Venezuelan President Chavez again accuses US of backing campaign to unseat him

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez restated his long-time contention that Washington is behind a campaign for a "yes" vote in an August 15 recall referendum aimed at removing him from power, in order to control Venezuela's oil.

Chavez said he would present proof on Sunday that the US was financing the Venezuelan opposition's referendum campaign in order to open his country's huge petroleum industry to foreign investment.

"Evidence that has come to me that Bush is financing this plan...shows once again what I have said all along, that the fight is not between us and the opposition...it is Chavez against Bush," Chavez said in the oil-producing state of Zulia, 500 km (300 miles) west of Caracas.

Chavez has long implied, although without proof, that US President George W. Bush was behind a short-lived military coup in April 2002 that removed him from office for about 48 hours.

The coup fell apart when Chavez, a leftist-populist ex-paratrooper, rallied support in his old military unit and was returned to power.

The United States moved quickly during the coup to work with the new transitional government of opposition business and political leaders.

And though Washington insisted it had no part in or advance knowledge of the coup, Chavez's government has repeatedly accused the United States of meddling in its politics and instigating the rebellion, as well as a lengthy general strike in late 2002 and early 2003 that shut down the country's oil industry.

Venezuela is a key US oil supplier.

In the runup to the recall referendum, Chavez has increased his attacks on Washington, saying Bush -- not the Venezuelan opposition -- was his true political foe.

© Copyright 2004 AFP

###