued talks.  Exxon rejected a settlement with Pdvsa regarding nationalization last year, demanding international arbitration, then discarded that process in favor of the $12 billion assets freeze against Pdvsa.

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VENEZUELAN CURRENCY RISES IN VALUE
This week, Venezuela saw a rise in the value of its currency, the 'Strong Bolivar' (pictured at right).  The Financial Times reports that the Bolivar "has been gaining ground of late, surging through the five to the dollar barrier on the unofficial parallel market, a good 20 per cent higher than it was a few weeks ago."  Inflationary pressures due to rapid and sustained economic growth have been a common criticism of the Chavez administration.  The Financial Times notes that the current progress on reducing inflation is due to aggressive government monetary policy.  The 'Strong Bolivar' was adopted in January 2008.
SOCIAL PROGRAMS CELEBRATED, SCRUTINIZED

Venezuela's social programs were in the news this week.  A program called "Mission Miracle," which offers free eye surgeries, has cured blindness among 400,000 people in that country and 18 other Latin American states, according to the International Herald Tribune.  It was set up with assistance from Cuban doctors, but the Venezuelan government has recently moved to prepare local hospitals and medics to perform the surgeries.  Critics say the free health care is a political tool for President Chavez, but Nicaraguan recipients asked, "What's so wrong with attempting to strengthen ties with our brothers around Latin America when people benefit from this process?"

 The BBC reported Thursday that Venezuelan and Cuban health aid is bringing essential services to Bolivia.  In just 2 years, 2,000 new medics were stationed in Bolivia have carried out more than 9 million consultations, including 200,000 eye operations.  Meanwhile, the Economist magazine ran a negative appraisal of a literacy program in Venezuela, arguing that no definitive statistics of past and current literacy rates exist.  Census data is lacking in most developing countries, however, education programs remain an important policy objective.

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VENEZUELA PLANS TO DEMOCRATIZE UNIVERSITIES
Also in education, the Venezuelan government is seeking to expand access to universities among low-income groups.  Bloomberg reports that the Ministry of Education will implement a new system of admissions "that takes into account socio- economic status and residency as well as merit."  Current university students marched in Caracas to demand involvement in the design of the system.  Critics say President Chavez wants to "control the universities," while the government has in fact sought out student input on many occasions in recent months, inviting youth leaders to speak before the National Assembly and the National Electoral Council.

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UPDATE ON US PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Sources reported this week that President Bush criticized Democratic candidate Barack Obama for the permissiveness of his foreign policy proposal, which includes meeting foreign leaders -- including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez -- without preconditions.  When asked why he made an exception to his own policy of unilateralism to meet with Russia's Valdimir Putin, Bush stated paradoxically, "It's important to establish personal relations with leaders even though you may not agree with them." 

 Meanwhile, in a recent speech in Washington, Senator Hillary Clinton called Venezuela's President Chavez one of many "dictators" she would not meet with.  Chavez was elected by popular vote in regular elections in 1998, 2000, and 2006, and his presidency was upheld by Venezuelan voters in a 2004 recall referendum.