President Hipolito Mejia distanced his government from the economic crisis that has beset the country, as he spoke on the “Una vez a la semana” program broadcast on the state TV station, Channel 4. As reported in Hoy newspaper, the government attributed the current economic difficulties to problems beyond its control – namely the collapse of three national banks, problems in Venezuela, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the 9/11 terrorist attack in the US.