39 ONG, 16 députés américains et plus de 200 personnalités appuient le président Chavez et pressent le gouvernement Bush de se prononcer sur le cas du Vénézuéla et de ne reconnaître aucun gouvernement qui ne soit démocratiquement élu.
Je vous passe la liste, ainsi qu'une copie de la lettre envoyée par 16 représentants et plusieurs organisations...
December 12, 2002
The Honorable George W. Bush
President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President George W. Bush,
In light of the increasing political tension in Venezuela, and recognizing that part of the opposition leadership is determined to remove President Hugo Chavez by any means necessary, we, the undersigned organizations and individuals, call upon you to state unequivocally that the United States government opposes any attempt to remove the democratically elected government of Venezuela by a military coup or other unconstitutional means. Furthermore, the White House should affirm that the United States would not have normal diplomatic relations with a coup-installed government.
We believe that the silence of the White House since the military coup of April 11, which the administration appeared to endorse, is widely interpreted as support for further coup attempts. We are concerned that this perception reduces the incentive for opposition leaders and the Chavez government to pursue dialogue or peaceful solution to the current crisis.
We are also concerned that, while senior officials at the White House have maintained their silence, Otto Reich, currently the State Department's special envoy to the Western Hemisphere, recently singled out the Venezuelan government for criticism, stating that "an election is not sufficient to call a country a democracy." This was an unusual departure from diplomatic protocol, and in light of the April coup, has made Venezuelan government officials even more suspicious of Washington's motives.
The role of the United States government in the coup of April 11 remains unclear. We know that top US officials met with leaders of the coup in the months before it happened. Opposition groups that were involved in the coup also received funding from the United States government. At the same time, the Bush Administration openly expressed its hostility to the government of President Chavez. According to the State Department Office of the Inspector General, one of the reasons for this friction was President Chavez's "involvement in the affairs of the Venezuelan oil company and the potential impact of that on oil prices."
Furthermore, the State Department's Office of the Inspector General, after looking into the role of US officials before and after the April coup, concluded that US warnings against the coup "may not have gone far enough. Among the many accounts of such warnings, few went beyond the standard, ritualistic 'no undemocratic or unconstitutional change' formulation. Warnings of non-recognition of a coup-installed government, economic sanctions, and other concrete punitive actions were few and far between. This, too, has been recognized and lamented in retrospect by some senior U.S. officials."
The State Department's OIG report further noted that "the very fact that the United States regularly and repeatedly met with those interested in ousting the Chavez government and heard them out may in and of itself have been seen as lending support to their efforts, notwithstanding our ritualistic denunciations of undemocratic and unconstitutional means."
In light of these circumstances, the current White House silence on its opposition to a military coup or any other possible unconstitutional overthrow of Venezuela's democratically elected government is seen throughout Venezuela and elsewhere as support for such illegal actions. Opposition leaders who are determined to overthrow the government have little incentive to pursue dialogue or a peaceful solution, if they believe that the United States government will support them no matter what they do.
The U.S. government should demonstrate its ongoing and active support for democratically elected governments. Only a strong statement of condemnation from the White House explaining that the U.S. opposes violent and unconstitutional actions, will not tolerate a coup government and will impose sanctions upon any coup-installed government, will send the right democratic message to Venezuelan political actors as well as other governments in Latin America.
We therefore call upon the White House to make its position clear, before Venezuela slides closer to the brink of civil war.
Sincerely,
MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich
Rep. John Conyers, Jr.
Rep. Jose E. Serrano
Rep. Barney Frank
Rep. Major R. Owens
Rep. Bernard Sanders
Rep. Fortney Pete Stark
Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky
Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey
Rep. Barbara Lee
Rep. Lynn C. Woolsey
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Rep. John Lewis
Rep. Danny K. Davis
Rep. Sherrod Brown
Rep. Chaka Fattah
ORGANIZATIONS:
50 Years Is Enough: U.S. Network for Global Economic Justice
Soren Ambrose, Policy Analyst
Alliance for Justice: Medical Mission Sisters
Bend-Condega Friendship Project
Tim Jeffries, Coordinator
The Catholic Migrant Ministry
William E. Daggitt, President
Center of Concern
James Hug, SJ, President
The Committee for Inter-American Human Rights
Laura Furst, National Organizer
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Mark Weisbrot and Dean Baker Co-Directors
Center for Economic Justice
Neil Watkins, National Coordinator
Chicago Metropolitan Sanctuary Alliance
Martha Pierce, Director
Church of the Brethren General Board
David Radcliff, Director, Brethren Witness
Colombia Human Rights Committee
Barbara Gerlach and Cristina Espinel, Co-Chairs
Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES)
Cherrene Horazuk, Executive Director
Interhemispheric Resource Center (IRC)
George Kourous, Director, Americas Program, IRC
Fellowship of Reconciliation Task Force on Latin America and the
Caribbean
Philip McManus, Chair
Food First/The Institute for Food and Development Policy
Peter Rosset, Co-Director
Franciscan Washington Office for Latin America
Fr. David A. Moczulski, OFM, Executive Director
Global Exchange
The Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA
Max Gimbel, Coordinator
Latin Ameirca/Caribbean Committee of the Loretto Community
Annemary Vogelweid
Marin Interfaith Task Force on Central America
Susan Severin, President
Maryknoll Center for Global Concern
Marie Dennis, Director
Office Of Peace and Justice of Congregation of Sisters of Divine
Providence of Kentucky
Catherine M. Holtkamp, CDP
Nicaragua Center for Community Action
Diana Bohn, Co-Coordinator
Nicaragua Network
Katherine Hoyt, National Co-Coordinator
Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA)
Sarah C. Aird, Executive Director
The Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, Olympia, Washington
Branden Wilson
Pax Christi Michigan
Joan Tirak, Coordinator
Pax Christi USA
Dave Robinson, National Coordinator
Quixote Center/Quest for Peace
Rev. William Callahan, Co-Director
School of the Americas Watch
Staff-Collective
Sisters of the Holy Cross, Congregation Justice Committee of Notre
Dame, Indiana
Ann Oestreich IHM, Coordinator
Toledo Area Committee on Central America (TACCA), Toledo, OH
Chester Chambers
United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Rev. David A. Vargas, Executive for Latin America and the Caribbean
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
Mark Harrison, Program Director
Voices on the Border
Wes Callender, Director
The Wisconsin Coordinating Council on Nicaragua (WCCN)
Carlos Arenas, Executive Director
INDIVIDUALS: (Organizations listed for affiliation purposes only)
Elaine Abels
Omaha, NE
Paula Dodd Aiello
San Ramon, CA
Michael Albert
Z/Net/Z Magazine
Martha Alderson
Kirkwood, Missouri
Laura Anderson, RSCJ
Religious of the Sacred Heart, Saint Louis, MO
Jennifer Angyal
Gibsonville, NC
Kay George Arnold, Pax Christi
Austin, Texas
Rev. James E. Atwood
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Bernice Babin
Maryknoll Sisterrs Community, Chile
Mary E. Bathum and Steve H. Nathe, Maryknoll Lay Missioners
Madison, WI
Wendy Bauers Northup
Glen Allen, VA
Steven Bennett, Executive Director
Witness for Peace
Martha Benson, Maryknoll missionary
Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Maurita Bernet
Phoenix, AZ
Gina Bianchi, Organizer
Milwaukee Jobs with Justice
Larry Birns, Director
Council on Hemispheric Affairs
Gem Bordages
Galveston, TX
Philip Brady
Maryknoll Missionaries working in Venezuela
Mary Ann Buckley
Society of the Holy Child Jesus, Washington, DC
Patrick Buckley
Denver, CO
Martha Bushnell, Ph.D.
Boulder, CO
Barbara Carey, RSCJ
Bethesda, MD
Judy Carle, RSM, President
Sisters of Mercy, Regional Community of Burlingame, CA
Helen Carpenter
Maryknoll Sisterrs Community, Chile
Mary and Bill Carry
Sylvan Lake Michigan
Lynne Cartwright
Portland, OR
Jim Casey, Pax Christi
San José, CA
Terry Casey
San José, CA
James Chaney
Denver, OH
Julie A. Charlip, Associate Professor of History
Whitman College
Lydia Cho, The Society of Sacred Heart
El Cerrito, CA
Noam Chomsky, Professor
Department of Linguistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dr. D.K. & F.L. Cinquemani
Largo, FL
Mallory Clarke
Seattle, Washington
Catherine Collins, RSCJ
Religious of the Sacred Heart, Washington, DC
Marie Combo
Kansas City, KS
MaryJo Commerford, Maryknoll missionary
Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Brian Concannon Jr., Esq.
Boston, MA
Rev. James Conn, Urban Strategy Los Angeles Area
United Methodist Church
Gary L. Cozette, Director
Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)
Darlene Cuccinello
Tampa, Fl
Helen Cullen
Nerinx, KY
Sharon Culp, Pax Christi
Fremont, CA
Sheila Croke
Greenlawn, NY
Mimi Darragh
McDonald, PA
Barb Dawson, The Society of Sacred Heart
El Cerrito, CA
Veronica De Los Rios
Miami, Florida
Maria Dias
Fremont, CA
Sheila K. Dixon
Dallas, TX
Geraldine Doiron
Maryknoll Sisterrs Community, Chile
Linda Donovan
Maryknoll Sisterrs Community, Chile
Maureen Dorney-O'Connell, Coordinator
Pax Christi Florida
Alexandra Durbin
Needham, Massachusetts
Ellen Dunn
Georgetown, TX
Ben Dwyer
Naples, FL
John P. Dwyer
Naples, FL
Karen N. Dwyer, Ph.D.
Naples, FL
Kelly Epstein
Spring, TX
Rose Evans
San Francisco, CA
Liza Featherstone
New York, NY
Rosanne Fischer
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Liz Fisher, The Society of Sacred Heart
El Cerrito, CA
Rev. James E. Flynn
St. Lawrence Church, Heber City, UT
Sister Celine Foy, PBVM
Fargo, ND
Carol Gaudin
New Iberia LA
John Gallini, Pax Christi
Richmond, VA
Irma GarcÌa Rose, LCSW
Rome, GA
Tina Geiger, RSM Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
Institute Justice Office
S. Rita Clare Gerardot
St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN
Katherine Gilfeather
Maryknoll Sisterrs Community, Chile
Ruth Goldboss
Highland Park, IL
Eileen Gilles and Deacon William Gilles
Glastonbury, CT
Claire Goodall
Sun City, AZ
Kathleen Gribble
Appleton, WI
David W. Green, MD
Cambridge, MA
Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton, Auxiliary Bishop
Archdiocese of Detroit
Anne Grady
Natick, Massachusetts
Joan Hart, SSND
Baltimore, MD
Anne Hablas
Jacksboro, TN
Lisa Hirsch, Pax Christi USA
Askim, Sweden
Rev. Msgr. J. Patrick Keleher, Director
Newman Centers at the University Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Nancy Koke, RSCJ
Chicago, IL
Joyce Hall, Coordinator
Pax Christi Dallas
Maggie Han, Maryknoll missionary
Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Roseann Hanley
Maryknoll Sisterrs Community, Chile
Elizabeth Hillmann
Gainesville, FL
Sister Joan Hopkins
San Francisco, CA
Lynn Houston, Chairperson
Maryknoll Affiliates Global Concerns Committee
Marilee Howard, RSM, Institute Justice Office
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
Sister Dorothy Hucksoll, Owens Hall
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN
Jean Hunter, RSCJ
Rye Brook, N.Y.
Katherine Hutter
Washington, DC
Adam Isacson, Senior Associate, Demilitarization Program
Center for International Policy
Jessica Jenkins
Stanford University, California
Steve Johnson
Ely, MN
Rev. Stephen Judd, MM
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Bolivia
Sister Evelyn Kane, Religious of the Sacred Heart
Greenwich, CT
Nancy Kane
San Diego, CA
Joan Kirby
Religious of the Sacred Heart
Naomi Klein, author
Toronto, Canada
David Kuehn
Ann Arbor, MI
Henry R. Lambert, Vermont Local Roads Program
Saint Michael's College, Colchester, VT
Fran Levin
Arnold, MD
Eric M. LeCompte, National Council Chair
Pax Christi USA
Maureen Little, RSCJ
St, Aloysius School in Harlem, New York
Lucia Livingston
Yellow Springs, Ohio Peace Group
Joe Loney, Maryknoll lay missioner
Bolivia
Carol Lutz, Pax Christi
Greenwich, CT
Mary B. Lyman, RSCJ
Newton Centre, MA
Nancy MacLeod
Oakland, CA
Eleanor Maclellan
Chestnut Hill, MA
Faith Marilynn Madzar, Natick Peace Council
Natick, MA
Constance A.Mancuso
Waltham, MA
Michael J. Marciano, Pax Christi USA
Albuquerque, NM
Charles Martin
Rockport, IN
Lelia Mattingly
Ossining, NY
Sister Susan Maxwell
Chicago, IL
Clare McBrien
Wytheville, Virginia
Mark J. McCabe
Philadelphia, PA
Julia McCarthy
Maryknoll Sisterrs Community, Chile
S. Pat McCarthy
Rockford, IL
Elizabeth McDermott
N. Tonawanda, NY
Clairvaux McFarland, OSF
Assisi Heights Cottage, Rochester, MN
Rene McGraw, O.S.B.
St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, MN
Marie McHugh and Helen McHugh, Society of the Sacred Heart
San Diego, CA
Ben McKean, National Organizer
United Students Against Sweatshops
Dr. Megan McKenna
Pax Christi Ambassador for Peace
Mary Helene Mele
Bellingham, WA
Kathleen McNeely, Program Associate
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Stephanie Mertens, ASC, Coordinator Justice and Peace Office
Adorers of the Blood of Christ, Red Bud, IL
Ernesto E. Migoya
Houston, Texas
Kathleen R, Mitchell
Portland, OR
Mary Munton
Richmond, VA
Pamela Nordhof, Maryknoll Affiliate
Hamilton, MI
Wendy Bauers Northup
Glen Allen, VA
Sister Karen Nykiel, O.S.B., State Coordinator
Pax Christi Illinois, Lisle, IL
Annette O'Connor, Maryknoll Affiliate
Albuquerque, NM
Mary F. O'Driscoll, Presentation Sisters,
San Antonio, TX
Catherine O'Neil
Pax Christi USA of Hendersonville, NC
Brent Otto
Framingham, MA
Christian Parenti, Visiting Fellow
CUNY Graduate Center
Mary Beth Patout
New Iberia, Louisiana
Jack Payden-Travers
Lynchburg, VA
Noella Poinsette
St. Bonaventure, NY
Robert Pollin, PhD
Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Rev. Chris Ponnet and Patricia Krommer C.S.J., Co-directors
Pax Christi, Los Angeles
Constance Pospisil, Maryknoll Sister
Brazil
Clare Pratt, RSCJ, Superior General
Society of the Sacred Heart
Barbara Quinn, Religious of the Sacred Heart
San Diego, CA
Glenn Rabut, Maryknoll missionary
Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Shamim Rajpar
Altoona, PA
Steve Rall
Lansing, MI
Jaon Ratermann
Maryknoll Sisterrs Community, Chile
Peter Ree, Maryknoll missionary
Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Barbara E. Reid, O.P., Professor of New Testament Studies
Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, IL
Ellie Richardson
Erie, PA
Patricia Ring
Maryknoll Sisterrs Community, Chile
Richard R. Rivard, Pax Christi
Revere, MA
Diane Roche, Religious of the Sacred Heart
St. Louis, Missouri
David Rodriguez, Maryknoll missionary
Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Jenaro Rodriguez
Hastings, PA
George William Rose, PhD
Rome, GA
Michelle Rose
Cary, NC
Fred Rosen
North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
Robert J.S. Ross, PhD, Professor of Sociology
Director, International Studies Stream, Clark University
Rodger Routh
Ankeny, Iowa
Phil Runkel
Waukesha, WI
Erich Rutten, St. Paul Seminary
St. Paul, MN
Cecelia Santois
Maryknoll Sisterrs Community, Chile
Bob Schwartz, Executive Director
Disarm Education Fund
Suzanne Scott, Maryknoll missionary
Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Sara Schomp
Sebastopol, CA
Ryan Shiffer
Wheaton, IL
Ray and Barbara Shiffer
Oneida, WI
Roselyn Schmitt
Saint Joseph, MN
Renate Schneider
Maryknoll Affiliate
Michael Schreiner, Pax Christi
St. Louis, MO
Mike Sersch, Winona Catholic Worker
Winona, MN
Susan Severin, RSM, Institute Justice Office
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
Rev. John Sivalon, MM, Superior General
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
Dr. George J. Sorger, Professor of Biology
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
Frances M. Stainton
Los Altos, CA
John Stanton
Ar