Tycoon proposes Miami summit to tackle poverty

from the Miami Herald

By CASEY WOODS AND JACQUELINE CHARLES
Venezuelan media mogul Gustavo Cisneros called on the hemisphere's wealthiest to meet in Miami next year to help eliminate poverty in the region by giving the poor the tools they need to get out of misery and stop electing populist leaders.

Cisneros, a controversial figure in the ideological battle involving Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, never mentioned the leftist leader but instead reserved much of his criticism for U.S. policy toward Latin America.

But before going into his prepared speech at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Cisneros first attempted to clear up his image by rejecting critics' claims that he cut a deal with Chávez to obtain a license to keep his Venevisión network on air, while one competing TV station did not have its license renewed and other media outlets were threatened with closure. Some private media outlets were accused by Chávez of backing a failed 2002 coup attempt.

''No deal for a license was proposed, discussed or made,'' Cisneros said. He added that Venevisión -- now the largest private network in Venezuela -- is committed to balanced reporting. ''Venevisión is neither an opposition station or government station but an independent station trying to cover the conflict between them fairly.'' In fact, he said, he plans to appeal to Venezuela's Supreme Court the government's decision to deny Venevisión the 25-year broadcast license it had requested. The government only issued the station a five-year license.

Before Cisneros' luncheon address, two competing groups of mostly Venezuelans and some Cuban Americans lined up outside the hotel waving signs and yelling ``freedom, freedom.''

The smaller group of 10 tied red bandannas across their mouths to symbolize what they called Cisneros' ''self-censorship.'' The second group of 14 held signs that said ''Don't close Venevisión,'' and ''Cisneros supports democracy'' though they said they didn't come to support Cisneros but to denounce Chávez.

Cisneros' appearance at The Miami Herald Americas Conference was his first public appearance since Chávez revoked the broadcast license for the opposition TV station, RCTV earlier this year. Though he touched on freedom of the press, Cisneros focused mostly on poverty and U.S. policy.

''What is the United States solution to Latin America's poverty, inequality and lack of education?'' Cisneros asked. ``Could it be a 2,000-mile wall separating Mexico from the United States? How could a country that is the world's best example of progress produced by globalization, believe that a wall between it and its best trading partners can lead to anything but trouble?''

Cisneros said it is time for the hemisphere's wealthiest to begin to teach the poorest about wealth creation.

''Together, if we can do half as well as China did in the last generation, there will be no poverty in Latin America by 2025, and we will all be living in full democracies, respecting everyone's free speech,'' Cisneros said as he made his plea.

His critics in the audience were not impressed.

''He's very slick, because he talked all that while but said absolutely nothing,'' said Ernesto Ackerman, head of the South Florida group Independent Venezuelan American Citizens. ``How can you not take a position when the country is at the point of being destroyed by Chávez?''

Allen Morris of Miami-based Allen Morris Company -- a commercial real estate developer -- felt differently.

''I think it helps for the person encouraging this initiative to be someone of his stature,'' Morris said, noting that he hoped the region's rich will respond.