Venezuelan Government Denies Supporting Leftists and Guerillas

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Venezuela’s vice-president, José Vicente Rangel, denied the accusations made recently by U.S. government officials that Venezuela is supporting the Colombian Guerilla Movement and one of Bolivia’s leftist parties.

In a declaration sent to Associated Press, Rangel said that “at no moment” has Venezuela provided financial support to Evo Morales, the Bolivian legislator who led the protests that led to the downfall of the president of that country, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. Rangel also denied that Caracas supported Morales’ political movement.

Anonymous U.S. government sources said that financial resources from Venezuela had been decisive in the downfall of the Bolivian President, who was known for his pro-U.S. sympathies.

An official said that Morales received money from Venezuelan officials during a visit to Caracas. Prior to the toppling of Sanchez de Lozada, the Venezuelan military attaché to Bolivia was expelled for giving money to Morales, according to the source. Venezuela’s vice-president also denied that the Venezuelan military attaché to Bolivia had been expelled.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1152