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News in English from Venezuela
Hugo Chavez Spends Billions on Tanks from oil profits as the Venezuelan People Starve
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez defended his new military chief on Tuesday, saying renewed allegations that he aided drug traffickers and Colombian rebels were part of a smear campaign against the general.
Speaking before thousands of soldiers standing in formation at a Caracas military base, Chavez urged the military to defend his defense minister, Gen. Henry Rangel Silva.
"They hate the armed forces," Chavez said during Rangel's swearing-in ceremony, referring to his political opponents.
Chavez — a former paratroop commander — said his domestic and international adversaries are bent on undermining the "independence, stability, development and greatness of the republic."
The United States has accused Rangel of aiding drug traffickers and the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Venezuela's opposition leaders have echoed those allegations as they gear up for Feb. 12 primaries to pick a challenger to face Chavez in Oct. 7 presidential election.
Rangel's appointment was one of several recent changes in Chavez's inner circle as the president prepares his re-election campaign.
Diosdado Cabello, a former army officer who participated in a 1992 coup attempt led by Chavez, took over as National Assembly president earlier this month.
Chavez also announced Tuesday that 72 Russian-made tanks and armored vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft missiles had recently arrived as part of Venezuela's purchases of weapons from Russia.
Chavez has cultivated close ties with Moscow while buying billions of dollars in Russian arms including helicopters, fighter jets and 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles.
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Hugo Chavez Supporters Try to Shoot and Kill opposition Presidential Candidate Maria Corina Machado at a rally she was attending.
Maria Corina Machado will be the next president of Venezuela if Dictator Hugo Chavez does not kill her first. Venezuelans have asked NATO to put a no fly zone on Hugo Chavez.
Venezuela Breaking News November 15 2011 News of the World by Panama Jack in exile in Costa Rica
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Hugo Chavez after a failed attempt to kill Presidential Candidate Maria Corina Machado who if see remains alive will be the next President of Venezuela. Orders his Presidential Guard which he calls the National Guard into action to combat crime.
What Hugo Chavez is really doing is putting his guard out on the streets in an effort to stop any chance of a fair and free election in Venezuela, after he realized he is going to loose the next Presidential Election in 201 to Maria Corina Machado.
Hugo Chavez’s dream of being the leader of all of South and Central America is over, there is no place for Dictatorships in Central or South America anymore. In trying to pretend that he is Simon Bolivar reborn Hugo Chavez has acquired the mistrust of all of the people who live in Central and South America.
We are sorry Hugo Chavez, it is time for you to hit the road or hang by the neck until you are Dead, Dead, Dead. Don’t worry though Hugo Chavez you friend Fidel Castro will take you in as long as you bring all the money you have stolen from the Venezuelan People.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez ordered thousands of National Guard soldiers into the streets of Venezuela's capital and surrounding states Thursday, urging them to help outgunned police curb widespread violent crime.
"We've been fighting and reducing overall crime rates, but we've fallen short when it comes to the number of homicides," Chavez told National Guard troops holding assault rifles as they stood in formation at a downtown plaza.
More than 3,200 troops were deployed to the streets of Caracas as well as the surrounding states of Miranda and Vargas, according to Gen. Miguel Vivas Landino, commander of the new security force.
Venezuela has one of Latin America's highest murder rates. The government has not released official statistics tallying annual killings for several years, but statistics released by human rights groups and academic organizations indicate Venezuela has become one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America.
From 1998 through 2010, the yearly homicide rate tripled, rising from 19 for every 100,000 residents in the South American nation to 57 per 100,000, according to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory, a Caracas-based academic organization that closely tracks crime statistics and trends.
Other violent crimes such as kidnapping and armed robbery have also increased in recent years in Venezuela.
As ransom kidnappings have soared, the government passed a revised law in 2009 that stiffened prison sentences for kidnapping and also allows authorities to freeze the banks accounts of victims' families to prevent them from paying ransom.
Kidnappings have soared over the last decade, the Venezuelan Violence Observatory says. Reports of kidnappings increased from 52 in 1998 to 618 in 2009, when the organization last compiled complete statistics.
Last week, professional baseball player Wilson Ramos was seized at gunpoint outside his family's home in the city of Valencia. The Washington Nationals catcher was rescued by police commandos two days later at a remote hideout in the mountains of central Carabobo state.
His kidnapping captured the attention of many Venezuelans, but few were surprised that one of the country's major league players had become a crime victim because the problem is now so widespread that it affects citizens of all social classes.
Rising crime is among the problems that have weakened Chavez's standing with his countrymen, although he remains the country's most popular politician heading into next year's presidential election.
During Thursday's speech, Chavez turned to politics by warning the massed soldiers that his opponents are preparing to cause chaos and upheaval ahead of the election.
He said the foes of his socialist-oriented government know they cannot win at the polls, so they hope to cause disorder in the streets and then blame government supporters for the chaos and denounce alleged voter fraud to smear his election triumph.
Chavez provided no proof to support his allegations, and he has made similar charges in the past without offering evidence.
Opposition leaders have repeatedly said they plan to unseat Chavez through the ballot box — not by violent or unconstitutional means.
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Associated Press writer Jorge Rueda contributed to this report.
Panama: US agrees to French extradition of Noriega
PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama's government said Wednesday the long-awaited extradition of former dictator Manuel Noriega is one step closer to reality after a French court said it received U.S. approval to send Noriega home to face a 20-year prison sentence here.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that U.S. approval was needed to return Noriega to Panama because the United States originally extradited him to France, where he was sentenced to seven years for money laundering.
The statement said the French court announced that it had received the U.S. approval.
The ex-dictator's defense lawyer said Noriega could be sent to Panama by Christmas. But lawyer Julio Berrios said a Nov. 23 hearing could find that France must reissue the extradition decree it originally issued in July and that could delay the extradition beyond Christmas.
During his 1983-89 turn as Panama's president, Noriega ruled with an iron fist, ordering the deaths of those who opposed him.
Then-U.S. President George H.W. Bush ordered an invasion in December 1989 to oust Noriega. He was captured and taken to Miami to face drug trafficking charges.
U.S. prosecutors said Noriega helped Colombia's Medellin cartel ship tons of cocaine into the United States. Jurors convicted him in April 1992 of eight of 10 charges, and he was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
After his U.S. sentence ended in 2007, Noriega was extradited to France, where he was sentenced to seven years in prison for money laundering.
Panama wants Noriega returned to serve two prison terms of 20 years handed down after convictions in absentia. He was convicted of embezzlement, corruption and murdering opponents, including military commander Moises Giroldi, who led a failed rebellion two months before the U.S. intervention, and Hugo Spadafora, an opponent whose decapitated body was found on the border with Costa Rica in 1985.
Noriega still faces murder charges in the killing of an opposition leader in the 1970s, but France denied an extradition request on that count.
PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama's government said Wednesday the long-awaited extradition of former dictator Manuel Noriega is one step closer to reality after a French court said it received U.S. approval to send Noriega home to face a 20-year prison sentence here.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that U.S. approval was needed to return Noriega to Panama because the United States originally extradited him to France, where he was sentenced to seven years for money laundering.
The statement said the French court announced that it had received the U.S. approval.
The ex-dictator's defense lawyer said Noriega could be sent to Panama by Christmas. But lawyer Julio Berrios said a Nov. 23 hearing could find that France must reissue the extradition decree it originally issued in July and that could delay the extradition beyond Christmas.
During his 1983-89 turn as Panama's president, Noriega ruled with an iron fist, ordering the deaths of those who opposed him.
Then-U.S. President George H.W. Bush ordered an invasion in December 1989 to oust Noriega. He was captured and taken to Miami to face drug trafficking charges.
U.S. prosecutors said Noriega helped Colombia's Medellin cartel ship tons of cocaine into the United States. Jurors convicted him in April 1992 of eight of 10 charges, and he was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
After his U.S. sentence ended in 2007, Noriega was extradited to France, where he was sentenced to seven years in prison for money laundering.
Panama wants Noriega returned to serve two prison terms of 20 years handed down after convictions in absentia. He was convicted of embezzlement, corruption and murdering opponents, including military commander Moises Giroldi, who led a failed rebellion two months before the U.S. intervention, and Hugo Spadafora, an opponent whose decapitated body was found on the border with Costa Rica in 1985.
Noriega still faces murder charges in the killing of an opposition leader in the 1970s, but France denied an extradition request on that count.
President Maria Corino Machado , Good By Hugo Chavez or King Hugo or what ever you call yourself.
President Maria Corino Machado , Good By Hugo Chavez or King Hugo or what ever you call yourself.
September 27 2011, (AP) News of the World by Panama Jack in exile in Costa Rica
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Latin Americans give U.S. President Barack Obama the highest approval rating for any leader in the region.
Obama is rated 6.3 on a scale of one to 10 in the survey conducted by the Chile-based Latinobarometro polling organization. He is closely followed by Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff at 6.
Latinobarometro polled 20,000 people in 18 Latin American countries. The leader with the worst mark is former Cuban President Fidel Castro at 4.1. Next lowest are Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, who tied at 4.4.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has 4.9 and Chilean leader Sebastian Pinera got 5.1.
Cuba (AP) The Cuban Spring, Panama Jack announces the Cuban Spring starting March 21, 2012. Yes it is time for the Cuban People (CP) to have their spring and freedom form a 52 year reign of a dictator and his family, the longest in the history of the world.
September 27, 2011 8:am (AP) News of the World by Panama Jack in exile in Costa Rica
Panama Jack is not a member of any political party or any religious group I pray only to God direct, I have cut out all the middle men, those child molesting money grabbing priest and cleric’s, the people that think the fastest way to make a million dollars is through religion
It is also time for the renunciation of the Cuban People (CP) with their loved ones and families who escaped the injustices of Fidel Castro and his murderous regime and all political prisoners to be released, It is time for the Cuban Americans to get their justice it is time Mister Castro (to let our people go ) and step aside while you can. I am sure that your son Hugo Chavez will take you in and keep you safe from your own people who will undoubtedly want to hang you by the next until you are dead dead dead. That is as long as The Dictator Hugo Chaves can stay in power and I think that will not be long. It is time for justice for "Che" Guevara (1928-1967) who you snitched off to the CIA in return for Republican President Richard Nixon’s CIA giving you information on the Bay of Pigs in an effort to make then President John F. Kennedy look bad in front of the American People (AP). Cuba it is your turn for freedom
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A prominent opponent of President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that Venezuela's highest court will violate constitutional rights if it upholds a ban on him running in next year's presidential election.
Leopoldo Lopez said the Supreme Court is obligated to comply with a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that orders Venezuelan authorities to lift restrictions on Lopez that were imposed by the South American country's top anti-corruption official.
"It would be violating the constitution," Lopez said, referring to a pending ruling on the restriction to be handed down by justices of the Supreme Court.
Earlier Tuesday, Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz said the Costa Rica-based right court issued its decision in a "hurried way" in the case of Lopez.
Ortega said the rights court has yet to take a stance on various complaints of rights violations dating to the 1990s or earlier, but has acted particularly swiftly in Lopez's case.
"One sees how there is different treatment of different cases that have been presented here in Venezuela," Ortega said at a news conference.
She said Venezuela's Foreign Ministry should review the rights court's record to determine if it is complying with a regional human rights convention that governs its activities.
Chavez criticized the rights court after the ruling was released last week, calling the court part of an international system that "protects the corrupt and obeys the mandate of the (U.S.) imperial power and the bourgeoisie."
Lopez has insisted Venezuela has an obligation to comply with the court's ruling. He intends to run in an opposition primary in February that will pick a unity candidate to challenge Chavez. The presidential election will be in October 2012.
Lopez, a former Caracas district mayor, was barred from running for office in 2005 by Venezuela's comptroller general. Lopez was accused of receiving donations on behalf of an organization he led between 1998 and 2001 from the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, where his mother worked at the time.
The comptroller general also sanctioned Lopez in 2004 for alleged irregularities in the movement of funds from one portion of his local budget to another.
Lopez was among several politicians blacklisted due to corruption investigations, but he insists he is innocent and notes he never was sentenced in a court.
He challenged his disqualification before the human rights court, arguing his rights were violated.
The chief of Venezuela's elections council and other officials have said they are awaiting a response to the decision by the country's Supreme Court.
Human rights groups are supporting Lopez's argument that the ruling is legally binding for Venezuela.
Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director for New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement that "the court's role is especially vital for a country like Venezuela where, under Chavez's rule, the judiciary has ceased to function as a check on government abuse."
The Human Rights Foundation also welcomed the decision by the rights court, calling it a "landmark case" that will have impact throughout Latin America. The New York-based organization noted Venezuela has previously recognized the rights court's jurisdiction.
Venezuela is a signatory to the American Convention on Human Rights, which the regional court cited in its ruling.
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela has proposed paying Exxon Mobil Corp. $1 billion in compensation for the nationalization of its assets in 2007, much less than the U.S. oil giant wanted, the energy minister said on Wednesday.
In a telephone call to Reuters, Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez also denied the government of President Hugo Chavez was negotiating with Exxon separately from an ongoing arbitration process at New York's International Chamber of Commerce.
"Our proposal is $1 billion for its assets ... We are not in negotiations with Exxon Mobil, nor has it crossed our minds to approach them," Ramirez said.
"There are no negotiations outside the arbitration tribunal. We have said that the ruling of the Chamber of Commerce is coming out soon, but we do not know when."
Venezuela is battling about 20 arbitration cases triggered by nationalizations that were ordered by Chavez's socialist administration. The biggest by far are the cases brought by oil majors Exxon and ConocoPhillips.
Verdicts against the South American OPEC member will likely run to billions of dollars, which could put pressure on public finances ahead of a presidential election in October 2012, when Chavez will be seeking a new six-year term.
Earlier on Wednesday, local media quoted a senior Venezuelan official, Prosecutor General Carlos Escarra, telling reporters the government was negotiating with Exxon and that the company had cut its compensation demand to $6 billion.
That was much more than Venezuela has banked on paying -- but the comments caused speculation that a deal could be near.
The Exxon and Conoco cases stem from the 2007 state takeover of extra heavy crude projects in Venezuela's Orinoco Belt, one of the biggest oil deposits in the world.
The two companies originally claimed more than $40 billion in combined compensation, while Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA calculated the assets, after payments to creditors, were worth less than $2 billion.
The dispute with Exxon is particularly fractious. In early 2008 the company won a court order to freeze $12 billion of PDVSA assets. The freeze was swiftly overturned.
Earlier this year, Ramirez told Reuters that the Chavez government had calculated that it would pay no more than $2.5 billion in total to Exxon and Conoco.
Some analysts say PDVSA might have to sell overseas holdings to meet a big compensation bill. The company has cash flow problems despite high oil prices because most of its income goes toward funding Chavez's socialist spending.
But Ramirez says PDVSA is fully solvent, would not have to sell assets, and already has a compensation plan in place.
(Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A prominent opponent of President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that Venezuela's highest court will violate constitutional rights if it upholds a ban on him running in next year's presidential election.
Leopoldo Lopez said the Supreme Court is obligated to comply with a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that orders Venezuelan authorities to lift restrictions on Lopez that were imposed by the South American country's top anti-corruption official.
"It would be violating the constitution," Lopez said, referring to a pending ruling on the restriction to be handed down by justices of the Supreme Court.
Earlier Tuesday, Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz said the Costa Rica-based right court issued its decision in a "hurried way" in the case of Lopez.
Ortega said the rights court has yet to take a stance on various complaints of rights violations dating to the 1990s or earlier, but has acted particularly swiftly in Lopez's case.
"One sees how there is different treatment of different cases that have been presented here in Venezuela," Ortega said at a news conference.
She said Venezuela's Foreign Ministry should review the rights court's record to determine if it is complying with a regional human rights convention that governs its activities.
Chavez criticized the rights court after the ruling was released last week, calling the court part of an international system that "protects the corrupt and obeys the mandate of the (U.S.) imperial power and the bourgeoisie."
Lopez has insisted Venezuela has an obligation to comply with the court's ruling. He intends to run in an opposition primary in February that will pick a unity candidate to challenge Chavez. The presidential election will be in October 2012.
Lopez, a former Caracas district mayor, was barred from running for office in 2005 by Venezuela's comptroller general. Lopez was accused of receiving donations on behalf of an organization he led between 1998 and 2001 from the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, where his mother worked at the time.
The comptroller general also sanctioned Lopez in 2004 for alleged irregularities in the movement of funds from one portion of his local budget to another.
Lopez was among several politicians blacklisted due to corruption investigations, but he insists he is innocent and notes he never was sentenced in a court.
He challenged his disqualification before the human rights court, arguing his rights were violated.
The chief of Venezuela's elections council and other officials have said they are awaiting a response to the decision by the country's Supreme Court.
Human rights groups are supporting Lopez's argument that the ruling is legally binding for Venezuela.
Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director for New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement that "the court's role is especially vital for a country like Venezuela where, under Chavez's rule, the judiciary has ceased to function as a check on government abuse."
The Human Rights Foundation also welcomed the decision by the rights court, calling it a "landmark case" that will have impact throughout Latin America. The New York-based organization noted Venezuela has previously recognized the rights court's jurisdiction.
Venezuela is a signatory to the American Convention on Human Rights, which the regional court cited in its ruling.
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela has proposed paying Exxon Mobil Corp. $1 billion in compensation for the nationalization of its assets in 2007, much less than the U.S. oil giant wanted, the energy minister said on Wednesday.
In a telephone call to Reuters, Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez also denied the government of President Hugo Chavez was negotiating with Exxon separately from an ongoing arbitration process at New York's International Chamber of Commerce.
"Our proposal is $1 billion for its assets ... We are not in negotiations with Exxon Mobil, nor has it crossed our minds to approach them," Ramirez said.
"There are no negotiations outside the arbitration tribunal. We have said that the ruling of the Chamber of Commerce is coming out soon, but we do not know when."
Venezuela is battling about 20 arbitration cases triggered by nationalizations that were ordered by Chavez's socialist administration. The biggest by far are the cases brought by oil majors Exxon and ConocoPhillips.
Verdicts against the South American OPEC member will likely run to billions of dollars, which could put pressure on public finances ahead of a presidential election in October 2012, when Chavez will be seeking a new six-year term.
Earlier on Wednesday, local media quoted a senior Venezuelan official, Prosecutor General Carlos Escarra, telling reporters the government was negotiating with Exxon and that the company had cut its compensation demand to $6 billion.
That was much more than Venezuela has banked on paying -- but the comments caused speculation that a deal could be near.
The Exxon and Conoco cases stem from the 2007 state takeover of extra heavy crude projects in Venezuela's Orinoco Belt, one of the biggest oil deposits in the world.
The two companies originally claimed more than $40 billion in combined compensation, while Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA calculated the assets, after payments to creditors, were worth less than $2 billion.
The dispute with Exxon is particularly fractious. In early 2008 the company won a court order to freeze $12 billion of PDVSA assets. The freeze was swiftly overturned.
Earlier this year, Ramirez told Reuters that the Chavez government had calculated that it would pay no more than $2.5 billion in total to Exxon and Conoco.
Some analysts say PDVSA might have to sell overseas holdings to meet a big compensation bill. The company has cash flow problems despite high oil prices because most of its income goes toward funding Chavez's socialist spending.
But Ramirez says PDVSA is fully solvent, would not have to sell assets, and already has a compensation plan in place.
(Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer)
Maria Corina Machado, a deputy elected in the circuit 2 Miranda, described as "irresponsible" and "unacceptable" that the National Electoral Council (CNE), who has spent a fortune, "in sentencing not boast having the most modern world and the day after the vote when he offers the results. "
He explained that the Electoral Power, "gave no figures, gives a few names, do not give numbers, percentages does not definitive and it is disrespectful to the men and women who competed as nominal members."
Said President Hugo Chavez became the National Assembly elections in a referendum and lost. "
"This is very clear, Venezuela has said no to communism to Cuba, Venezuela has said yes to a path of building democracy and we now have the legitimacy of the votes of citizens, we are the representatives of the people," he said.
He said the level of participation in the circuit 2 came to 67%, "that represents 270,000 people who went to vote and Enrique Mendoza and myself got over 235,000 votes."
"Most men and women who went yesterday to express our belief in democracy, we did this for an option that seeks to transform the country," he said.
The Deputy Maria Corina Machado said the government in recent days "is making a big effort to clean up" their reputation but "you see the seams a situation arises brother" like Libya to be fixed in position .
He stressed that the world has reacted to the actions of the government of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, while Venezuela is making solidarity.
"Even Russia went immediately to condemn the genocide taking place in Libya and shame that we Venezuelans to see that only Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela have the audacity to justify something like what is happening there," he said.
He argued that the position taken by the government against Libya, expressed in the voice of Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro "what we have to give it more strength and realize that this is not the scenario we want to Venezuela."
"We want a blood stage of confrontation but of a profound transformation of the country but through democratic, peaceful and that we will succeed if the government tries to create the crisis and chaos."
Appearance
On the results of the last hearing held yesterday said the government may "stun, make up numbers, make propaganda" but in the end really brings out who said Machado lie.
"At the end of the housewives go to the market, workers go to their businesses and see how the situation deteriorates. People travel the country and see how are the roads so that they (the ruling) may raise the dance million, intentions and programs, but the reality is a slap, "he said in an interview with Union Radio.
Considered "absurd" arguments given by the Minister Jorge Giordani at the hearing to justify the inflation in the country. "Anyone who has studied economics knows that the 90 was a global problem of hyperinflation and all these countries have implemented measures to control rationally."
"Venezuela is now the country with the world's highest inflation, which it says Giordani is that global inflation is 4.7 and only two countries outside of Venezuela have an inflation rate above 10%, these countries have 12 and 13 % while we recorded 30%. "
"Why not explain how Colombia is growing at 4% and Brazil almost 8%, 9% Peru, Chile has grown up with everything and the earthquake and we in the same list as Haiti," he said.
He said there was no explanation for the increased domestic and external debt amen to have had in recent years considerable oil revenues.
"Who is going to pay that debt, when calculated per family twelve years ago the debt was $ 7 000 right now is $ 20 000 per family, we have to realize the accelerated destruction process," said Maria Corina Machado to repeat part of what were your questions Thursday at the interpellation to the Minister Jorge Giordani.
The deputy said yesterday that the opposition deputies received messages from all parts of the country, refuting the claims of ministers. "People are outraged by the lies," he said.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A prominent opponent of President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that Venezuela's highest court will violate constitutional rights if it upholds a ban on him running in next year's presidential election.
Leopoldo Lopez said the Supreme Court is obligated to comply with a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that orders Venezuelan authorities to lift restrictions on Lopez that were imposed by the South American country's top anti-corruption official.
"It would be violating the constitution," Lopez said, referring to a pending ruling on the restriction to be handed down by justices of the Supreme Court.
Earlier Tuesday, Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz said the Costa Rica-based right court issued its decision in a "hurried way" in the case of Lopez.
Ortega said the rights court has yet to take a stance on various complaints of rights violations dating to the 1990s or earlier, but has acted particularly swiftly in Lopez's case.
"One sees how there is different treatment of different cases that have been presented here in Venezuela," Ortega said at a news conference.
She said Venezuela's Foreign Ministry should review the rights court's record to determine if it is complying with a regional human rights convention that governs its activities.
Chavez criticized the rights court after the ruling was released last week, calling the court part of an international system that "protects the corrupt and obeys the mandate of the (U.S.) imperial power and the bourgeoisie."
Lopez has insisted Venezuela has an obligation to comply with the court's ruling. He intends to run in an opposition primary in February that will pick a unity candidate to challenge Chavez. The presidential election will be in October 2012.
Lopez, a former Caracas district mayor, was barred from running for office in 2005 by Venezuela's comptroller general. Lopez was accused of receiving donations on behalf of an organization he led between 1998 and 2001 from the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, where his mother worked at the time.
The comptroller general also sanctioned Lopez in 2004 for alleged irregularities in the movement of funds from one portion of his local budget to another.
Lopez was among several politicians blacklisted due to corruption investigations, but he insists he is innocent and notes he never was sentenced in a court.
He challenged his disqualification before the human rights court, arguing his rights were violated.
The chief of Venezuela's elections council and other officials have said they are awaiting a response to the decision by the country's Supreme Court.
Human rights groups are supporting Lopez's argument that the ruling is legally binding for Venezuela.
Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director for New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement that "the court's role is especially vital for a country like Venezuela where, under Chavez's rule, the judiciary has ceased to function as a check on government abuse."
The Human Rights Foundation also welcomed the decision by the rights court, calling it a "landmark case" that will have impact throughout Latin America. The New York-based organization noted Venezuela has previously recognized the rights court's jurisdiction.
Venezuela is a signatory to the American Convention on Human Rights, which the regional court cited in its ruling.
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela has proposed paying Exxon Mobil Corp. $1 billion in compensation for the nationalization of its assets in 2007, much less than the U.S. oil giant wanted, the energy minister said on Wednesday.
In a telephone call to Reuters, Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez also denied the government of President Hugo Chavez was negotiating with Exxon separately from an ongoing arbitration process at New York's International Chamber of Commerce.
"Our proposal is $1 billion for its assets ... We are not in negotiations with Exxon Mobil, nor has it crossed our minds to approach them," Ramirez said.
"There are no negotiations outside the arbitration tribunal. We have said that the ruling of the Chamber of Commerce is coming out soon, but we do not know when."
Venezuela is battling about 20 arbitration cases triggered by nationalizations that were ordered by Chavez's socialist administration. The biggest by far are the cases brought by oil majors Exxon and ConocoPhillips.
Verdicts against the South American OPEC member will likely run to billions of dollars, which could put pressure on public finances ahead of a presidential election in October 2012, when Chavez will be seeking a new six-year term.
Earlier on Wednesday, local media quoted a senior Venezuelan official, Prosecutor General Carlos Escarra, telling reporters the government was negotiating with Exxon and that the company had cut its compensation demand to $6 billion.
That was much more than Venezuela has banked on paying -- but the comments caused speculation that a deal could be near.
The Exxon and Conoco cases stem from the 2007 state takeover of extra heavy crude projects in Venezuela's Orinoco Belt, one of the biggest oil deposits in the world.
The two companies originally claimed more than $40 billion in combined compensation, while Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA calculated the assets, after payments to creditors, were worth less than $2 billion.
The dispute with Exxon is particularly fractious. In early 2008 the company won a court order to freeze $12 billion of PDVSA assets. The freeze was swiftly overturned.
Earlier this year, Ramirez told Reuters that the Chavez government had calculated that it would pay no more than $2.5 billion in total to Exxon and Conoco.
Some analysts say PDVSA might have to sell overseas holdings to meet a big compensation bill. The company has cash flow problems despite high oil prices because most of its income goes toward funding Chavez's socialist spending.
But Ramirez says PDVSA is fully solvent, would not have to sell assets, and already has a compensation plan in place.
(Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer)
 Hugo Chavez is living proof that monkeys have sneeked up on pig from behind and have had sex with them.
Hugo Chavez is the next dictator be be run out of a country Read Story
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