CHAVEZ TO RESTORE AMBASSADOR
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he expects to send an ambassador back to Washington soon. Mr Chavez expelled the US envoy to Caracas in September in "solidarity" with Bolivia. The US reciprocated.In response, the US state department says it "will now work" toward returning its ambassador to Venezuela. The announcements came at a Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, where US President Barack Obama received a warm welcome from Latin American leaders.
Last September's diplomatic dispute arose over an alleged US plot against Bolivian President Evo Morales. Mr Chavez was a fierce critic of the United States under former President George W Bush, accusing Washington of plotting to assassinate him.
But in a sign of warming ties, Mr Obama shook hands with President Chavez at the summit, and accepted a book from the Venezuelan leader. Although they had already shaken hands when they met on Friday, Mr Chavez greeted him again on Saturday, this time pressing on him a book.
In taking the gift, Mr Obama assumed it was a book by Mr Chavez himself, he said later.
Courtesy: BBC NEWS
OBAMA OPEN TO MEET CHAVEZ
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says that the US President Barack Obama is open to meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez.Gibbs said while Obama has no current plans to meet with the Venezuelan president during the Summit of the Americas (SOA), the US leader would welcome any offer of a one-on-one meeting from Chavez, CNN quoted him as saying.
"Every time I pull the president aside to have a conversation we've had that conversation (to meet Chavez)," Gibbs said in reference to the possibility of such a meeting during the Trinidad and Tobago summit.
Obama arrived on Friday for the summit, which represents a meeting of the top North and South American leaders. Cuba is not a member of the Organization of American States due to US opposition.On Thursday, Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, vowed to veto the summits final declaration because he said the declaration would not denounce Cuba's exclusion from the group.
"Venezuela puts its veto from now on this declaration. We say, with other countries, that we do not agree with this declaration," Chavez said.
Courtesy: Press TV
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