Nominee for dep Sec of State comment on Chavez, Latam politics
(31 Jan 2007) SHOTLIST POOL Washington, DC January 30, 2007 1. Wide shot of Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting room 2. Deputy Secretary of State nominee John Negroponte enters room 3. Wide shot of Senator Bob Corker( Republican-Tennessee) UPSOUND (English):"In South America, we see a lot of developments taking place there." 4. SOUNDBITE (English) John Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State nominee: "I think Latin America has been a mixed picture in the past couple of years. There have been a lot of elections. I think in a number of places, democratic regimes have been elected. I think that in Mexico, in Peru, there were recently elections - Ecuador, Nicaragua and so forth. I think that one of the trends that we need to be concerned about is a kind of a frustration among some of the populations of Latin America with .... that democracy is not necessarily delivering the kinds of results that people had hoped for. And that has, in turn, given rise to a certain amount of populism. I guess that is most clearly symbolised by Mr. Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela. And I do not think he has been a constructive force in the hemisphere. So I think countries like Bolivia, among others, have been under the influence of Mr. Chavez, who's been trying to export his kind of radical populism. And I think that his behaviour is threatening to democracies in the region. But by and large, I think that democracy is doing quite well in the hemisphere. And I guess the last point I would make is that the situation in Colombia is a critical one to our interests. And I think it's very, very important that we continue to support the government of Colombia in its efforts to bring that country under control and to finally put an end to the guerrilla activity that's taking place in that country." 5. Cutaway of room 6. Wide shot of Negroponte at end of meeting shaking hands with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Senator Richard Lugar (Republican-Indiana) STORYLINE: A top Bush administration official said on Tuesday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez posed a threat to democracies in Latin America but that despite his influence, nations in the region were doing quite well. During a hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Deputy Secretary of State nominee John Negroponte said that he did not think that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had "been a constructive force in the hemisphere." Negroponte, a veteran career diplomat, has served as ambassador to Honduras and Mexico and most recently as director of national intelligence. Testifying at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Negroponte said Bolivia, among other countries, had come under the influence of Chavez as he attempted to export "his kind of radical populism". He said that a "certain amount of populism" was evident in Latin America, a reflection of democracy's failure to deliver in ways that the people had expected. Chavez most clearly symbolised that trend, Negroponte said, concluding that "his behaviour is threatening democracies in the region". President Chavez has persistently prevailed in a number of national elections held since 1998, most recently in his re-election bid last month. But opponents like the US see a slow drift toward authoritarianism under his rule, with his ultimate goal to be President for life. However, Negroponte was, on the whole, optimistic about the progress of democracies in Latin America. "By and large, I think that democracy is doing quite well in the hemisphere," he said. Negroponte also stressed the importance of Colombia to US interests. Keyword-politics Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
