Caracas — Police and soldiers fired tear gas at protesters on Friday to keep supporters and opponents of President Hugo Chavez from clashing outside Caracas's main military base.
Tens of thousands of people joined an opposition-led march to urge the military to support a five-week-old strike against Mr. Chavez that has crippled Venezuela's economy and virtually dried up gasoline supplies.
Waving red, yellow and blue Venezuelan flags, the crowds headed to a plaza outside a Caracas army base, where they demanded the release of a dissident officer, National Guard General Carlos Alfonso Martinez.
Police separated marchers and hundreds of Mr. Chavez's supporters, some of whom launched powerful fireworks at officers and threw rocks at opposition protesters from surrounding hillsides. A white cloud of tear gas engulfed tree-lined avenues outside the base.
Gen. Martinez, one of about 100 officers who revolted last fall, was arrested Dec. 30. A judge ordered his release, but he remains under house arrest. His lawyers have urged the Supreme Court to force his release.
"We are ready to wait as long as necessary," marcher Miguel Angel Urbano said.
About 300 Chavez supporters rallied at a nearby subway station and cheered when a gasoline truck drove by. The strike has virtually shut down the oil industry and created severe gasoline shortages.
"I'm supporting the honest (oil) workers and my President, Hugo Chavez Frias, who is taking us out of poverty," Carmen Chacon said.
Opposition leaders blame Mr. Chavez's social policies for a deep recession and accuse him of trying to accumulate too much power. They want him to resign or hold a plebiscite on his rule, which he says would be unconstitutional.
So far, Venezuela's military has backed Mr. Chavez, despite a call Friday from opposition leaders to back them and overthrow the President. Only the 100 officers who were stripped of their commands after a brief April coup have joined the opposition.
Mr. Chavez said he would support diplomatic efforts by a "Group of Nation Friends" to help resolve the crisis, which has contributed to a rise in global oil prices.
Opposition legislator Alejandro Armas said the opposition had already sought international help in mediating the dispute.
The idea drew support from opposition labour leader Manuel Cova, secretary general of the one-million-member Venezuelan Workers Confederation. "Whatever international initiative leading to an electoral solution is welcome," he said.
Negotiations being mediated by the Organization of American States have made little progress. In Washington, the U.S. State Department urged both sides to show "maximum flexibility."
Mr. Chavez did not elaborate on which nations would be asked to join, but said the group would include European and Latin American countries as well members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
He was expected to propose cuts to the nation's $40-billion Canadian budget for 2003 — a move that analysts said could weaken his support among the poor, his base of power.
"If (Mr. Chavez) has no resources to finance his social plans, then it will be difficult to maintain a lot of his loyalty," said Francisco Vivancos, an economics professor at the Central University of Venezuela. He estimated the strike has cost the economy $8.75-billion.
The 33-day-old strike has helped to push oil prices above $30 (U.S.) a barrel. Venezuela is the world's fifth largest oil exporter.
In response to the strike, troops have commandeered gasoline delivery trucks and are guarding oil installations.
Mr. Chavez said Thursday that Venezuela's oil industry is recovering and will reach full capacity in 45 days. Oil executives scoffed at the claim.
The President said Venezuela is producing 800,000 barrels of crude a day, up from 200,000 barrels at the low point of the strike. He said that the state oil monopoly will return to full capacity of three million barrels a day within 45 days.
Independent analysts said there had been little change in production.
"We don't see any evidence that production is increasing, and no one in the industry would accept the higher figures since exports are still almost zero," said John Lichtblau, chairman of the Petroleum Industry Research Foundation Inc. in New York.
Advertisement