During his Sunday radio address from the integral rehabilitation centre in El Junquito (Vargas), President Chavez announced that Ali Rodriguez Araque would be the new finance minister to replace Rafael Isea, who will embark on his regional election campaign shortly. On hearing the news, Rodriguez Araque, who has already occupied several important positions in the government, is said to have replied to the President that he is a soldier and would start studying at once. The President has announced a new government program called the Children of the Barrios Mission. Participation & Social Protection Minister Erika Farias has been entrusted with drawing up a decree that will give the mission rank, value and force. Another job the Minister must do, the President urges, is to deal with adoption of children and families that want to adopt children. For that purpose a pilot centre has been opened in the 23 de Enero barrio in Caracas. State VTV channel will contribute by reporting on the issue and providing information with the help of communal councils.
The President has canceled a debt which transport sectors owed the State since 1997 for purchasing 1,637 imported bosses. The debt amounts to 161 million bolivares. During the address, which was held outdoors in the park, the President played and talked with children and enjoyed Venezuelan music. The rehabilitation centre is being prepared to be taken over by the government's Negra Hipolita mission to help street children and teenagers, drug addicts and tramps.
A group of Venezuelan children belonging to the regional coordination of working children and adolescents (Corenats) informed the President about their activities. Chavez was moved by their report and has proposed an organisation of working children's councils in each region of the country to develop a program against exploitation of children and adolescents at work. Corenats member, Ruth Molina told Chavez and viewers that the movement, which is Latin American, came into being in 2002 and every year there is a national meeting. As a matter of interest to VHeadline readers, we have been following the group and its development over the years reporting on the results of annual meetings and the difficulties it has encountered in fighting for its ideals against bureaucracy.
Noble peace prize winner, Adolfo Perez Esquivel says the escalation of Bush's war in Latin America has caused serious damage. Speaking about the situation in Colombia, the Argentinean argues that while the FARC should free hostages, President Uribe has the obligation to free guerrillas fighters, currently in prison. Speaking to Maracaibo's Panorama broadsheet, Perez Esquivel maintains there should be a base of understanding of all sectors to reach a peace.
Executive Vice President, Ramon Carrizalez has met the United Federation of Transport and agreed to set up a permanent follow-up committee to ensure that measures to review problems in the sector will be dealt with. One of the measures is the exoneration of the value-added tax (VAT) for the transport sector, as well as plans to renew the fleet. The government has made a commitment to buy buses and transport units either from China or Brazil and will guarantee the supply of key spare parts at accessible prices. The committee will also work in studying an integral insurance scheme for retired and active drivers. Another important problem public transport drivers want tackled is insecurity and muggings while they are doing their route. The government has promised that State security bodies will deal with the issue and draw up a plan. The Minister says he will meet with members of the Federation and the president of the National Assembly next Wednesday.
United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) vice president, General (ret.) Alberto Muller Rojas has announced a series of meetings with the Patriotic Alliance (AP) to discuss current difficulties, which have emerged over the handling of candidates to regional elections in November. Muller Rojas insists that the most important thing in the meetings will be to seek a methodology to resolve differences and reach an "almost perfect" alliance based on the idea that each party wants to maintain its identity without disrupting the strategic alliance. The PSUV vice president says he believes that the meetings will lead to a recognition of real leaderships and an examination of the real force that each movement has. Minor pro-government parties belonging to the AP complain that their candidates have been passed over by the stronger PSUV.
Journalist Javier Garcia has been found dead in his apartment in Caracas. The young man worked for Radio Caracas Television (RCTV) International. At the moment, there are no there is no further news on the circumstances surrounding his death.
According to TV presenter Jose Vicente Rangel, the USA will start to build a forward operation location (FOL) in Colombia's Guajira region starting with a runway for spy planes. Two army battalions complete with helicopter squadron will follow shortly after. Rangel claims that neighboring Curacao has refused the USA permission to settle special forces on the island where a FOL has already been installed. Dutch authorities clarify that their brief is purely the war on drugs and not threats against Venezuela.
Patrick J. O'Donoghue
patrick.vheadline@gmail.com
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Venezuela is facing the most difficult period of its history with honest reporters crippled by sectarianism on top of rampant corruption within the administration and beyond, aided and abetted by criminal forces in the US and Spanish governments which cannot accept the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people to decide over their own future.
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