- CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters)
- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Sunday warned Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice not to "mess with him" days after Rice described Venezuela
as a menace to regional democracy in the midst of tense diplomatic relations
between the two countries.
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- "Don't mess with me Condoleezza.
Don't mess with me, girl," Chavez said during his weekly Sunday broadcast,
sarcastically offering her a kiss and jokingly referring to her as "Condolence."
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- The warning comes days after Rice described
Venezuela as one of the "biggest problems" for the Western Hemisphere
and promised to develop regional alliances as part of an "inoculation"
strategy to expose what the State Department calls anti-democratic behavior
in Venezuela.
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- Chavez has repeatedly accused Washington
of trying to topple him, and says the United States will attempt to sow
chaos this year as he launches a re-election bid.
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- Diplomatic relations between the United
States and Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter, have been strained
since Chavez accused the United States of plotting a coup d'etat that briefly
ousted him in 2002.
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- Chavez, a former soldier turned populist
leader, has promised to create socialist revolution in Venezuela and promote
regional integration in Latin America to roll back U.S.-supported economic
reforms.
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- The State Department says Chavez is
using the nation's bountiful oil wealth to meddle in the affairs of neighboring
countries, and has slammed him for boosting ties to U.S. foes like Cuba
and Iran.
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- Tensions between Washington and Caracas
increased in February after Chavez expelled a U.S. naval attache for alleged
espionage. The State Department responded by expelling a top Venezuelan
diplomat.
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