The Hindu : International : Charges impertinent, says Caracas

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 25, 2005

International

International

Charges impertinent, says Caracas

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, FEB. 24. Venezuela has dismissed the U.S. accusations that Caracas is a destabilising force and said the charges were signs of an impending "attack" on it.

"The absurdity of these allegations against our Government would not cause us the least anxiety if it were not for so many facts demonstrating that these signs appear because, sooner or later, there will be an attack," said Venezuela's Foreign Minister, Ali Rodriguez Araque, here at the Organisation of American States. Mr. Rodriguez dismissed as "impertinent" the charges that Venezuela was restricting free speech and was associating with Colombian guerillas.

He pointed to the history of Latin America where the U.S. had a notorious track record of undermining leftist government for decades; and that the present rhetoric was a way of preparing the ground for drastic action against Venezuela. Venezuela, the fourth largest supplier of oil to the U.S., has made it plain in the recent past that it will not hesitate to stop the oil flow if its President, Hugo Chavez, is harmed in any fashion.

The State Department denied that Washington was planning to assassinate Mr. Chavez. "These allegations are ridiculous and untrue and the idea that we were out to get the President of Venezuela is just plain wrong."

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