Venezuelans spend Christmas resting from street marches

CARACAS, Venezuela -- After a night of parties and pot-banging protests against President Hugo Chavez, Venezuelans spent Christmas Day at church or in public parks, resting from marches that have accompanied a general strike that began Dec. 2.

"I'm bringing my family to the beach, if I have enough gasoline," said Victor Morales, a 58-year-old office worker, as he siphoned gas from a plastic container into his 1996 Fiat.

Holiday celebrations provided a brief respite from the turmoil that has engulfed this poverty-stricken South American nation, but an end to the county's bitter political rivalry appears a long way off.

"Neither of the two sides wants to give up, leaving the majority of Venezuelans stuck in the middle," said Douglas Chacon, 48, a graphic designer. "We lose an entire day trying to buy gasoline, withdraw cash from the bank, and even have to change our eating habits due to scarcity."

Little progress has been made in negotiations between the government and the opposition, which accuses Chavez of ruining the country's economy.

Chavez has refused to give in to demands that he step down and schedule new elections, while his adversaries vow to continue the strike, which has paralyzed oil production in the world's No. 5 exporter, until he resigns.

Praying for peace

Protests continued on Christmas Eve, but by morning, Caracas' streets were mostly quiet. Few shopkeepers opened their doors in Caracas on Wednesday.

Many in this Catholic-dominated culture went to church Wednesday to pray for peace and prosperity in 2003.

"Our hope resides in our faith in God," Cardinal Ignacio Velasquez, the Archbishop of Caracas, told a Mass of several hundred people.

Three blocks away, 63-year-old Manuel Pena rested under a tree in Caracas' Plaza Bolivar. "It wasn't until today that they left us alone," he said. "I'm tired of so many protests and disorder."

The strike, which entered its 24th day on Christmas Day, has cost the state oil monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., or PDVSA, $1.3 billion so far and helped push world oil prices above $31 a barrel. Service stations around Venezuela have closed down for lack of gas.

Exports in the entire month of December were 2 million barrels, down from 3 million barrels per day the month before, but PDVSA President Ali Rodriguez said operations should be back to normal in the first half of January.

PDVSA strikers say Chavez won't be able to fire and replace as many as 30,000 people who have joined the work stoppage. Ninety managers were fired Tuesday.

Protesting oil executives rallied Wednesday outside company buildings in the city of Maracaibo and eastern Caracas, where they pledged to continue demonstrations aimed at ousting Chavez.

On Christmas Eve, thousands of Chavez opponents gathered at a city highway, singing peace songs.