Tuesday 02

Maduro, Shannon review Venezuela-US relations
Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicolás Maduro late Monday in New York hosted a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon, in the first formal meeting of the Venezuelan diplomat with any senior US government official.

Sources claimed that Shannon showed interest in visiting Venezuela on a date to be agreed soon.

The meeting -that took around one hour- was held at the resident of the Venezuelan diplomatic mission to United Nations.

One of the topics addressed was President Hugo Chávez' efforts to mediate to reach a humanitarian agreement between the government of Colombia and the rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC).

Rice: US avoids responding to Chávez
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice avoids responding to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez because that is exactly what he wants, she told reporters on Tuesday.

"I spend very little time anymore -or ever, answering Hugo Chávez. There is actually, frankly, nothing that he likes better than to have the United States responding to him," Rice said during an interview with daily newspaper New York Post, as quoted by AFP.

According to Rice, during his last trip to Latin America, "President George W. Bush did not mention his (Chávez') name and he just would not mention his name." During that tour, "we were getting reports that Chávez was going around saying, 'Why will not President Bush mention my name?'"

"That tells you how he wants this to play, so we have to keep on our positive agenda," the US diplomat added.

FM Maduro denounces US campaign to stigmatize Iran
During his presentation at the United Nations General Assembly, Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicolás Maduro accused "the US elite" of causing more death, destruction, destabilization and terrorism in the aftermath of the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

He warned also the world against a campaign to stigmatize the Iranian people and government.

"We have witnessed how threatening statements against the peace of Iran's people are dangerously made one after another. Have the governments represented in his assembly asked to themselves what could happen if this unleashed insanity of the elites that rule the United States were to take the maddening step of attacking Iran's peaceful people? Where such a situation could lead us?" he wondered.

In this regard, Maduro said that the world is in time to stop the "stigmatizing campaign" and give the warnings and make the appeals and alliances needed to stop what he called "the belligerent madness of the elites that rule the United States."

US Defense Secretary: Chávez is a threat for Venezuela's prosperity
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez endangers Venezuelans' freedom and economic prosperity, said Monday US Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Salvador, at the beginning of his first Latin American tour.

"The principal threat represented by Hugo Chavez is to the freedom and economic prosperity of the people of Venezuela," Gates said during a joint press conference together with Salvadorian President Antonio Saca, when asked about Venezuela, reported AFP.

Chávez "has been very generous in offering their resources to people around the world, when perhaps these resources could be better used to alleviate some of the economic problems facing the people of Venezuela," added the Defense Secretary.

Gates, who succeeded Donald Rumsfeld in December, started in Salvador a tour of five Latin American nations. However, the Pentagon is still to announce officially the remaining four countries.