April 26, 2005
AFP
Khaleej Times
WASHINGTON - The United States is considering a long-term strategy that could deal more harshly with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, after concluding that a reasonable relationship was practically impossible, The New York Times said on Tuesday.
“We offered them a more pragmatic relationship, but obviously if they do not want it, we can move to a more confrontational approach,” a high-ranking Republican congressional aide who works on Latin America policy told the daily.
US officials said a multiagency task force has been developing a new approach that top-level policy makers said would likely adopt a harder line towards Venezuela, which is a major oil producer.
Measures under consideration include increasing US support to anti-Chavez groups in Venezuela and to urge Venezuela’s neighbors to distance themselves from Chavez, who next year could be reelected to another six-year term in office.
“What’s happening here is they realize this thing is deteriorating rapidly and it’s going to require some more attention,” said the US congressional aide.
“The current look-the-other-way policy is not working,” he added.
Venezuela and the United States have had strained ties since Chavez came to power in 1999. He has accused US military officials accredited in Caracas of involvement in a coup that removed him from office for 48 hours in April 2002.
Chavez over the weekend ended a 35-year joint military program with the United States; he has established new energy agreements with China; met recently with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, and called for the creation of a militia to defend Venezuela from outside aggression.
The Venezuelan leader has also accused the United States of wanting to kill him to gain control of his country’s huge oil reserves. The world’s number-five exporter of crude, Venezuela exports 1.5 million barrels of oil a day to the United States.
US officials told The New York Times that Venezuela’s oil reserves and the high price they now fetch on the market has eliminated the need for US loans and other aid Washington could have used as leverage on Chavez’ government.
As one of the US’s top four foreign providers of oil, “you can’t write him off,” the aide said of Chavez. “He’s sitting on an energy source that’s critical to us.”
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to raise concerns about Venezuela during her four-country tour this week of Brazil, Colombia, Chile and El Salvador.
State Department spokesman Adam Ereli Friday there was particular concern about what Venezuela under might do with the arms and military equipment it is acquiring from Russia, Spain and Brazil.
He said one issue Rice would likely bring up during her visit to Colombia was Venezuela’s possible transfer of weapons paramilitary foerces in Colombia.
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