HEADQUARTERS PRESS CONFERENCE BY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF VENEZUELA

The people's support for Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez after he was ousted from power in the recent coup had proved vital, and would continue to be so in the days ahead, Venezuelan Ambassador to the United Nations Milos Alcalay told correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing today.

Mr. Chávez had stressed the importance of reaching broad national consensus for his reinstatement as President, Mr. Alcalay said.  The current situation in the country could not continue, and the people themselves must take part in future events.

Internationally, Mr. Chávez had received support from various sources,

Mr. Alcalay added.  Heads of State now meeting at the Rio Summit in Costa Rica had backed the President, calling for dialogue between the opposing factions in the country.

Various presidents of the "Group of 77" developing nations plus China had pledged support for Mr. Chávez, Mr. Alcalay said, and the Secretary-General of the Association of American States (OAS) had arrived in Venezuela with a delegation that day.  United Nations Ambassadors in New York as well as representatives in Paris, Rome and Vienna had sent messages of support over the weekend.

Mr. Alcalay had asked the Non-Aligned Movement to hold a joint meeting on Tuesday with the Group of 77 plus China, where they would debate ways of avoiding a repeat takeover in Venezuela.  Traditionally, he added, coups d'état in Latin America had come from the military, but the recent one in Venezuela was a "sophisticated" new form.

Mr. Alcalay noted that Venezuela had kept up contact with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Security Council, and wanted the world to know it would remain a democratic country.  It would remain as Chair of the G77 plus China, continuing that group's agenda for 2002.

His country wanted to build an order based on the constitution and approved legislation, and would follow United Nations and Millennium Summit guidelines in resolving the serious problems of Venezuelan society, especially its poorest members.

Asked about the chances of a coup recurring in Venezuela, Mr. Alcalay said he had no doubt that could happen unless measures were found to protect the rules of democracy.  Ways must also be found to combat such anti-social acts as drug trafficking and violence, and the country must improve living conditions for its poor, fight diseases and ensure participation for all.

Another huge problem with the recent events had been the misinformation that President Chávez had resigned, and had told his Cabinet members to step down. "That was simply not true.  We must consider the ways in which information can be manipulated," he stressed.

Another correspondent asked how Venezuela felt about the United States reaction to recent events in Venezuela.  Mr. Alcalay replied that Venezuela was open to relations with all countries, and that everyone had been misinformed about the coup, including the White House.

It was one thing to believe that the President had resigned, he said, but another for political analysts in the White House and State Department to believe that the whole coup had anything to do with defending democracy.

"The times of coups d'état must end in Latin America.  We, along with other countries in the world, must accept the expression of popular will," he said.  He added that he was sure the United States would support that new dynamic, since it reaffirmed respect for human rights and freedom of expression.

Asked what would happen to the perpetrators of the coup, Mr. Alcalay said a great upheaval had occurred which must be investigated.  "There was a loss of human lives and the guilty must be identified and prosecuted."

However, he also said that responsibilities existed on both sides, and that there must be impartial justice when it came to the people who had been killed while demonstrating against Mr. Chávez's Government.  "If there is going to be any understanding, changes will have to occur," he said.

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