London: The U.S. Government has been accused of trying to undermine the Chavez government in Venezuela by funding anonymous groups via its main international aid agency.

Millions of dollars have been provided in a ``pro-democracy programme'' that Mr. Chavez supporters claim is a covert attempt to bankroll an Opposition to defeat the Government.

The money is being provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Office of Transition Initiatives. The row follows the recent announcement that the U.S. had made $80 million available for groups seeking to bring about change in Cuba, whose leader, Fidel Castro, is a close ally of Mr. Chavez.

Information about the grants has been obtained following a Freedom of Information request by the Associated Press. The USAID released copies of 132 contracts but obscured the names and other identifying details of nearly half the organisations.

The Office of Transition Initiatives, which also works in such ``priority countries'' as Iraq, Afghanistan, Bolivia and Haiti, has overseen more than $26 million in grants to groups in Venezuela since 2002. Among the grants detailed in the information are: one for $47,459 for a ``democratic leadership campaign;" $37,614 for citizen meetings to discuss a ``shared vision'' for society; and one of $56,124 to analyse Venezuela's new constitution.

``What this indicates is that there is a great deal of money, a great deal of concern to oust or neutralise Chavez,'' said Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (Coha) in Washington.``The U.S. is waging diplomatic warfare against Venezuela.''

He said while the U.S. had accused Mr. Chavez of destabilising Latin American countries, the term ``destabilisation'' more aptly applied to what the U.S. was trying to do to Mr. Chavez.

``It's trying to implement regime change,'' Eva Golinger, a Venezuelan-American lawyer who wrote The Chavez Code: Cracking US Intervention in Venezuela, told AP. ``There's no doubt about it. I think the U.S. government tries to mask it by saying it's a noble mission.''

She added: ``It's too suspicious to have such a high level of secrecy.'' The USAID officials denied any suggestion the money had any political aim and said the reason for anonymity for some groups was to protect them from potential harassment. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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