February 4, 2006
US attorneys evaluated Venezuela
(Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias) - "According to representatives of the US Bar Association who recently visited the country, the statements made by the US government seek to misinform, are exaggerated and could be setting the basis for a military intervention.
New York 's Supreme Court Judge Laura Saber and Professor of the International Studies Institute of Monterrey, William Wheeler, said 'there is an evident diplomatic cold war that calls for dialogue and respect for each country's sovereignty'.
Both attorneys spoke on behalf of the group that visited Venezuela in order to gather facts about the changes that are taking place in the country.
The delegation of 23 attorneys is integrated by judges, law professors, experts on civil rights, human rights, immigration and defence, as well as members of the Latin American Students Association. They spoke with representatives of the Venezuelan media and national non governmental organisations.
They also met with the Legislative and Judicial powers, the National Electoral Council, opposition parties and members of the community.
According to the information gathered during their seven-day visit, the delegation agreed on saying during a press conference that 'there is a healthy, democratic and peaceful environment in Venezuela '.
In their opinion, the information about Venezuela that reaches the US is incomplete and different from reality.
In a press release, President of the Latin American Law Students Association, Mercedes Castillo, said 'we support and are proud of Venezuela's hard work and autonomy, as well as of the people's fight to create a new form of government that satisfies their demands. We leave with a different perspective than the one we were given about Venezuela'.
According to Monica Yriat, who represents a group that studies Latin American Constitutions, the Venezuelan Constitution approved in 1999 is innovative within the Latin American context and very complete in terms of civil and human rights, family and indigenous communities. She said the text shows a mix democracy, with both representation and participation. 'It is a normative Constitution with specific goals oriented to transform the society and the State'.
William Wheeler from the Institute of International Studies of Moterrey, Mexico , said the Constitution 'is a good development to build a true democracy in Venezuela '. He said in the US people only participate on election day. He said 'much of what is going on in the United States is invisible to their people, whereas in Venezuela there is a level of democratic participation that allows people to be active after the elections and take part in the building of their own government'.
The attorneys highlighted the constant work that is being done to build new development models which prioritise in health, food and employment, reaching sectors that were not considered in the past".
