President Hugo Chávez said he was certain "some people would speculate" about his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Caracas next Thursday.

In an interview published Wednesday by Italian newspaper "La Repubblica," Chávez claimed he expected insinuations that he and Ahmadinejad are "plotting to threaten the world."

He added that Venezuela and Iran have "economic and scientific relations," stressing that Iranian leaders have expressed "interest in studying" the Venezuelan polyethylene- production system, Efe reported.

When asked who would speculate on Ahmadinejad's visit, he replied: "Evil, the one who leads the empire, the vampire that protects oligarchs. There is no need to give names. Everybody knows who the real enemy of world peace is."
 
Regarding his proposed changes to the Constitution, Chávez said it is aimed at "reinforcing people's power, to make the Bolivarian revolution succeed."