Fresh from a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the head of Venezuela's main opposition television network said he's returning home convinced Clinton supports Globovision's efforts to speak out against Hugo Chavez's government.
Alberto Federico Ravell and his main anchor, Leopoldo Castillo, met with El Nuevo Herald editors and The Miami Herald's Editorial Board on Wednesday to share news of their interview with Clinton and discuss the network's battle with Chávez, who is trying to shut down Globovisión.
"We have to respect the media, we have to respect the constitution, we have to respect elected governments," Ravell said Clinton told him. "In everything. she said I was seeing a red beret," he said speaking about the famed symbol of the Venezuelan president.
The Washington meeting on Tuesday with Clinton was the highlight of their trip and came on the same day Clinton was trying to negotiate a resolution to the recent ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya – a situation that Ravell said Chávez is trying to manipulate.
"It was incredible that the same day she met with ousted Honduran President Zelaya she also met with representatives from a television channel that is seen by Chávez as part of the opposition," Ravell emphasized.
"That sends a clear message," he told the newspaper editors, noting that respecting the rule of law must include freedom of the press.
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