Politics The US State Department said on Friday it had told the Venezuelan government that its ambassador to the United States would be expelled in retaliation for the diplomatic dispute between Washington and Latin America's left-wing leaders.

"We regret the action of both President Hugo Chávez and President Evo Morales to expel our ambassadors to Venezuela and Bolivia, respectively, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told journalists, as reported by Reuters.

"This reflects the weakness and desperation of these leaders as they face internal challenges," McCormack added.

US decision to expel the Venezuelan ambassador in Washington was a response to the announcement made by President Hugo Chávez to kick out the US envoy in Caracas.