Foreign Office Minister praises Chavez

Havent blogged about Chavez for a while.

Received this email today.

Subject: Foreign Office Minister praises Venezuela's anti-poverty measures and
calls for closer co-operation at Parliamentary reception

Dear colleague,
Please find below a brief report on the recent parliamentary reception for
Venezuela including positive remarks by the Minister with responsibility for
Latin America.

Foreign Office Minister praises Venezuela's anti-poverty measures and calls for
closer co-operation at Parliamentary reception

British Government Foreign Office Minister Gillian Merron and over 40
Parliamentarians attended a House of Commons reception on 13 May to mark a
decade of social progress in Venezuela under the Hugo Chávez-led government.
They were joined by more than 100 personalities from the media, trade unions and
wider Labour Party.

At the reception, Gillian Merron MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,
Foreign & Commonwealth Office said:

"We all welcome policies that help the most vulnerable and the poorest people in
our communities -- wherever those communities might be. That is why we very much
welcome the efforts of President Chavez, democratically backed by the people, to
help the most needy in Venezuelan society. Those efforts undoubtedly have our
support."

She explained that the British governments engages "with Venezuela on many
social justice initiatives" and called for more "communication and co-operation"
so that both countries "work closer and better together for the benefit of both
of our peoples."

Tony Lloyd MP, Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party, describing a visit to
Venezuela in the 1990's prior to the election of the Hugo Chávez government
said:

"Anybody who went to the barrios outside of Caracas and saw the abject miserable
poverty in which people were spending their lives, would understand why change
was so necessary in Venezuela"

He explained that the Hugo Chávez government "is supported by the majority of
the people in Venezuela. He added that "what is taking in Venezuela is a
beacon...that every one of us wants to look up to and to embrace".

Colin Burgon MP, Chair of the Labour Friends of Venezuela group of MPs, which
organised the reception, explained that "in Parliament we have been able to
build a strong group on MPs that expresses an interest in the progressive
developments in Venezuela." He explained that this is necessary "to combat the
incessant propaganda that has been unleashed by the right-wing throughout the
world against Hugo Chávez and his government in Venezuela"

He added that "Latin America has been subjected to neo-liberalism longer than
almost any other Continent in the world - and it is truly heartening to see how
the masses of the people have risen up against it."

Venezuelan Ambassador to Britain Samuel Moncada addressing the reception
explained that his government was seeking "to change for the better the livings
conditions of the Venezuelan majority" and that this has been done "through
democratic means, expanding political freedoms and strengthening social and
economic rights."

He praised the support that exists in British society for the progressive change
in Venezuela adding that "It will be with your solidarity that we shall continue
to work together for social progress."

Over the past decade, under the Hugo Chávez government, Venezuela has undergone
a social transformation including the eradication of illiteracy to international
standards, making health care freely accessible to millions of people for the
first time in their lives and dramatic reductions in poverty levels. This is
matched by an extraordinary democratic record, with the Chávez government
holding 14 sets of national elections over the past ten years.

For further information contact Colin Burgon MP on burgonc@parliament.uk