Chavez dismisses military coup threat

Anti-Chavez feelings have been building

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has dismissed the threat of a military rebellion, in his first public comments on demands for his resignation led by an air force colonel.

Ruling out any possibility of a coup, President Chavez, himself a former paratrooper, said, "I know the Venezuelan armed forces...I know who is in the barracks."

Last week, Colonel Pedro Soto publicly demanded Mr Chavez's resignation and led thousands of people in a march on the presidential residence in the capital, Caracas.

Mr Chavez is confident he has the backing of the military

The colonel has been summoned by his superiors to appear before them on Monday to explain himself.

In an interview with Chilean state television, President Chavez branded Colonel Soto a "traitor" and dismissed the calls for his resignation.

"This petition means that there is no serious opposition. It means that the opposition has no leadership, no alternative plan," he said.

Last Thursday, Colonel Soto accused the president of being a "tyrant" who wanted to install a communist-style regime in Venezuela.

And on Friday, a second military officer publicly criticised Mr Chavez, raising doubts about the strength of his support among the Venezuelan military.

Pedro Flores, a captain in the National Guard, accused the president of being undemocratic in his attacks on the Catholic Church, the media and the "rule of law".

'No coup'

But top military officers have backed Mr Chavez.

"The National Guard will never support a military coup," National Guard chief Belisario Landis said, adding that Captain Flores had been called to face a disciplinary committee.

Colonel Soto has said he will obey the summons from his commander on Monday.

Soto and Flores have urged more army officers to oppose Chavez

But the colonel's lawyer, Hidalgo Valero, urged supporters to take to the streets should he be "detained arbitrarily".

President Chavez, elected overwhelmingly in 1998, has seen his popularity decline in recent months.

Venezuela - the world's fourth biggest oil exporter - is struggling to cope with an economic crisis and mounting criticism of the government at home and abroad.