by Bernardo Alvarez
Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
to the United States Washington

Venezuela and U.S. Need Productive Exchange

In regard to the May 23 Americas column "Read the Fine Print on the Chavez Charm Offensive" by Mary Anastasia O'Grady: I am baffled that Ms. O'Grady would employ personal attacks on me after I sought to explain, in a meeting Jack Kemp and I had with your editors, the actions of my government that parallel the rich Jeffersonian traditions of the United States.

Certainly, we can disagree on how my government is proceeding, and even on my interpretation of Jefferson or U.S. history, but I was not expecting this reaction. I was hoping for a dialogue. Now I would like to address some of Ms. O'Grady's statements:

Regarding the situation in PDVSA, Venezuela's oil company: Ms. O'Grady states that "since Chavez's absolute utopia requires authoritarian control of PDVSA, he has had to fire every worker who doesn't agree with him" and has had to replace them with "untrained chavistas who are loyal to the revolution but can't tell an oil rig from a desert cactus."

To begin, the oil workers dismissed from PDVSA were not fired because of any political or ideological disagreements. They were fired because they walked off the job -- a violation of a law that predates the election of President Chavez by many years -- and in so doing illegally sabotaged the production of oil, virtually paralyzing the industry that represents the main source of income of our country. In this regard their situation parallels that confronted by President Reagan with the air traffic controllers. And with those employees who remain, those who in Ms. O'Grady's opinion "can't tell an oil rig from a desert cactus," we have reached our daily average of 3.2 million barrels of oil, thereby retaking our rightful place as one of the world's most reliable and dependable energy exporters, and the most productive oil nation in the Western Hemisphere. All nations benefit from a stable Venezuela, and a stable supply of energy coming from this hemisphere.

Ms. O'Grady wrongly accuses "totalitarian aspirations" to President Hugo Chavez. There has been a great level of consternation in the U.S. regarding President Chavez and the complex relation between the Venezuelan government and the opposition. She points out that "Since he came to power in 1999 he has been perfecting his impersonation of an egotistical Cuban dictator, railing against his political adversaries, free enterprise, the media, the Catholic Church et al. He invites property invasions, foments hatred, and threatens opponents with retaliation."

This statement is false. President Chavez is democratically elected, with more than 55% of Venezuelans voting for him. And he has created one of the most liberal and participative constitutions in the Western Hemisphere; it guarantees the rights of women, minority groups and freedom of speech. Venezuela also has an independent judiciary.

We in Venezuela have faced a tough and at times deadly opposition. Yet there are no political prisoners and no one in the media is being persecuted or detained. In addition, the government has signed a historical agreement that recognizes Article 72 of the Venezuelan Constitution, which allows the voters to call for a binding referendum/recall for any and all elected officials.

Finally, my duty and responsibility as Venezuelan ambassador to the United States is not, as Ms. O'Grady describes it, to "pay lip service to American values," but to encourage an honest and productive exchange between Venezuela and the U.S.