REYES THEIS
EL UNIVERSAL

The half-yearly meeting of the Inter-American Press Association is taking place in Caracas on March 28-30, with more than 300 newspaper editors of the hemisphere attending the encounter.

IAPA's regional vice-president for Venezuela, David Natera, said the delegates came to Venezuela in order "to advocate the rights of all the peoples in the hemisphere," particularly the rights to freedom of press and expression.

"I am very happy with the high turnout. Editors have proven consistent in their commitment to freedom of expression, even though early reports did not predict much safety or a friendly environment," Natera stressed.
 
Natera, who is the director of El Correo del Caroní newspaper, said the Venezuelan government's anti-IAPA stance would not prevent the meeting from taking place. "Let us remember that the National Assembly endorsed a resolution declaring the IAPA persona non-grata. But the IAPA members' commitment to advocate freedom of expression has prevailed."

For Natera, "this is not the first time the IAPA faces serious hardships to hold its meeting," but the organization "had never been under so many harsh attacks and defamation as now."

He added that the IAPA held a meeting in Chile under the rigid dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, and not even back at that time "the IAPA was attacked in this way."

No confirmation
Based on his experience, the president of the country hosting the IAPA half-yearly meeting usually attends the encounter. But Venezuelan ruler Hugo Chávez is not sure if he is attending the event.

"I do not know whether I will go. I have so many items in my agenda," Chávez said Thursday during a press conference in Recife, northeast Brazil. He conceded he was invited to the meeting.

Chávez explained that, just opposite to the hotel where the IAPA is holding its meeting, a parallel forum against the so-called "media terrorism" would take place on March 27-30.

"The most important issue here is debate. On the one side of the street, the IAPA will say that in Venezuela there is a dictatorship, and across the street there will be an open debate about the terrorist stance by some news media," Chávez highlighted.

Regarding the Venezuelan government-sponsored forum against "media terrorism," Natera claimed it was a tactic the former Cuban President Fidel used to resort to. "In the face of an ethic call, parallel questionings are made that lack any ethical strength or moral."

Meanwhile, Chávez already predicted what would happen in the IAPA summit: "They will surely condemn Venezuela for violating freedom of expression (...) But they are in Caracas saying whatever they want to say. This is cynicism turned into communication."

"Venezuelans should be proud and thankful that the IAPA is holding its meeting here to assess and advocate the rights that are intrinsic to the human beings."

Translated by Maryflor Suárez R.