Russia welcomes Chavez' return to power MOSCOW - Russia expressed satisfaction Monday over Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez' return to power, saying it represented the restoration of the nation's constitutional legal order. Chavez returned to the presidential palace Sunday, two days after being deposed by the Venezuelan military following mass demonstrations in which 16 people were killed. "The Russian side is certain that the elected president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, will achieve a durable civil peace in the country and aid the development of democracy and the realization of the legal rights of the Venezuelan people," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said in a statement. /The Associated Press/ <http://www.ap.org/>
09:19 [Monday 15th April, 2002]
Russia urges stability in Venezuela MOSCOW - Russia's Foreign Ministry on Sunday urged Venezuelans to seek a peaceful, democratic solution to their political unrest, while a Russian oil executive expressed hope that deposed President Hugo Chavez' return would keep oil prices high. "We speak out for the urgent return of constitutional order on the basis of democratic principles and a law-based state," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said on state-controlled ORT television Sunday. "We urge all participants to take immediate measures to reach peace and conciliation," he said, adding that Russia is a "reliable partner and friend" to Venezuelans. Meanwhile, Sergei Borisov, head of the influential lobbying group the Russian Fuel Association, expressed hope that Chavez' return to power on Sunday would keep oil prices high, Echo of Moscow radio reported. Chavez returned to the presidential palace early Sunday morning, two days after he had been deposed by the Venezuelan military following mass demonstrations in which 16 people were killed. A groundswell of support for Chavez in the streets of Caracas led the interim president, Pedro Carmona, to resign. Analysts had predicted that Carmona would abandon Chavez's strict compliance with OPEC quotas, which were imposed this year in a bid to stabilize falling world oil prices. Russia, the world's second-largest oil producer but not an OPEC member, also reluctantly promised to trim exports. High world oil prices in 2000 and 2001 helped drive strong economic growth in Russia, since the government relies heavily on tax revenues from oil exports. /The Associated Press/ <http://www.ap.org/