Venezuela May Deny Americans Visas

[sintax]

Venezuela May Deny Americans Visas


Friday August 12, 2005 11:01 PM

By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER

Associated Press Writer

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - American citizens could be denied visas to visit Venezuela in response to a U.S. decision to revoke the visas of three Venezuelan military officers, the vice president said Friday.

Jose Vicente Rangel said Venezuela decided to take a harder line after the United States pulled the visas of three officers previously involved in anti-drug efforts with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

``The Venezuelan government ... will proceed quickly, with responsibility, but firmly to reciprocate in the cases of U.S. citizens who travel to our country,'' Rangel said at a news conference.

The visas of three military officers, including two generals, who worked with the DEA were revoked after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused DEA agents of spying in Venezuela and said cooperation with the U.S. agency would be suspended.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5206671,00.html

[FlemingsGhost]

1. That'll certainly stem the tide of U.S. anti-Chavez operatives

Chavez is proving himself to be very shrewd.

And I'm loving it ...

[Cha]

2. Oh, I wanted to visit!

Maybe, if I tell them I didn't vote for bush they'll let me in?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. It is a beautiful country, stunning in natural beauty

of course, Caracas is either rich (I mean REALLY rich) or a small middle class and interesting business district, or a hillside of shanty towns so poor that even police don't go in, except in force.
Now that a more liberal leader has been in control for some time, the shanties actually have more water, electricity, and even access to health care, sometimes for the first time in peoples' lives.
Only in the warped mind of Cheney and Bush is such a leader dangerous. But they never saw the abject poverty in the hillside of Caracas, either.

[Cha]

9. And it would be such an

historical thing to do now that Chavez is Prez.



Now I want to go even MORE! Ole!

[Missy M]

10. My daughter lived there for 17 years and many of the American..

tourists were obnoxious. They would be angry because the taxi drivers spoke Spanish, they wanted McDonald's to eat, etc. She was in the tourist business for a time.

[Megahurtz]

3. Well, can you blame them? n/t

[Rainscents]

4. No, I don't blame them!

[movonne]

5. I love it...I wonder if that means American oil men..

[Ian David]

6. I wouldn't want Americans coming to MY country, either

And I live here.

[manic expression]

11. That's rich

:rofl:

[wli]

8. flee while you can, the borders are closing

There isn't going to be anywhere to run from Cheney et al's upcoming holocaust.

[Solon]

12. I wonder if Chavez would accept American Refugees though?

certainly many people in this country(me included) would JUMP at the chance to be living in a country that actually is rebuilding itself, rather than tearing out its own foundations.

[wli]

13. good question n/t

[truthpusher]

14. Venezuela says Americans could be denied visas in response to U.S. .......

http://www.fox23news.com/news/world/story.aspx?content_id=676EDF96-6E21-4B8A-9807-88B11BC35725

Venezuela says Americans could be denied visas in response to U.S. visa revocations

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - United States citizens could be denied visas to visit Venezuela in response to a U.S. decision to revoke the visas of six Venezuelan military officers, the vice president said Friday.

Jose Vicente Rangel said Venezuela decided to take a harder line after the United States pulled the visas of six officers previously involved in anti-drug efforts with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

"The Venezuelan government ... will proceed quickly, with responsibility, but firmly to reciprocate in the cases of U.S. citizens who travel to our country," Rangel said at a news conference.

The visas of the six Venezuelan officers were revoked after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused DEA agents of spying in Venezuela and said cooperation with the U.S. agency would be suspended.

U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield denied the accusations.

(snip)

complete story: http://www.fox23news.com/news/world/story.aspx?content_id=676EDF96-6E21-4B8A-9807-88B11BC35725

[IndianaGreen]

15. BBC: Chavez revokes US agent immunity

The BBC version of this story provides additional details, and more quotes from Vice president Rangel as to why DEA is no longer welcomed in Venezuela. Notice how the BBC headline refers to US agents while the AP story is saying that US citizens could be denied visas to Venezuela. The AP headline, assuming The Guardian did not insert its own headline into the AP story, gives the impression that the American people are being targeted by Chavez rather than DEA agents.

Last Updated: Friday, 12 August 2005, 21:59 GMT 22:59 UK

Chavez revokes US agent immunity

Caracas has withdrawn the diplomatic immunity of US anti-drugs officials working in Venezuela.

It follows a move by the US State Department to revoke the visas of six Venezuelan officials in Washington.

Both countries are locked in a row after President Hugo Chavez accused the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of spying on his government.

<snip>

Venezuelan Vice-President Jose Vicente Rangel said his country would apply "strict reciprocity" in the allocation of visas to US officials.

"For every attack, there will be a reaction, for every strike, a strike back...and the revoking of visas will mean reciprocal action," he said.

"We are no longer going to accept civilian employees of the being assigned to the US embassy, because that gives them the benefit of immunity," he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4147546.stm

[Voltaire99]

16. Reminds me: Jon Stewart was ragging on Chavez the other night

...and supplying a Frito Bandito voice-over for footage of Hugo.

A real low in Daily Show history.

[Swamp Rat]

17. It wasn't funny at all!

Worst segment I have ever seen - 'unfunny' - and I'm a big fan.

[Voltaire99]

18. Stewart can be an asshole.

It's not the first time.

I tend to watch the Daily Show less and less, though I still rifle through the set pieces at the web site, which are hilarious.

[Jamison]

19. That's kind of unfair IMO

I can see why they're doing it, but I hope Chavez & the Venezuelan people don't think of us all as being Bushbots.

Us DU'ers are friends to Chavez. Viva Venezuela!

[Oerdin]

20. While I like the idea of expanding social services

I do not like how Chavez has packed the courts and rewritten the constitution to tilt everything in his favor. I honestly think the man has a big authoritarian streak which isn't good for a young democracy plus his nationalizations will turn out bad for the economy because he's been going after the businesses of his political rivals which he then packs with his cronies. Instead of people who know how to run these businesses you end up with unqualified people who run the businesses into the ground but who continue to be employed because they're cronies of Chavez.

It's kind of like the 1970's all over again but as long as the price of oil remains high Chavez can hide the mismanagement due to the increases in oil revenue he's getting. If oil prices eventually fall then this grandstanding politician will be in serious trouble.