CARACAS, Venezuela, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Venezuela's supreme court voted on Wednesday to dismiss a case against four military officers accused of rebellion for their part in a coup against President Hugo Chavez, sparking violent street protests in parts of central Caracas.

Government officials appealed for calm as sporadic gunfire broke out and supporters of the populist president, angered by the ruling, set fire to tires and used buses to block several main streets near Miraflores presidential palace.

"We're calling for calm and we must respect the decision whether we like it or not," said Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel. "We must respect the rules of democracy."

National guard troops backed by armored vehicles fired a storm of tear gas and plastic pellets to disperse a few hundred Chavez supporters who were protesting after the ruling. At least one soldier, a civilian and a TV cameraman were wounded by gunfire in the protests, officials said.

Most of Caracas remained peaceful, but pockets of disturbances continued into the night. In the capital's wealthier eastern section, the heartland of Chavez opposition, residents set off firecrackers to celebrate the court decision.

Violent demonstrations have rocked central Caracas over the last two weeks as police clashed with pro-Chavez protesters demanding a trial. At least nine people were wounded by gunfire last week during protests.

Last week's violence was the worst since the April 11-14 uprising as the court case inflamed political tensions between supporters and foes of Chavez, a former paratrooper who led a botched rebellion in 1992 before turning to the ballot box.

Supreme Court judges had already rejected two attempts to put the officers on trial, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to support the attorney general's rebellion case. The judges ruled the crime of rebellion did not apply to the actions of the officers, officials said.

"I can't believe they can say there was no coup here," said Nelly Figueroa, a Chavez supporter demonstrating after the decision. "Only God can help us now."

BLAME GAME, BITTER DIVISIONS

Earlier Chavez had urged calm ahead of the court decision and called for talks to ease the deep political rancor dividing his oil-rich nation four months after the coup.

"Four months on, we've left behind the possibility of killing ourselves. We're traveling the road to construction, not destruction, a road to peace, not to war," the president told government officials and diplomats at the inauguration of a national dialogue commission.

The four accused officers maintained they acted within the law when they stepped in to fill a power vacuum after the president resigned. They said they acted to avoid bloodshed when gunmen opened fire on an April 11 protest shortly before the coup.

Loyal troops and street protesters restored Chavez to power shortly after he was ousted in April. But reconciliation talks have since faltered and fears of more political upheaval keep Venezuela on edge. Supporters and foes of Chavez blame each other for more than 60 deaths during April's violence.

Government officials said the accused military officers were still under investigation, but they remained at liberty while awaiting a ruling on the rebellion allegations.

Chavez has blamed wealthy, political foes for the coup against him and for trying to manipulate the court decision in favor of dismissing the charges against the officers. Opposition leaders say the president threatened the supreme court judges.

Since his election in 1998, Chavez has faced increasing criticism from foes who blame the leftist reforms of his self-styled "Bolivarian revolution" for edging Venezuela into recession and dividing the nation along class lines. Millions of poorer voters see the president as the key to a better life. (Additional reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez) Nampa-Reuters 0350 150802 WEB story ENDS (NAMPA 150355)