- CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters)
-- United States President George Bush should kneel before Pope John Paul
and ask for forgiveness for abuses committed by US soldiers in Iraq, Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez said on Friday.
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- In his latest jibe against the US leader, the outspoken
left-wing Venezuelan president urged Bush to use his planned visit to the
Vatican on June 4 to announce the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.
-
- "Even though he's not a Catholic... he should ask
God's forgiveness at the Vatican... go down on his knees in front of the
Pope and ask for the forgiveness of the world, not just the Iraqi people,"
Chavez told a news conference in Caracas.
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- While he criticized the actions of US troops, the Venezuelan
leader also condemned as "a horror" the decapitation of US businessman
Nick Berg by Islamic militants in Iraq.
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- He made the comments after noting that senior Vatican
officials had criticized the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers
which has caused an international scandal.
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- Over the last few months, Chavez has repeatedly condemned
Bush for waging the war in Iraq. He called the US president a "jerk"
earlier this year and accuses his administration of seeking to topple him,
a charge denied by Washington.
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