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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| US Hezbollah charge is a pretext, Chavez says |
| 2008-06-22 |
| Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Friday that the US is trying to bring him before an international court. Chavez says the US is using accusations that the Venezuelan government is supporting the Lebanese group Hezbollah to “see if the world will make a move” against him. The US, which has worsening ties with Chavez, said on Wednesday it was freezing the assets of two Venezuelans, including a diplomat, it linked to Hezbollah and accused Venezuela’s government of protecting the two men. “The United States [is] accusing our government, Venezuela, me of helping Lebanese movements -- in the Middle East. They are trying to take me to international court to see if the world will go along with the game against us,” Chavez said at a political rally in his first comments on the charge. “I think it will simply turn out badly for them if they play that kind of game,” he said. Chavez has increasingly sparred with Washington this year over accusations of his ties to groups the US calls terrorists. US Congressmen have debated blacklisting Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism, even though the OPEC nation is one of the US’ biggest oil suppliers. US officials have hardened their stance against Chavez since Colombia said in March it found FARC rebel computers showing he supported the group. Colombia has threatened to take Chavez to international court, accusing him of backing the FARC, which is fighting to topple the South American nation’s government. The Venezuelan leader denies he supports a group that both his neighbor and the US consider terrorists. |
| Posted by:Fred |