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| Latin America |
| Venezuela’s Chavez Rages at U.S. Over ’Terrorists’ |
| 2003-09-26 |
| via Rooters Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused the United States on Wednesday of harboring "terrorists" plotting to kill him and told the U.S. and Spanish governments to stop meddling in his country’s affairs. In a rambling, raging speech to women supporters in Caracas, the former paratrooper also dismissed United Nations meetings as a "dialogue of the deaf" and said it was not worth speaking at the international body. Can’t disagree with him on that point. He railed against opponents at home and critics within the Roman Catholic Church and accused the U.S. television network CNN of lying in its reports about Venezuela, the world’s No. 5 oil exporter. "Las mentiras, todas mienten™." Chavez, who faces a possible referendum on his rule sought by domestic foes, said he canceled a planned visit to the United Nations and the United States this week because his government had received information about a plot to kill him while he was there. "I have no conclusive proof to accuse anyone," he said. "Not that that would stop me from making stuff up." (H)e immediately added that "coup-mongering, terrorist Venezuelans" who had taken part in a failed coup against him last year were plotting and training in the United States. He said he had informed U.S. authorities. "If they (the U.S. authorities) are really fighting terrorism as they say, they should act against these terrorists who are threatening Venezuela," Chavez said. Critics say the Venezuelan leader, a friend and ally of Cuba’s President Fidel Castro, is adopting an aggressively nationalistic, anti-U.S. stance to try to deflect the pressure for a vote on his rule. Chavez, elected in 1998, has repeatedly accused Bush administration officials of poking their noses in Venezuelan affairs. "What happens in Venezuela has nothing to do with Mr. Bush’s government," he said. "Except when it’s convenient." He repeated strong criticism of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, saying Washington had no right to "bomb cities, invade countries and overthrow |
| Posted by:Seafarious |
| #2 Chavez is right; there are terrorists in the US. We intend to put them in jail as we discover the. What does he intend to do about the FARC? I'm sure the Columbians would appreciate his help in apprehending them. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-9-26 6:39:20 PM |
| #1 "I have no conclusive proof to accuse anyone," he said. Why then, the accusations of the U.S. "harboring terrorists"???? A little consistency here, please? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-9-26 5:09:45 PM |