Venezuela’s consumer protection agency recommended yesterday that criminal charges be filed against tire maker Bridgestone Corp. and Ford Motor Co. over product defects linked to at least 46 deaths in Venezuelan road accidents.

The Venezuelan agency also said that technicians and directors (of the companies) must answer to the courts for the omissions and negligence they may have committed in producing vehicles and tires that could have contained design errors which-in the words of the report— caused many consumers to lose their lives.

This move by the government of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is the latest action to put him at odds with either the US or one of its corporations. Just a few weeks ago Chavez traveled to Iraq as part of a tour of OPEC nations. He became the first head of state to pay an official visit to Baghdad since the Gulf War. The US reacted sharply to his visit. Well, today we are going to take a close look at President Hugo Chavez.

Guest:

• Theodoro Petcoff, Editor of the leading opposition paper in Venezuela, Taltual. He was also the Minister of Planning in the former government of Dr. Caldera. He joins us from Caracas.