President Hugo Chávez' government branded as "veiled threat" the remarks a US congressman made against an alliance between TV networks Telesur and Al-Jazeerah, AP reported.

The Communication and Information Ministry said in a press release published Thursday that the comments US lawmaker Connie Mack (R-Fl) made are "a direct insult against the governments of Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba, and Uruguay, which take part in Telesur."

The communiqué claims that Mack's statements "represent a veiled threat of air attack against the headquarters of Telesur in Caracas, similar to the bombing US President George W. Bush announced against the headquarters of Al-Jazeerah, in Qatar capital city of Doha."

Telesur, with Chávez' government among its major financial supporters, is a Latin American news network, while Al-Jazeerah is an Arab network broadcasting news about the Middle East.

Last Tuesday both networks initialed a memorandum of understanding providing for the exchange of contents and professional and technical expertise in the field of journalism.

On Wednesday, Mack labeled the alliance as "a de facto global TV network for terrorists and other enemies of freedom."

Al-Jazeerah experts have advised Telesur ever since the South American network started operations in July 2005.