Greens call on Northern Parties to break ties with US backers of Venezuelan Opposition

national | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Monday March 15, 2004 11:04

by Peter Doran - Green Party

peadar at greens-in dot org

143 Barnetts Road Belfast BT5 7BG

04890874256

National Endowment for Democracy also Backing North's Parties

The Green Party is calling on the leaders of Northern Ireland's centre parties to break their links with the US National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, in the wake of claims that the body has been interfering in the democratic process in Venezuela.

Funding from the National Endowment for Democracy backed NDIIA is earmarked to attack socialist politics and parties.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez addressing the UN

Washington has been channelling hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund the political opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez - including those who briefly overthrew the democratically elected leader in a coup two years ago.

All the so called 'main' parties in the North have benefited from the NDIIA programme, 'Assisting Political Parties Secure the Peace Process in Northern Ireland'. The Women's Coalition and the Alliance Party have also been beneficiaries.

But critics of the Natonal Endowment for Democracy-backed NDIIA say the organization routinely meddles in other countries' affairs to support groups that believe in free enterprise, minimal government intervention in the economy and opposition to socialism in any form.The funding has been made by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) a non-profit agency financed entirely by Congress. It distributes $40m (£22m) a year to various groups in what it says is an effort to strengthen democracy.

These groups ran workshops, training sessions and provided free advice to three political parties in Venezuela - Democratic Action, Copei and First Justice - the leaderships of which have been at the forefront of efforts to recall Mr Chavez.

Documents released using the United States Freedom of Information legislation show that National Endowment for Democracy-funded organisations, including the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, have been implicated in attempts to undermine President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.

Jeremy Bigwood, a Washington-based freelance journalist who obtained the documents, told The Independent: "This repeats a pattern started in Nicaragua in the election of 1990 when (the US) spent $20 per voter to get rid of (the Sandinista President Daniel) Ortega. It's done in the name of democracy but it's rather hypocritical. Venezuela does have a democratically elected President who won the popular vote which is not the case with the US."

Financing does not go directly to political parties. The endowment channeled nearly $350,000 to the international wings of the Republican and Democratic parties, the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and the foreign policy arm of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the American Center for International Labor Solidarity. Those organizations ran workshops and training sessions and offered advice to three political parties - Democratic Action, Copei and First Justice - as well as the Venezuelan Workers Confederation.

The leaders of all these organizations have been at the forefront of
the anti-Chávez movement.

Links

How NED Money finds its way to Northern Ireland's centre parties

Go to Hugo Chavez website containing allegations about US/National Endowment for Democracy support for conspirators

The Independent story

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Comments (5 of 5)

good stuff

by parge

Tue Mar 16, 2004 10:52

Cool,it's great to hear the Greens really highlighting a topic like this,for a change.
Keep it up.

Mobilise against war-mongerer Bush's visit!
NO to fascism in all its forms.

Chavez is the real fascist

by John Davis

Wed Mar 17, 2004 21:24

Davis227 at yahoo dot com

Chavez is a vicious left-wing thug, a demogogue who is dangerously polarizing his country and needs to be stopped. He's destroying democracy and turning Venezuela into a repressive, Castro-style dictatorship. Anything is better than Chavez. People need to be educated about just how bad he is - he's no democrat - but of course mindless socialists around the world will continue to support him because he's "left-wing".

Yeah we just LOVE fascists

by Dan

Sat Mar 20, 2004 18:26

Eh, exactly what part of "he was elected in a fair election, as verified by international observers, not once but twice" do you not understand? There is absolutely no evidence that Venezuela is moving towards dictatorship under Chavez; in fact he has shown considerable restraint in dealing with his opponents (if the American opposition had tried to overthrow Bush in a coup and failed, they would all have been tried for treason and be currently facing the death penalty, not walking the streets). You can bleat and lie all you like, the fact remains that Chavez is an elected leader, and the only threat to freedom in Venezuela comes from his thuggish opponents. Now shut up and go away you moron.

Take it easy Dan ....

by baa baa black sheep

Sat Mar 20, 2004 19:01

QUOTE: "if the American opposition had tried to overthrow Bush in a coup and failed, they would all have been tried for treason and be currently facing the death penalty, not walking the streets" ....

Now now let's not jump to conclusions ....
maybe he would just have had them all freighted away to Guantanamo Bay to be tortured ...

Democracy

by Freddy

Sat Mar 20, 2004 21:13

Pity Bush wasn't elected too, instead of just being appointed by a court.

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Greens call on Northern Parties to break ties with US backers of Venezuelan Opposition

Comments (5 of 5)