Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela vice president
and now temporary
president, announcing that Hugo Chavez had taken
a turn for
the worse. He died hours later. It was the end of a two-year
struggle against what is believed to have been colon cancer
- although this is unconfirmed. He was 58.
Maduro Asserts: U.S. 'Infected' Hugo Chavez with
Deadly Illness (El Nacional, Venezuela)
"We have
no doubt - the time will come for a medical board to be formed to
prove that he (Chavez) was attacked with this disease. He publicly expressed
this point of view. And we have no doubt that the historic enemies of the country sought a way to damage the health of our commander.
... There have been several cases like this - the last and most notorious being
that of Yasser Arafat, the leader of Palestine."
In perhaps his most famous speech, President Hugo Chavez, before the 61st Opening of the U.N. General Assembly, calls President George W. Bush 'El Diablo,' or in English, 'the Devil,' Sept. 20, 2006.
After a meeting with political and military leaders at the Miraflores
Palace, Vice President Nicolás Maduro spoke of the conspiratorial plans of the
country's "historical enemies" to destabilize the country.
Maduro said that the United States
government and enemies within the country have waged "dirty, psychological
warfare" against President Hugo Chavez and Venezuela.
Maduro divulged that the
government is considering the possibility that President Chavez had been
infected with the disease that has so badly compromised his health.
"At the political level, there has been an ongoing
campaign of lies and rumor. We have no doubt - the time will come for
a medical board to be formed to prove that he (Chavez) was attacked with this disease.
He publicly expressed this point of view. And we have no doubt that the
historic enemies of the country sought a way to damage the health of our
commander. At this moment ... we already have enough evidence on the subject. But
historically, this is a very sensitive topic, and will have to be investigated
by a special commission of scientists. There have been several cases like this
- the last and most notorious being that of Yasser Arafat, the leader of
Palestine," Maduro said.
Maduro also confirmed that
President Chavez has "a severe infection," and that therefore, he decided
to convene a meeting of all powers in the country "to share this
information."
In addition, he also indicated that there are military-level
conspiracies "under the illegal control of an official of the embassy of
the United States," and that for the last few weeks, [U.S.] military assets have
been "investigating the situation of the National Armed Forces and proposing
ideas for destabilization."
Posted By Worldmeets.US
The vice president announced the expulsion of U.S. official,
David Monaco, who served as an Air Force attaché to the National Armed Forces. "He
has been expelled and has 24 hours to leave the country - our National Armed
Forces are to be respected. We are now on the trail of other elements that comprise
this poisoned box."
He called on the "imperialism" to know that,
"our revolution is ready - and we are able to act in concert to ensure
that our people live in peace and democracy - and the absolute defeat of any
national or international factor seeking to disturb the peace of our country."
He explained that shortages in the food sector and the
continuing failure of the national electrical grid corresponds to "the
plans of destabilization of the nation's enemies, which are aimed at destroying
peace."
In this regard, during the meeting he said he had taken emergency
measures to address the electrical sabotage occurring in various states.
"We have specific information that they have been
trying to negatively impact the national electrical system. ... They are
playing with fire. Behind all this is the correct and historic enemy," he
said.
MEDICAL
The vice president said that on Tuesday afternoon, there will
be a medical update on the health of President Hugo Chavez "in order to inform
the people," he added
EARLIER
At approximately 11:00am, state media showed photographs of the
meeting of senior political and military leaders in Miraflores
Palace' Ayacucho Hall.
The event was presided over by First Vice President Nicolas Maduro, who was accompanied by Interior and Justice Minister
Nestor Reverol, Defense Minister Diego Morelo, and the president's older brother Adan Chavez, currently the governor of Barinas.
At the meeting were also ministers Jorge Giordani,
Ricardo Menendez, Carmen Melendez, Juan Carlos Loyo
and Iris Varela, among others cabinet members.
