WASHINGTON, D.C. — White House National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice says Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez bears some of the blame for recent threats to his country's democracy by engaging in such autocratic measures as inhibiting freedom of the press.

Taking a question following a Monday speech, Rice reiterated that the Bush Administration spoke out "both publicly and privately" against anti-constitutional attempts earlier in April to overthrow Chavez' government. "We did make it very clear that we believed that democratically elected governments could not be overthrown by extra-constitutional means," Rice said.

The United States, she added, is "very hopeful" about Chavez' statements that he plans to be "self-reflective" while leading Venezuela in the future. Serious reflection may lead Chavez "to recognize the importance of democratic values for real, not just claiming that because you are elected, you are exercising democratic values," Rice said. "We cannot fall into that trap."

She also observed that "when people are elected, they especially have a responsibility to follow democratic values, and we have to call it for what we see" is happening. "But we were very strong in this [regard] and, in fact, joined with countries in the region to talk about the importance of respecting democratic processes," she said.
 

Grand jury indicts
Colombian rebel group

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A U.S. federal grand jury has indicted Colombia's largest rebel group and six of its members on charges of murdering three Americans.

Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the indictment Tuesday here. He said just as the United States fights terrorism in the mountains of South Asia, the indictment is the first step in ridding the western hemisphere of terrorism that threatens lives, freedom, and human dignity.

The indictment names the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, and six of its members. Colombian authorities have already convicted in absentia one of those indicted Tuesday. But it is not clear whether any of those facing charges will be found and extradited to the United States.

They are accused of kidnapping and killing three U.S. citizens in 1999 who went to Colombia to help indigenous peoples in the northeastern part of the country. The charges also include conspiracy to murder and using a firearm in a violent crime. The indictment says FARC and its members considered U.S. citizens as military advisors and legitimate military targets.

Ashcroft said the three Americans went to Colombia to do good, but were greeted with evil. This is the second U.S. indictment of FARC in the last two months. In March, Ashcroft said three FARC members were charged with conspiring to fly planeloads of cocaine to the United States from 1994 to 2001.

FARC and another major rebel group, the National Liberation Army, have been fighting a guerrilla war against the Colombian government and right-wing paramilitaries for nearly 40 years. The conflict has left at least 40,000 people dead in the past decade alone.

The United States has branded FARC and the ELN as terrorist groups. It believes FARC is responsible for killing 13 U.S. citizens and kidnapping more than 100 others since 1980.
 

Police say woman
made daughter a mule

BOGOTA, Colombia — Authorities have arrested a woman suspected of trying to use her 5-year-old daughter to smuggle narcotics into the United States. 

Officials Tuesday announced that Myriam Conde was taken into custody following the recent incident involving her daughter. 

Investigators allege Ms. Conde packed more than one kilogram of drugs into her daughter's baggage and headed to the airport in Cali, where the child was entrusted to a flight attendant for a trip to New York. Reports say the narcotics were discovered after drug-sniffing dogs detected the contraband in her luggage. 

The child has been placed in temporary foster care in the United States until Colombian authorities decide her future. 
 

Quake hits offshore

A 4.3 magnitude earthquake took place about 120 kms. (75 miles) off the coast of Nicaragua about 1 p.m. Sunday, according to the U.S. National earthquake Information Center. 

PARIS, France — Thousands of French police are bracing for massive May Day protests and possible clashes between supporters and opponents of far right presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen. 

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of Paris Wednesday in five demonstrations, four of them against Mr. Le Pen. 

The gatherings are seen as the culmination of 10 days of demonstrations following the surprise success of National Front party leader Le Pen in the first round of presidential elections. 

As many as 100,000 people are expected to attend a rally led by Le Pen. Anti-Le Pen protesters plan to march away from Le Pen's demonstration in an effort to prevent violence. 

French officials say 3,500 police will be deployed in hopes of keeping the potentially explosive situation under control. French President Jacques Chirac called on demonstrators to remain calm, saying nothing would be worse than violence and confrontation. 

On Tuesday, Chirac called on left-wing voters to back him in Sunday's runoff election against Le Pen. Major May Day demonstrations are also expected in several European and Asian cities. 

Labor day parade at 9 a.m.

Today is labor Day in Costa Rica, a legal holiday, and the U.S. Embassy said it would be closed and reopen to the public Thursday.

Workers and union members plan a colorful parade on Avenida 2 beginning at 9 a.m.

Peru and Colombia
will call the shots

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of State Colin Powell says that when U.S.-sponsored drug interdiction flights resume over Colombia and Peru, those countries will ultimately decide whether to shoot down suspected drug-smuggling planes.

Secretary Powell made the comment Tuesday during a Senate committee hearing in Washington. Powell told lawmakers that any decision to use lethal force must come from the two Andean nations, not the United States. 

Powell made his remarks one day after the State Department announced that the United States had approved a plan aimed at resuming the interdiction flights within six months. A State Department official told reporters procedures would be changed to avoid fatal mistakes. 

The operation was suspended in April of last year after a CIA surveillance plane mistook an American missionary aircraft for a drug flight. A Peruvian military jet fired on the missionary plane, killing an American woman and her infant daughter. 

Under the changes, the program will be an open project run by the State Department instead of the CIA. Another change calls for U.S. pilots and crews to be fluent in Spanish to avoid communication problems and errors similar to the ones that caused last year's shoot down. 

Most of the flights will be flown by Peru and Colombia with refurbished planes provided by the United States. The program would resume once the United States concludes agreements with the two Andean nations and President Bush signs an executive order.

Haitian judge says
he was coerced

MIAMI, Fla. — A Haitian judge requesting political asylum in the United States said Monday he was forced to sign an arrest warrant for former military dictator Prosper Avril.

Speaking to local media here, Henri Noel said he was called to Port-au-Prince earlier this month to sign a pre-printed arrest warrant. He said representatives of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide pressured him to sign it. Noel, a judge for the west coast St. Marc municipality, arrived in Florida within the past three days.

 Avril ruled Haiti from 1988 to 1990.

Man stabbed fatally
walking through park

A man died in San Juan de Dios Hospital early Tuesday from a stab wound inflicted by an assailant who confronted him while he was walking through Parque Central, according to investigators.

The park is just west of the Cathedral and south of the Teatro Melico Salazar on Avenida 2 in the downtown. The Judicial Investigating Organization identified the man as Jaime Garcia Urbina, 28. He died while undergoing an operation for the wound in his right side about 1 a.m.

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