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 News from Around the Americas | August 2005 
Venezuela Softens Stance on U.S. Ties, Drugs
 Reuters
| | In this photo released by Miraflores press office, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, right, chats with U.S. Rev. Jesse Jackson before a meeting at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, Venezuela. Jackson offered support for Chavez, saying the United States needs better relations with his country and should strongly condemn a recent call for his assassination - see story below. (Photo: Marcelo Garcia) |
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said his government would renew cooperation with Washington in the fight against drug trafficking in an effort to improve ties strained by diplomatic squabbling.
Chavez's conciliatory gesture followed weeks of sniping between Venezuela and the United States after the left-wing leader suspended cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and accused its agents of spying.
Addressing reporters after meeting with U.S. activist Rev. Jesse Jackson, Chavez said his government wanted to ease tensions between his government and the administration of President Bush.
"Despite of the differences and the tense relations..., we are willing to continue working with the government of Mr. Bush in the fight against drugs," Chavez said with Jackson sitting by his side.
"We have no intention of damaging relations any further on the contrary we want to improve them in politics and in economics."
Relations between the United States and Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter, have chilled since Chavez came to power in 1998 ushering in social reforms and forging close diplomatic ties with Communist Cuba.
Washington portrays Chavez as a menace to the region, but the former soldier counters that his self-proclaimed revolution is an alternative to failed U.S. polices in South America.
Chavez often accuses the United States of plotting to kill him. Tensions were heightened further last week when conservative U.S. evangelist Pat Robertson called on Washington to assassinate Chavez. Robertson later apologized and U.S. officials called his remarks inappropriate.
Chavez held private talks with Jackson on Monday, during which they discussed Robertson's comments, bilateral relations and initiatives for the poor.
"What we discussed is the need for a detente in the hostile rhetoric," Jackson told reporters.
After Venezuela suspended ties with the DEA, the United States revoked the U.S. visas of three top Venezuelan military officers, including the National Guard narcotics squad chief, who Washington said were suspected of drug trafficking.
Following Robertson's comments, Venezuelan authorities said they had temporarily suspended permits for foreign missionaries while they tightened regulations on religious groups entering the South American country.
Rev. Jackson Meets With Venezuela's Chavez
Ian James - Associated Press
The Rev. Jesse Jackson on Monday urged President Bush to strongly condemn a U.S. religious broadcaster's call to assassinate Venezuela's leftist president, saying Washington needs to cool down the rhetoric against this South American nation and major oil producer.
The U.S. civil rights leader met Hugo Chavez in private at the presidential palace, moving to ease tensions aggravated last week by Pat Robertson's suggestion that Chavez ought to be killed.
Chavez said after the session that he was willing to cooperate with the United States in the anti-drug fight, a program he canceled recently amid claims of U.S. spying. Also, his government provided details on his earlier pledge to sell oil directly to poor U.S. communities.
"We never lose hope that we'll regain a good tone with Mr. Bush's government," Chavez said.
Jackson told The Associated Press in an interview shortly before the meeting that "we must make it clear that talk of isolating Venezuela, talk of assassinating its leader, this is unacceptable, and it must be denounced roundly by our president and by our secretary of state."
"The U.S. and Venezuelan leadership must have a detente on rhetoric. That exacerbates tensions," Jackson said. "We need to have a cooling down of divisive rhetoric."
Chavez, a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro who frequently criticizes what he calls U.S. domination of Latin America, said Sunday night that his government could ask the Washington to extradite Robertson to Venezuela for suggesting U.S. agents kill him.
"Calling for the assassination of a head of state is a terrorist act," said Chavez, who has regularly accused the U.S. government and its allies of plotting to overthrow him. The U.S. government denies the charge.
The U.S. State Department said Monday that Venezuela does not appear to have a sound legal basis for extradition.
"I think that's probably of questionable legal foundation," spokesman Sean McCormack said.
Robertson called for Chavez's assassination on his TV show "The 700 Club" a week ago, saying the United States should "take him out" because the Venezuelan leader poses a danger to the region.
Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition of America and a supporter of Bush's re-election bid, later apologized.
But Jackson said that isn't enough.
"The Pat Robertson statement was the threat that was heard around the world," Jackson said. "It reinforces ancient fears because the U.S. has had a policy of eliminating leaders in this region, in Guatemala, in Chile."
Jackson, who arrived Saturday for a visit along with members of his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, cited record-high oil prices as one major reason the U.S. government should seek better relations with Venezuela, which is the world's fifth largest oil exporter and a major supplier to the U.S. market.
"We need a good relationship with this energy problem now," Jackson told the AP, adding that both sides should work to establish a "good-neighbor policy."
Jackson, who also planned to tour one of Venezuela's state-backed cooperatives on Tuesday, said his visit had been scheduled about two months ago, long before Robertson's remarks.
Chavez, an ex-army officer elected in 1998, says he is leading Venezuela toward socialism and has accused the United States of backing a short-lived coup against him in 2002, along with a series of other efforts to destabilize his government.
U.S. officials have strongly denied trying to bring down Chavez, even as they have made clear they are concerned about Chavez's ties with Castro and what his opponents call the Venezuelan leader's authoritarian tendencies.
Chavez recently suspended cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, accusing its agents of acting as spies. But after emerging from the talks with Jackson, Chavez said: "We are willing to continue working in the fight against drugs with Mr. Bush's government."
Chavez also offered Venezuelan aid to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and he reiterated a recent suggestion that his country would provide oil directly to poor U.S. communities.
Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said Venezuela's Citgo Petroleum Corp. refineries produce some 660,000 barrels a day of oil products, and that Chavez has offered 10 percent of that in heating oil to help poor U.S. communities starting this winter.
The fuel would be sold directly to the communities, avoiding middle men to bring down costs, Ramirez said.
Tensions also have been aggravated by the case of Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles, a naturalized Venezuelan accused by Chavez's government of masterminding the 1976 bombing of a Cuban jet that killed 73 people.
McCormack said the U.S. is reviewing the Posada Carriles extradition request.
As for the overall state of U.S.-Venezuelan relations, McCormack said there are "certainly difficulties" but that the two countries continue to hold diplomatic discussions. |
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