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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may resort to force to end the 57-day general strike launched by the opposition to oust him, local press in Rio de Janeiro said Monday.
Chavez issued the warning when he gave a short speech from the government palace of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. He was attending the World Social Forum, at the city of Porto Alegre.
Chavez said he did not rule out the possibility of using force to end the strike that has almost paralyzed the country's economy.
The national strike, launched on Dec. 2, 2002, has brought the country's oil exports down to one quarter of their normal capacity.
Six people have died and more than 100 have been injured in a series of street clashes between pro-government demonstrators and supporters of the opposition.
Chavez, who was reelected in 2000 and survived a brief coup last April, rejected calls for his resignation nor early electionsbefore August this year, halfway through his six-year office term.
(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2003)
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