The mayor of London is to host a lunch for the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, who called Tony Blair "an ally of Hitler". Mr Chavez will visit the UK from May 14 to 16.Mr Chavez recently attacked Mr Blair after the prime minister warned that Venezuela "should abide by the rules of the international community" and avoid forming a close alliance with Cuba. Mr Blair's words prompted Mr Chavez, who led a failed military coup in 1992, to retort that it was Mr Blair who had flouted international law by joining forces with the US in Iraq. He also accused Mr Blair of being "nothing but a pawn of imperialism" and of lacking "moral standing".
Mr Livingstone said the UK has much to learn from Mr Chavez, who took power of the oil-rich country eight years ago. He said: "I'll be delighted to host a lunch for President Chavez when he visits our city later this month." He confirmed that Mr Chavez will lunch with Mr Livingstone, but refused to comment on the starry guest list which newspaper reports said included playwright Harold Pinter, U2 frontman Bono, and anti-war campaigner Bianca Jagger.
| All the usual bozos. |