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CNN Live Saturday
Members of Venezuelan Opposition Take to Streets of Caracas
Aired December 14, 2002 - 17:26 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The White House is calling for early elections and an end to political violence in Venezuela. Gunfire at a recent rally protesting the rule of President Hugo Chavez left three dead and 28 wounded. CNN's Harris Whitbeck is standing by in Caracas with the latest on the unrest there.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, on an increasingly tense situation in the streets of Caracas, at this hour, thousands and thousands of supporters of those who are trying to oust the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have gathered here in eastern Caracas. The opposition has been trying for weeks to intensify the pressure on the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) President Hugo Chavez.
This demonstration, which organizers say is one of the largest ever to be seen in Venezuela, is just one more step that is being taken to, again, increase the pressure on President Hugo Chavez.
But the main ingredient in all this story, Fredricka, and one that affects not only Venezuela but also the rest of the continent and the United States, has to do with the oil industry. Oil industry executives say that 90 percent of the industry has been paralyzed. That means that Venezuela, which is the second largest supplier of oil to the United States, is not exporting any oil, and industry executives say that they don't expect oil exports to start anytime soon.
The (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of the oil industry is crucial to the opposition's bid for the removal of Hugo Chavez. The Organization of American States is trying to facilitate a dialogue between the government of Hugo Chavez and the opposition, but so far there has been little, very little progress.
Again, the concern here is that as there is more action on the streets, such as we're seeing tonight, tensions will increase, and the very real possibility of violence escalating becomes even more of a concern -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Harris Whitbeck, from Caracas, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Caracas>
Aired December 14, 2002 - 17:26 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The White House is calling for early elections and an end to political violence in Venezuela. Gunfire at a recent rally protesting the rule of President Hugo Chavez left three dead and 28 wounded. CNN's Harris Whitbeck is standing by in Caracas with the latest on the unrest there.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, on an increasingly tense situation in the streets of Caracas, at this hour, thousands and thousands of supporters of those who are trying to oust the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have gathered here in eastern Caracas. The opposition has been trying for weeks to intensify the pressure on the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) President Hugo Chavez.
This demonstration, which organizers say is one of the largest ever to be seen in Venezuela, is just one more step that is being taken to, again, increase the pressure on President Hugo Chavez.
But the main ingredient in all this story, Fredricka, and one that affects not only Venezuela but also the rest of the continent and the United States, has to do with the oil industry. Oil industry executives say that 90 percent of the industry has been paralyzed. That means that Venezuela, which is the second largest supplier of oil to the United States, is not exporting any oil, and industry executives say that they don't expect oil exports to start anytime soon.
The (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of the oil industry is crucial to the opposition's bid for the removal of Hugo Chavez. The Organization of American States is trying to facilitate a dialogue between the government of Hugo Chavez and the opposition, but so far there has been little, very little progress.
Again, the concern here is that as there is more action on the streets, such as we're seeing tonight, tensions will increase, and the very real possibility of violence escalating becomes even more of a concern -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Harris Whitbeck, from Caracas, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Caracas>
