November 28, 2007 (LPAC)--For a period of ten seconds on its Nov. 27 Spanish-language news program "Direct from the U.S.," the CNN television network broadcast a picture of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, superimposed on which appeared the caption "Who Killed Him?" In the picture, part of a montage in which Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez also appeared, Chavez had his eyes closed.

After the 10 seconds, CNN removed the image and announced that it had been a "mistake." But as Chavez subsequently remarked on a national news program, coming just days before the Dec. 2 referendum on his proposed constitutional reforms, in a very volatile domestic environment, the CNN episode can only be construed as part of a broader plan to destabilize the country, possibly including an attempt on his life. "From all appearances," he said, "this is a call for my assassination in Venezuela from a channel that is our declared enemy."

This is not an empty assertion. If the political forces associated with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney wanted to unleash political and social upheaval in Ibero-America, assassinating Hugo Chavez would be one way to do it. In recent weeks, Chavez has warned more than once that he is a target of assassination, which he said would be used to plunge his nation into civil war. Cuban President Fidel Castro has echoed Chavez's warnings, suggesting that Cuban intelligence may have some indication of an assassination plan against Chavez as well.

CNN's "mistake" also comes at a time of greatly heightened tensions between Colombia and Venezuela, provoked by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's Nov. 24 decision to remove Chavez from his role in mediating a deal with Colombia's narco-terrorist FARC to release 45 hostages. Because of the parties involved, and the nature of the FARC, the hostage negotiations were complicated to begin with. When Uribe announced his decision, Chavez angrily responded that diplomatic relations between the two governments were "in the freezer" and recalled his ambassador from Bogota for consultations. Since then, the two Presidents have escalated their public attacks on each other, raising fears that the conflict will not only affect existing political, trade and cooperation deals between them, but could also affect regional relationships as well.

President Uribe has recently agreed to join the new Bank of the South, to be founded on Dec. 9, of which Chavez is an early promoter.