Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Sunday

Venezuela's President Chavez Returns to Office After Failed Coup

Aired April 14, 2002 - 15:44   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: It has been a turbulent week for the president of Venezuela. Hugo Chavez has been ousted from power, held at a military base and returned to his presidential palace, all in the course of three days. Joining us now from Caracas by phone is CNN's Harris Whitbeck with more. Hi there, Harris. It seems that the president has to spend an awful lot of time now trying to convince a lot of his constituents that he is back in power.

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Fredricka. A lot of people here are still trying to digest the effects of the activities, the incidents of the last three days.

President Hugo Chavez arrived back at the presidential palace early this morning. He arrived by helicopter from an island in the Caribbean, a Venezuelan island in the Caribbean, where he had been detained by some top members of the Venezuelan armed forces.

When he arrived, he went on national television, on the state national state television network and did strike a more conciliatory tone. He said that this is a time for deep reflection in the country, that all the different sectors of the country need to really sit down and think about what has happened and what that meant and what it might mean for the future.

The big concern among the private sector, which has been opposed to Chavez, is that this -- everything -- this actually might lead to more of a crackdown, and they are fearing, in their words, some sort of dictatorship. Mr. Chavez, however, again, is saying he is expecting everybody to sit down and talk and try to figure out what's really going on here.

WHITFIELD: And Harris, how much of a concern would it be for the president that he is apparently aware now obviously that there is resistance, but that resistance may be gaining momentum?

WHITBECK: Well, he said -- he was very clear early this morning in saying that the this incident had served as kind of a call for alarm for him, in the sense that he had to reflect on some of the things that had been happening, some of the policies that he had been implementing that obviously were not very popular.

One of the main policies that he had implemented which he has already changed and which affects the United States has to do with the management at Peleveza (ph), which is the state-run oil company. Venezuela is the fourth largest exporter of oil in the world and one of the principle exporters of oil to the United States.

He announced that the entire executive board of Peleveza (ph), which he had named six weeks ago, has resigned. He has accepted that resignation. And he said that later next week he is going to call for a national council of government, which would include members of the different sectors of society, that would meet, that would advise him on policies to take, advise him specifically on choosing the new board members for the state-run oil company.

WHITFIELD: And Harris, what gave him the opening, so to speak, in order to make it back to the palace?

WHITBECK: Well, that really had to do with the armed forces. There was a small group of top military leaders from different branches of the armed forces who had detained him and who had thrown their support behind this opposition provisional government. But when they realized that the troops and the commanders of all the different military bases around Venezuela, particularly the Marachai (ph) base, which houses the country's F-16s and is the largest military base, were saying, wait a minute. We might not necessarily support Chavez, but we do support democratic institutions. That's when things started turning around.

Mr. Chavez last night was also very clear in thanking the armed forces and congratulating the armed forces for having stood up for democracy.

WHITFIELD: All right. Harris Whitbeck from Caracas, thanks very much on President Chavez's return to office after that failed military coup.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com