Venezuela denies claims of widespread Cuban infiltration

Published Saturday, July 22, 2000, in the Miami Herald

Venezuela denies claims of widespread Cuban infiltration

CARACAS, Venezuela -- (AP) -- A self-proclaimed Cuban agent said Friday that Cuban intelligence had infiltrated Venezuelan society to ``brainwash'' people into supporting President Hugo Chavez.

Foreign Minister Jose Vicente Rangel denied the claim by Juan Alvaro Rosabal Gonzalez, saying it was an attempt to undermine Chavez ahead of July 30 presidential elections.

Chavez has come under fire for his close relationship with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, and his main election challenger, Francisco Arias, has gained support from the middle and upper classes by denouncing Chavez's ties to the communist leader.

``It doesn't worry me because it's false ... It's his word against mine,'' Rangel said of Rosabal's claims.

Rosabal said in a television interview Friday he was one of 1,500 agents sent by Castro to ``brainwash'' Venezuelans.

``We're conducting an ideological job to infiltrate the universities and the country's most humble sectors to make them see that Venezuela must change,'' he said.

Cuban officials called Rosabal a Cuban citizen with no extraordinary government ties.

``This is a setup to negatively influence the good bilateral relations between Venezuela and Cuba,'' said Alberto Cabrero, a representative of the Cuban Embassy.

Rosabal formally sought political asylum Friday from both the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry and attorney general's office.

Chavez, a former army paratrooper who staged a failed 1992 coup, called Cuba ``a sea of happiness'' in a trip to the communist island last year.

Overwhelming support from the poor has given Chavez a 15 percent lead in the upcoming elections, which were called as part of a new constitution pushed through by Chavez last year that seeks to ``re-legitimize'' most public offices.

Copyright 2000 the Miami Herald.
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