Politics
In a conference held on Monday at the Teresa Carreño Theater in Caracas, US linguist and essayist Noam Chomsky criticized the "imperial mindset" of the United States and accused its government of "exacerbating tensions among Latin American nations."

Dr. Chomsky, Professor Emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, praised the initiative of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) for considering that it helps Latin American countries "decide on their own future."

With regard to an agreement on the use by US troops of seven Colombian military bases to fight drug traffic and terrorism he is certain that "Venezuela alone cannot give a reply. There should be a total reply by the Latin American community; the Unasur meeting should produce a communiqué strenuously opposing the deployment of bases in Latin America."

Short meeting
On Monday evening, Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez said at the Miraflores presidential palace that Chomsky "is among the intellectuals who have helped most in the fight against the imperial hegemony."

Chomsky thanked him and viewed as "exciting" that "a new model is being built in Venezuela."