Bush 'an assassin, crazy man'

2005-11-18 09:58

Caracas - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, extending his war of words with Washington, on Thursday called US President George W Bush "an assassin" and accused the United States of meddling in his country's affairs.

Chavez said: "The people of the US are governed by an assassin ... a crazy man!

"I think the people of the US are more aware of this situation every day."

Relations between Chavez and Washington had become increasingly strained, though the US remained the top buyer of Venezuelan oil.

Illegal narcotics

Chavez had repeatedly clashed with the US government and accused Washington of seeking to oust him - a claim US officials had denied.

The Bush administration, in turn, had expressed concerns over the health of Venezuela's democracy and criticised the South American nation for not doing enough to block shipments of illegal narcotics to the US and Europe.

During a late-night speech to Venezuelan officials and Brazilian business leaders at Miraflores Presidential Palace on Thursday, Chavez praised Americans who stood up to their "imperialist" government.

'Aggression against Venezuela'

He said: "Welcome, those who oppose the war and aggression against Iraq, who oppose the aggression against Venezuela."

Chavez, who had close ties with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, encouraged leftist governments in Latin American to resist American hegemony in the region.

He said: "This is a time of resistance ... and you can be sure, that if we fail, our children and our grandchildren will be here resisting."

US ambassador William Brownfield said this week that Venezuelan officials had wrongly accused Washington of a range of conspiracies ranging from planning alleged assassination plots to causing floods brought on by global warming.

- AP