“We are not willing to allow it – the use of Venezuelan territory for irregular activities – and we have said it a million times: what we want for Colombia is peace,” President Chávez said yesterday, speaking during a cabinet meeting in the Néstor Kirchner room of the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas.

The Venezuelan leader explained that he received a call from President Santos, “informing me that, according to what they told him, guerrilla groups passed over here” after confrontations between the armed forces and irregular groups at a military post.

In response, President Chávez put in motion all relevant security operations, and explained: “Yesterday I called President Santos at night, around 11. We are patrolling by air and land, and until late last night I was talking with General Pedro Pérez Ravelo, commander of La Guajira. I also spoke with a young lieutenant, the commander at El Indio. Just opposite is the Colombian post at La Majayura.”

President Chávez, in his commitment to peace in the region, reiterated recently in a statement his “willingness to continue consolidating the historic fraternal relations between Venezuela and Colombia, a guarantee of peace, stability and wellbeing for our peoples.”

Presidential Press Office / Press – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 23, 2012

In attendance at the meeting was the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela, James Derham, as well as several representatives of U.S. commercial and cargo airlines operating in Venezuela: Omar Nottaro of American Airlines, María Isabel Ponce of Federal Express, Andrés Tinoco and Arnoldo Troconis of United Airlines, and Liz Bello of Delta Air Lines.

The general director of Planning and Air Transportation of the Venezuelan Ministry of Transportation also attended the event, together with the President of the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC), Francisco Paz Fleitas.

The airlines’ representatives stressed that they respect the civil aviation norms and proceedings established by Venezuelan government agencies.

Omar Nottaro of American Airlines said: “we consider that operations to and from Venezuelan airports are safe. That’s why we have talked to our representatives overseas to let them know that we are satisfied with these operations. If they were not safe, we wouldn’t be flying to those airports,”

Andrés Tinoco of United Airlines siad: “We have also talked to our main office so they can also stay in touch with representatives of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and let them know our position on this issue.”

Additionally, representatives of Delta Air Lines and Federal Express said they appreciate the safety of Venezuelan airports, which follow norms established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The representatives also said they are in constant communication with Venezuelan airport authorities in order to maintain up-to-date safety protocols.

The U.S. Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires in Venezuela, James Derham, said that signs in U.S. airports warning about Venezuelan airports date back to 2008, when the TSA proposed technical visits to the country. He indicated that they are willing to find a positive solution to the issue.

“The TSA has no conditions to determine the level of fulfillment of safety protocols in Venezuelan airports,” Derham said.

Venezuelan Authorities Ratify Safety of Airports

The President of Venezuela’s National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC), Francisco Paz Fleitas, stressed the importance of holding such meetings as part of bilateral agreements, following technical norms recommended by ICAO to discuss the distorted and erroneous perceptions caused by the signs placed in U.S. airports regarding the supposed lack of safety of Venezuelan airports.

The technical visit proposed by the TSA will be held in June of this year. The meeting will be based on the principle of reciprocity in bilateral relations in terms of aviation, following principles of mutual cooperation and international norms on safety aviation.

Paz Fleitas mentioned a letter sent by the Venezuelan aeronautic authority to airlines requesting that they clarify their position on the TSA’s allegations, given that these U.S. airlines continue operating flights to and from airports in Venezuela.

The Venezuelan airports follow strict safety norms, he said, which is reflected in the fact that airlines from all around the world operate in the country and frequently seek approval for new routes.

Likewise, the INAC president recalled that “there have been no undesirable events preventing the proper implementation of safety norms in Venezuelan airports. Statistics on the number of flight operations confirm that we have conducted, in a sustained manner, actions to guarantee safety in airports.”

Paz Fleitas also questioned “the distorted information emanating from the TSA or any other agency questioning the management of the Venezuelan aeronautic authority. We have cases in which companies from other countries, for example, Brazil, are seeking authorization to operate routes from Venezuela to the U.S. and the TSA is not giving them real answers, since they put in doubt the fact that the operational safety measures are met.”

Finally, the INAC president said: “because our airports follow proper safety protocols, U.S. airlines operate over 80 percent of air transportation from Venezuela to the U.S. and vice versa.”

National Institute of Civil Aeronautics of Venezuela (INAC) / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 22, 2012

Campos said that trends in public opinion ahead of the October 7 elections are based on the qualities demanded by citizens, including direct participation in government policy making.

Campos said that Venezuelans have internalized a political culture based on values such as integration, articulation and the construction of a multipolar world that favors popular participation.

Among those polled, 61.2 percent said President Chávez guarantees the country’s representation in the international arena, while 28.4 percent said this is true of Capriles Radonski.

Additionally, 67.3 percent said they believe the Venezuelan president is concerned about poor people, while 22.4 percent said this is true of Capriles.

Campos also indicated that 60.7 percent of respondents approved of the proposals of President Chávez, while 22.4 percent approved of the proposals of Capriles.

Campos attributed Capriles’ inability to advance in the polls after winning the opposition primaries last February to the fact that his “ideas and proposals lack clarity.”

The poll was conducted from May 9 to 12 and is based in 4,370 interviews carried out in 17 states throughout the country.

YVKE Mundial / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 21, 2012

“We have done various trials and will continue to do them,” Quintero told journalists after a session with technicians from various political parties.

He said the CNE will benefit from changes made this year to the electronic ballot, which is now bigger and organized more clearly, so that voters can make their choices faster.

Tests have been in part due the incorporation of the Integrated Authentication System (SAI), a machine and electronic ballot that allow voters to be identified by fingerprinting, which prevents identity theft or repeat voting. It guarantees the principle of “one voter, one vote,” and means changes in the way voters flow through the polls.

As part of tests to measure the time it takes to vote, the CNE organized a simulated vote on April 28 with the participation of its staff.

The Electoral Board, an entity under the CNE that organizes the electoral processes, presented a report on the activity that was released by the newspaper Ultimas Noticias earlier this week. According to the report, if a voter cannot be identified by his or her fingerprint and needs to fill out paperwork, it will take 82.5 seconds to vote (compared to the 30 seconds it took to vote in the 2010 parliamentary elections).

The length of time it takes to vote will help the Electoral Board decide how to distribute voters among voting booths. The report states that each one can serve up to 600 voters.

Political Parties Confident

Enrique Márquez, spokesperson for the opposition party Comando Venezuela, said he’s sure the time it takes to vote will be reduced, and other political party representatives agreed.

“These times will be better, let’s remember that this is just a test. Some proceedings have already been reduced that will have an effect,” said Gilberto Moya of Patria Para Todos-Movimiento Maneiro.

José Bracho of Unidad Popular Venezolana said: “Times are guaranteed to be under one minute. This was a test in which we could select various options on the ballot, but in the presidential elections we will have make just one choice, and so, times will be lower.”

AVN / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 18, 2012

Varela assured that the Venezuelan state guarantees respect the human rights of inmates and will provide safety and medical attention to those wounded in the confrontations.

Inmates at La Planta are being transferred to the El Rodeo I and Yare I prisons. The first group of 100 people gave themselves up voluntarily after talks and meetings with authorities of the government.

The inmates will be transferred in buses, each of which will have an attorney from the Office of the Attorney General, Varela said. She also thanked Health Minister Eugenia Sader, who sent medical personnel and ambulances to assist inmates.

Varela explained that talks led by Ombudswoman Gabriela Ramirez with inmates at La Planta continue to reach peaceful agreements.

“We hope this doesn’t last more than 24 hours. We need to vacate the penitentiary,” she said. The facilities of the prison will be recovered for the safety of the neighbors in the surrounding neighborhoods of El Paraiso, Santa Rosalía.

Coordinating the transfer of the inmates are 25 attorneys from the Office of the Attorney General. Officials from that office met yesterday with the families of the inmates, which helped calm tensions. Inmates has requested mediation by the Office of the Attorney General to help stop the conflict and guarantee their human right.

AVN / Press Office – Venezuelan embassy to the U.S. / May 18, 2012

Expected to attend the testing process – one of a series of audits conducted by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council – are members of the following parties: the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Acción Democrática (AD), La Causa Radical, Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT), Alianza Bravo Pueblo (ABP), Primero Justicia (PJ), Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), Gente Emergente (GE), Organización Renovadora Auténtica (ORA), Unión para Avanzar (UPA), Podemos, Patria Para Todos (PPT), Copei, the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV), Proyecto Venezuela and Opina Party.

The meeting will be held at the headquarters of the National Electoral Council in the state of Miranda. Electoral technicians from each political party will try out the system and present their observations.

They will also measure the time it takes to vote, something the National Electoral Council has been studying closely.

When voters approach the voting table, they are asked to show identification and use the Integrated Authentication System. If their fingerprint does not match what is in the system, they must fill out a form, which could delay the process.

The National Electoral Council studied the process in a voting drill carried out on April 28. According to a press release, “all the probable situations with the [Integrated Authentication System] were tested, including a fingerprint not being recognized, lack of upper limbs, or the fingerprinting of someone who has already voted, among others.”

Electoral technicians are expected to carry out other voting drill this month.

AVN / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 17, 2012

From June 2011 through April of this year, a total of 4,857 updates were made to the voter registry, with over 1.45 million new voters registered to reach over 19.11 million people enrolled.

Oblitas recalled that yesterday was the final day of the 15-day period during which citizens could verify their information in the electoral registry and resolve any errors. In that time, the CNE received 3,384 requests to correct information, out of which 1,647 were requests to correct identification information.

“Subsequently, the National Office of the Electoral Registry will verify whether the claims are legitimate or not, whether they are well-founded,” and the final electoral registry will be published on June 25.

Earlier this month, the CNE released a preliminary version of the electoral registry, which includes 19.11 million voters, out of which 18.85 million are authorized to vote in the October 7 presidential elections.

CNE / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 16, 2012

The Bolivarian Government expresses its condolences to the families and relatives of the victims, as well to the Colombian people that today are in mourning for this sad event.

President Hugo Chávez expresses his solidarity with President Juan Manuel Santos, and reiterates the will to continue consolidating the historical fraternal relations between Colombia and Venezuela, a guarantee of peace, stability and wellbeing for our peoples.

Caracas, May 15, 2012

Ministry of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs

During a planning meeting with his Ecuadorian counterpart, Ricardo Patiño, Maduro said the Energy Council is “one of the wonders that our continent has been building” to work toward recuperating its natural resources.

The top Venezuelan diplomat said that details on the meeting will be released by the Vice President for Territory, Rafael Ramírez, who coordinates negotiations on the South American Energy Treaty together with the energy ministers of the 12 member countries of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).

Maduro highlighted the importance of discussing the energy treaty, saying that, “from it will emanate a series of proposals, principles and policies for strengthening and recuperating natural resources.”

He expressed confidence that Friday’s discussions will produce “a series of definitive agreements.”

AVN / Press – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 15, 2012

Venezuela began using electoral accompaniment in 2007 to help bring about an electoral system that is without suspicions and 100 percent auditable, based on the centrality of national political actors in fulfilling those duties related to electoral observation that lead to recommendations and even questionings.

Roso Grimau, a representative of the Communist Party of Venezuela, said that the observation missions of the European Union, the Organization of American States and the United Nations often follow colonialist criteria.

“They use their observers to affect public opinion. They go beyond their functions, attempt to intervene as judges in the process,” he said, alluding to what has happened in countries like Guyana, Syria or Nicaragua, where missions have issued opinions and questions that generate political tensions.

He criticized the fact that these missions do so only in foreign countries, and not at home in North America or Europe, recalling the events of 2000 when former U.S. President George W. Bush was named head of state without having the majority vote.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) has established that electoral accompaniers “cannot issue declarations or general opinions, particularly on internal affairs. They will abstain from inducing, persuading, or orienting the electorate.”

However, the CNE has expressed that it is the country’s own domestic political actors and civic organizations that should act as observers. Its norms state “the activities of national electoral observation can only be carried out through civic organizations.”

Meanwhile, the CNE may invite citizens with demonstrated electoral expertise to act as observers.

In Mexico, the Federal Electoral Institute has gone even further by calling its electoral accompaniers “foreign visitors,” according to a document that establishes the criteria for their presence during voting.

The Mexican criteria states that foreign visitors cannot “intervene in any way with the activities of the electoral authority, the political parties and their candidates, Mexican citizens or other political affairs of the country.”

Venezuela is similarly at the forefront of this issue regarding international accompaniment. Countries throughout the region are gradually joining the move toward assuming a more central role in their own participatory and sovereign democratic systems.

AVN / Press – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 15, 2012