Venezuela says it will reconsider signing anti-drug deal with U.S

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Mon, Aug. 21, 2006
Venezuela says it will reconsider signing anti-drug deal with U.S.
By Lesley Clark

McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)

WASHINGTON - The appointment of a top U.S. intelligence official specifically for Cuba and Venezuela prompted the South American country to say Monday that it will reconsider signing a counter-drug deal with Washington.

The Bush administration announced Friday it would appoint a "mission manager" for the two countries, putting them on equal footing with North Korea and Iran as the only countries with such managers, charged with developing strategies for key hot spots.
(snip)

According to the Caracas daily El Universal, Venezuela's Minister of Interior and Justice, Jesse Chacon, on Monday said the development could prompt a "re-evaluation of the accords we might sign with the United States."

The U.S. and Venezuelan governments have been working on an agreement to resume bilateral cooperation on anti-drug matters, halted last year by Venezuela.
(snip/...)

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/15328090.htm

[aquart]

1. Did geniius George just declare Venezuela an enemy state?

Did that demented twaddlepoop just complete the alienation of an OIL POWER IN OUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE????

Boggles the mind.

[sweetheart]

2. Good, i won't take chavez seriously until he does that..

The drugs war is the litmus test of whether someone stands for justice.
So far, not a one of the mainstream leaders, has stood for justice,
and if chavez would, gosh, maybe it would be worth visiting venezuela
and wishing him well.

[ConcernedCanuk]

3. The "Drug War" is a farce - just an excuse for the PNACers to proliferate

.
.
.

Did I not just read that Afghanistan is having a "bumper crop" this year - WHILE the USA carries on an invasion there?

The "Drug War" started, if anyone really noticed, when prohibition ended.

What were they gonna do with all these "agents" when liquor was legalized?

Well, the pharmaceutical companies were losing money cuz people found WEED solved many health problems.

Google "pharmaceutical terrorism"

The "War on Drugs" serves to make the big drug companies money, and at the same time gives the PNACers an "excuse" to interfere with/invade other countries . . .

Just like their so-called "War on Terrorism"

Iraq was NOT a hotbed of terrorism

UNTIL the USA invaded

"Mission Accomplished" indeed

(sigh)

[Say_What]

5. CIA's biggest business is DRUGS... Plan Colombia = Plan of Death

This year's military aid budget for Colombia is $332 million--third largest recipient after Israel and Egypt despite the worst human rights record in the Western Hemisphere. For years this money trained the paras who commit most of the abuses Your tax dollars at work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

<clips>

Allegedly intended to fight the production of coca and cocaine in Colombia, the $2 billion-U.S. "Plan Colombia" assistance package (currently renamed "Andean Initiative") has 80% of its aid going to the Colombian police and military for weapons, training and helicopters. While this policy meant huge contracts for U.S. defense contractors paid for by U.S. tax-payers, it translated into abruptly stopping a peace and dialog process between then Colombian President Andres Pastrana and the leftist rebel groups, stepping up the war in the country's 50-year civil struggle. Recently elected Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has actually intensified the fighting against the two main rebel groups, the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and the ELN (Army of National Liberation) with newly delivered U.S. weapons and helicopters.

Colombia is now sinking into a hellish spiral of violence with more bombings and kidnappings, more disappearances and murders of opposition figures and union leaders and intensified warfare by the Colombian military. Plan Colombia is helping to combat the leftist guerilla-movements, not the narco-traffickers.

While the U.S. Congress had demanded that U.S. military assistance be used only to fight drug-trafficking and not to meddle in the Colombian civil war, the U.S. State Department has found a way to sidestep this issue by officially announcing a shift in priority from fighting drugs to fighting so-called "terrorism". This makes it easier to target the actions of irregular armed groups in Colombia with a focus on leftist groups controlling territories rich in natural resources, oil in particular.

http://www.plancolombia.org/

[Robbien]

6. Venezuela also noticed an increase in drug traffic because of the DEA

Also noticed an increase in the US spying program, which is why they suspended cooperation with the US in 2005.

Venezuela denounced the agreement after detecting irregularities in the work of US agents and contradictions between the accord and the Constitution, including the controlled delivery of drugs in an operative way.

Chacon recalled that the agreement with the DEA was suspended due to evidence of espionage. "They were recording and not precisely the drug traffickers. They were recording government officials," he stressed.

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=66661

[Say_What]

13. Venezuelanalysis article clarifies what's going on

and mentions the DEA acting as agents against their country.

<clips>

Venezuela Re-Considering New Counter-Narcotics Agreement with U.S.

...“Following the most recent statements by the United States, we have to analyze whether or not it makes sense for us to sign that accord, I think we have to re-evaluate all the accords that we could sign with the US,” he said, adding, “If we are going to have an entire intelligence structure aimed at Venezuela, DEA {Drug Enforcement Administration} agents are intelligence agents”.

A previous cooperation agreement between the two governments collapsed in August 2005 when Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez accused US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents of spying. He has since said he wants an agreement that precludes these agents taking part in operations on Venezuelan territory.

Chácon alluded to that on Monday when he said, “They were operating in our country and it wasn’t precisely the narco-traffickers they were watching. Instead they were watching Venezuelan government officials.”

...Washington claimed last year that Venezuelan help in the “War on Drugs” had been inadequate. However, the US State department’s own figures contradict this charge: drug seizures in Venezuela were up 58% between 2004 and 2005 and the progress continues this year up 30% on 2005 already. Chacón said this was due to Venezuela’s ongoing partnerships with Colombian and other international anti-drugs agencies.

This is the second time during the current discussions over a new agreement that actions of the Bush administration have disrupted negotiations with the DEA. In July earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed a resolution claiming Venezuela was failing to secure airport facilities against drug trafficking. This, at a time when French, Spanish and British officials praised Venezuelan efforts in the “War against Drugs.”

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=2051

[ronnie624]

9. The "drug war" has nothing to do with justice.

It has been clearly demonstrated that the U.S. has actually facilitated the trafficking of drugs, if the generated revenue is used to further the policies of the U.S. government (for example, the funding of covert wars initiated by the CIA).

According to congressional testimony, the crack epidemic of the 1980s was a direct result of the use of revenue from drug trafficking to fund the Reagan administration's Contra war. Additionally, the poppy crop in Afghanistan increased by about 2500% after the U.S. invasion, and has continued to increase steadily ever since, despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent on "eradication".

These facts and many others do not speak to justice in my mind, but instead, seem to indicate that the U.S. government and other Western institutions, the banking industry for example, are heavily involved in the illicit drug trade, and in fact, profit handsomely from it.

Any utterances by the government or the corporate media about the so called drug war are pure propaganda designed to promote a false view of the role that the illegal drug trade plays in the funding and implementation of geo-political goals.

The "war on drugs" is a myth.

[bahrbearian]

4. With No strings attached ,, just like Columbia

so when can they expect delivery of arms and aircraft?

[Say_What]

7. Otto Reich, *Death Squad* Negroponte, J. Patrick Maher, and Brian Latell..

all agree that Maher *Jack the Ripper* is the guy for the *mission manager* job. Latell's statement about Negroponte's appointment of Maher as *mission manager* for Cuba and Venezuela simply confirms that his book, After Fidel, is just more of the same anti-Cuba bullsh*t cranked out of the USSA.

From the article:

..."There's a very important internal element to something like this," said former Assistant Secretary of State Otto Reich. "It sends a signal to our own government that these are key presidential priorities."

...Former CIA Cuba analyst Brian Latell, who used to hold Maher's current job, called him a "terrific" choice.

"He really knows his way around the region. He's lived and traveled there," Latell said.

"This is a man with a scholarly bent, who's very, very realistic."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hugo disagrees with *Death Squad John's* appointment of Maher. Already the USSA's propanganda machine is cranking out 'articles' that try to discredit Chavez.

From a recent article:


...Speaking to a sea of supporters, Chavez read the name of the official named by Negroponte to head the Cuba and Venezuela mission, 32-year intelligence veteran J. Patrick Maher, and laughed.

"They selected 'Jack the Ripper,"' Chavez said. "What a little problem this is."

"These are signs that the empire doesn't rest," Chavez said, referring to the U.S. "The plan to try to destabilize us has already begun."

He predicted the U.S. could try to discredit the results of Venezuela's Dec. 3 presidential election, in which Chavez is seeking another six-year term, or could try to provoke violent unrest around the time of the vote.

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/chavez-says-venezuela-caught-four-us/20060819003109990001?cid=2194


n this image released by Miraflores Press, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez speaks on his weekly television program in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2006, where he called for a round of applause in honor of Fidel Castro, urging the ailing Cuban leader to get better and saying he has been like a father. (AP Photo/ Miraflores Press,Juan Carlos Solorzano/HO)

[Say_What]

8. More US propaganda...

El Universal would have you believe that Venezuela is reconsidering signing because of the J. Patrick *Jack the Ripper* Maher appointment, but according to the Reuters WP report, Venezuela is saying just the opposite. Check out the difference between the Mercury New report and the Washington Post:

Mercury News: ...According to the Caracas daily El Universal, Venezuela's Minister of Interior and Justice, Jesse Chacon, on Monday said the development could prompt a "re-evaluation of the accords we might sign with the United States."

The U.S. and Venezuelan governments have been working on an agreement to resume bilateral cooperation on anti-drug matters, halted last year by Venezuela.


Washington Post: CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela has doubts about signing a stalled anti-drug accord with the United States after Washington last week opened a special intelligence bureau for Venezuela and Cuba, a Venezuelan minister said on Monday.

Interior and Justice Minister Jesse Chacon said the drug accord and other agreements with Washington should be reviewed in light of a move last week by the United States' director of intelligence to create a new "mission manager" for Cuba and Venezuela.

..."Following the most recent statements by the United States, we have to analyze whether or not it makes sense for us to sign that (anti-drug) accord," Chacon told reporters. "I think we have to re-evaluate all the accords that we could sign with the U.S."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/21/AR2006082100921.html


Minister of Interior and Justice, Jesse Chacon

[calimary]

10. Man, we're just making friends everywhere, aren't we?

Look at the long lines of people from all over the world, clammoring to team up with us and help us and stand with us, 'eh? Just sorta makes yer heart proud, doesn't it?

[leesa]

11. What kind of evil is this "mission manager"?

So they are twisting Chavez's arms to go in on their corrupt drug schemes. Wonder what the deal is? The article makes it sound all rosy, but the actual words out of Venesuela does not sound like they want to deal with the US at all. They are sending in super spies to get information out and Negropontes behind it all.

[Say_What]

12. No arm twisting... Venezuela is actually pissed and with good reason

The article would have you believe that there's arm twisting going on, but according to a more complete article Venezuela is actually quite pissed. Consider the source--El Universal aka Golpista Daily is one of the Venezuela papers that is against Chavez and owned by Bush pal Gustavo Cisneros.


<clips>

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela has doubts about signing a stalled anti-drug accord with the United States after Washington last week opened a special intelligence bureau for Venezuela and Cuba, a Venezuelan minister said on Monday.

Interior and Justice Minister Jesse Chacon said the drug accord and other agreements with Washington should be reviewed in light of a move last week by the United States' director of intelligence to create a new "mission manager" for Cuba and Venezuela.

The decision effectively gives a similar U.S. intelligence priority to the two Latin American nations as to Iran and North Korea.

"Following the most recent statements by the United States, we have to analyze whether or not it makes sense for us to sign that (anti-drug) accord," Chacon told reporters. "I think we have to re-evaluate all the accords that we could sign with the U.S."

President Hugo Chavez, a persistent critic of Washington, last year halted cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and accused it of spying on him. The DEA is one of the agencies that reports to the U.S. national intelligence director.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/21/AR2006082100921.html

[lumpy]

14. Chavez will do well to reconsider

any agreement Bush has to offer. No telling what mischief US intelligence has up it's sleeve.