RE:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/10/hugo-chavez-hector-abad-latin-america-left
Dear Guardian / Observer editors
This op-ed by Hector Abad makes at least two false claims that should
be corrected.
It states
"Chávez also claimed that the earthquake in Haiti was the work of the
US marines. "
This whopper originated win the ABC Newspaper in Spain which has a
track record of publising such falsehoods about the Chavez government.
As noted in this article
http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/5117
"ABC noted that the information came from an obscure opinion post on
the website of a Venezuelan state television channel, VIVE Television.
The post referenced a supposed Russian military report on American
seismic weapons.
All quotes subsequently attributed to Chavez regarding Haiti and
earthquake weapons were in fact direct quotes from this web posting –
none of which was ever uttered by Chavez."
Abad's op-ed also states of Venezuela's fiscal deficit
"..the fiscal deficit exceeds 20%."
As the Guardian editors should know by now, numerous anti-Chavez
sources (the IMF, Economist, and even Fitch) have all stated the
Venezuela's fiscal deficit for 2012 was about 7 – 8.5% of GDP.
I realize this is an Observer op-ed but it appears on the Guardian's
website and you should care about correcting these falsehoods.
Joe Emersberger
Sources on 2012 fiscal deficit
IMF
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2012/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=91&pr.y=5&sy=2010&ey=2017&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=299&s=GGXCNL_NGDP&grp=0&a=
Economist
http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21571445-cost-postponing-inevitable-devaluation-out-stock
"…a fiscal deficit which reached 8.5% of GDP last year…"
Fitch
FITCH: FISCAL, FX OBSTACLES LOOM FOR NEXT
VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT
Fitch Ratings-Chicago-08 March 2013:
"We estimate that the central government's fiscal deficit exceeded 7%
of GDP in 2012."
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