The US State Department declared Thursday that it is "open to a positive relation" in reply to Venezuelan Ambassador to Washington Bernardo Álvarez.

Álvarez had expressed Venezuela's desire to keep "mature, sensible ties" with the US Government.

"We are undoubtedly open to a positive relation with Venezuela. We wish a positive relation with Venezuela as we want it with all of democratically elected governments in the hemisphere," State Department Speaker Sean McCormack stressed.

In this way, the official answered to the Ambassador, who had earlier advocated "mature, sensible relations between the two countries, which have many things in common and numerous, significant political differences," AFP quoted.

In the meantime, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez commented that his US counterpart George W. Bush was a "madman able to throw atomic bombs onto the world."

A week ago, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld matched the Venezuelan ruler with Adolf Hitler.