As US Media Mangles Venezuela, Maduro Calls for 'Peace Conference' [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Published on Tuesday, February 25, 2014 by Common Dreams

As US Media Mangles Venezuela, Maduro Calls for 'Peace Conference'

As violence continues to threaten Latin American country, US media continues to replace nuance with familiar anti-Chavista narrative

- Jon Queally, staff writer


As street protests continued in Venezuela this week, President Nicolas Maduro has called for a "peace conference" on Wednesday in order to defuse the violence, though it remains unclear which, if any, representatives of his opposition will agree to attend.

Maduro has said that he supports the right of his opponents to take their message wherever they like, but said the accompanying violence—especially given repeated efforts to undermine the democratically-elected Chavista government from within, including a U.S.-backed coup attempt in 2002—would not be tolerated.

“I guarantee you the liberty to do it,” Maduro said. “But if you’re going to go out and burn and destroy, I won’t permit that."

Provincial Governor Henrique Capriles, who lost to Maduro in last year's presidential election and remains a key member of the opposition, has yet to declare whether he will accept the invitation to join talks. On Monday, however, Capriles refused to attend a larger meeting where Maduro met with the nation's other governors to discuss the ongoing political crisis.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/02/25-4