Venezuelan Opposition Leaders: We Want Democracy To Prevail

By Courtney Costello-Talk Radio News Service

During a members' briefing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee hosted by Rep. Illeana Ros-Lehitnen (R-Fl.), Venezuelan opposition governors decried what they described as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s attempt to gain more power and strip the Venezuelan people of their democratic rights.

“It is sad that many powers that be in this region are more concerned with the welfare of tyrants than the will and democratic rights of the people who are oppressed,” said Ros-Lehtinen.

The Republican Representatives chided Chavez for his lenient handling of drug trafficking in Venezuela, the kidnappings of natives and tourists, and the lack of meaningful investigations from his administration.

The mayor and governors stated that their mission was to use common democratic values to undermine Chavez.

Governor of Zulia State, Pablo Perez Alvarez and Governor of Tachira State, Cesar Perez Vivas were the two Venezuelan governors in attendance.

Venezuelan Lawyer Says Chavez Has Compromised Judicial System

By Celia Canon- Talk Radio News Service

Human Rights Attorney Gonzalo Himiob Santome exposed Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s judicial corruption at a press conference at the National Press Club on Wednesday.

“Several cases... have proved that the judicial system in Venezuela has been deteriorating in order to be used as a weapon for persecution and intimidation of the opposition and the political dissidents,” Himiob said.

Himiob was in Washington D.C to introduce a book he and attorneys Robert Amsterdam and Antonio Rosich wrote that documents the case of Eligio Cedeno, a victim of repeated human rights violations by the Venezuelan government.

According to Himiob, “In common crime, from 306, 000 cases reviewed by the general attorney’s office on 2008, only 8000 cases were submitted to formal accusation. That led us to a conclusion that there is a 97% impunity rate of common crimes.” Himiob added that “If the judicial system is not working for persecuting the criminals, what are they doing?”

“In this case, it's very clear that it doesn't matter that they are guilty or not. The thing is [they] use the procedures themselves as a punishment... no matter if [the accused] are innocent or not. They are showing that they can submit you to a trial and they can hold you in prison without any respect to the regulations, internal and international regulations. just because they want to make you feel their power over you,” Himiob added.

Latin American Experts: Zelaya Must Be Allowed Back Into Honduras

By Celia Canon-Talk Radio News Service

On Tuesday, experts from the Inter-American Dialogue warned that Honduras would continue to be unstable as long as ousted President Manuel Zelaya was not allowed back into the country.

“Zelaya is the elected President... If things degenerate further you won’t have good elections,” said Peter Hakim, President of Inter-American dialogue.

Hakim advised the international community to pursue “open negotiations involving [the] interim government.” Once an agreement is reached among the global community, Hakim advised Honduras to hold an election but warned that the quality of these elections depends on the stability of the country.

On June 29th, the Honduran military led a coup to overthrow President Manuel Zelaya. Armed forces intervened hours before a national referendum was due to take place to determine whether the constitution could be modified to allow the President to assume a second term, rather than the single term outlined in the country’s constitution. Zelaya was replaced by interim-President Roberto Micheletti.

Though the future of Honduras is nothing short of uncertain, many actors, including the international body Organization of American States, have gotten involved in the reestablishment of peace and stability in the Central American country.

“The OAS could take a strong position but then [it could be better to] not put the de facto Honduran government against the wall,” Hakim said

Genaro Arriagada, a Senior Fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, added that besides the obvious necessary changes that should be brought to the Honduran government and constitution, further changes should involve the OAS 2001 democratic charter which was adopted by member states in order to ensure the presence of democratic institutions in all countries of the Americas.

The Charter needs to be reconsidered, explained Arriagada, “because it gives protection to the government but not to the opposition to the government.”

White House Gaggle

Briefer: Dana Perino


President’s Schedule

President Bush had his normal briefings this morning at 8 am. At 11.05, he will meet with the President of Guatemala in the Oval Office. This afternoon, President Bush meets with the US- Brazil CEO Forum. Later, at 3.30 pm, he participates in a meeting with the National Commander of the American Legion.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino will brief the press at 1.30 pm today.




Afghanistan

Perino was asked about what concerns the Administration has in regards to the recent violence in Afghanistan including the attempted assassination of President Kharzai, and what that says about the Afghan military’s abilities to not only keep order in the country but also to protect. Her response was that, when you are dealing with terrorists, “we have to be right 100 % of the time, and the a terrorist only has to be right once… we are very concerned about it. The terrorist threat is real, it is deadly, and defeating this enemy has to be a top priority of the United States, of the Afghan government, of the Iraqi government and NATO alliance. They will continue to look at how they could have done it better, and prevent it from happening again.


Meeting with President of Guatemala

President Bush and President Alvaro Colom will discuss the Merida initiative, trade and economy. Perino was also asked in there is anything on the agenda to talk about the on going situation of US adoptions of Guatemalan babies, and she said that there was not, but they have talked about it before.


Trucker protest

Perino was asked if the Administration has anything to say to the truckers that are protesting the high prices of gasoline, and she replied that we can “understand the frustration and concern they have.” We are very aware of the high price of gasoline and the impact it is having on people across the country. We are trying to move farther and faster. “I think that it would be disingenuous and unfortunate for American consumers for them to be lead to believe that there is a short term fix, and there is not going to be one. Another part of this is that we make sure to improve efficiency and find other alternatives and find for domestic oil here at home”, Perino said.


Stimulus Package

When asked about the Administration’s thought of a second stimulus package, Perino said that they want to give the first one a chance to work. When asked what the President wants the American people to do with the money from the rebate checks, Perino said that the President wants them to decide for themselves. “Certainly, President Bush is not going to dictate what people are supposed to do with their money.”
According economists in previous historical situations, Perino said that enough people will spend their checks so that it will have the desired impact. Many people will spend, others will save and “it will be up to the American people what they decide to do.”


Syria

When asked about reports of bombing of Syria, the South Korean CIA, and intelligence gathering, Perino referred the question to the intelligence community.


Hugo Chavez

When asked for a comment on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who has been said to help in the release of US hostages in North Korea; Perino said that she had not heard about it, but said that Chavez needs to stop supporting terrorists in the first place, but of course they would like the hostages to be released safely.