“The Venezuelan Revolutionary Process Generates Increasing Interest in Some Sectors of the U.S.”

Caracas, Oct 14 .- The Venezuelan Ambassador to the U.S., Bernardo Alvarez, who is currently in Venezuela, was interviewed in the opinion morning TV show “In Confidence”, broadcasted by Venezolana de Television, the state TV network. Among other things, Alvarez said, “within the political process that lives Venezuela, we must see the complexity of the relations with the United States, a nation that often tends is seen as if it had a single position with respect to the Venezuela. But things are not like that way, the Venezuelan people needs to know the interest, in the good sense of the word, that the Venezuelan revolutionary process generates in many increasing sectors of the United States.”

Alvarez expressed his opinion with regard to some information that has been circulating worldwide, that tries to create a negative image of Venezuela by trying to link the country with international terrorism. Alvarez specifically made reference to an article that American journalist Linda Robinson wrote for the magazine US News and World Report, called “Terror close to home”.

With regard to statements describing Venezuela as a terrorist state, Alvarez said that there have been some reactions like one published by the Miami Herald in which some sectors of the U.S.A. distance themselves from these type of statements and assert that there is no evidence of terrorist activity in Venezuela nor links with Islamic fundamentalism.

“Ms. Robinson’s article was clearly written with the intention of destabilizing, for that reason some sectors of the U.S. took distance from it,” said the Ambassador.

“It is amazing that terrorism is becoming a media problem, with the intention to delegitimize the Venezuelan Government. One should not rely on microphones and the media to fight terrorism, it is necessary to engage in real cooperation, and the fact that some American sectors take distance from this [media approach], is very significant,” he added.

“If the unnamed sources that the article cites, are indeed U.S. government sources, and if the evidence is genuine, then the right approach for the U.S. government if to contact the Venezuelan authorities, and provide the evidence so those individuals are captured.”

When asked about the possibility of a American intervention in Venezuela, the Ambassador said that he does not think that is possible, although there are external sectors interested in a confliction between the U.S. and Venezuela, “which gives the impression that the relations with that country are very complex, varied and interesting.”

“The other interesting thing to consider is that we supply 15% of the power requirements of the U.S.A., we are the third market destination for U.S. exports, and have a big investment in the United States through Citgo, so the economic and energy relations, in spite of everything else, have been maintained in a very responsible way, nevertheless, there is a sector interested in deteriorating this relations also,” he emphasized.

With regard to the political aspect, Alvarez said that a current of opinions was created, making many believe that the referendum in Venezuela was the product of an agreement between the opposition and the Government. Based on this many said that the Government would not be fulfilling its promise if the referendum did not take place.

“That’s why we had to communicate with the American Government, and tell them that that wasn’t true, that the referendum was not product of a political agreement, but a Constitutional right already established”, he said.

In that sense, “The president of the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice, Ivan Rincon Urdaneta, met with some important figures of the U.S. administration who asked him about this, and he explained to them that if the referendum were product in an agreement, it would be unconstitutional. What the Constitution establishes is that the referendum is a right that the citizens must activate, not a political agreement between sectors,” he added.

According to Alvarez, in spite of all the situation by him described, in the U.S., as days go by, there is more knowledge about the reality of the political and economic situation of Venezuela.

“I believe that a society as complex as the North American one cannot have a single vision. The U.S. is an immense society, with huge economic power, but on the other hand it is a very interesting civil society, which is also complex”, he added.