Venezuela's Chavez says US ambassador must leave

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez ordered the U.S. ambassador to leave Venezuela in 72 hours and said he was immediately withdrawing his ambassador from Washington.

Chavez said Thursday night that U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy is no longer welcome, just as his close ally Bolivia expelled the American envoy from La Paz a day earlier.

"They're trying to do here what they were doing in Bolivia," Chavez said, accusing Washington of trying to oust him.

"That's enough ... from you, Yankees," he said during a televised rally, using an expletive.

The socialist leader said Venezuela's ambassador to Washington, Bernardo Alvarez, would return to the U.S. "when there's a new government in the United States."

The move by Chavez brings relations with Washington to a new low and raises questions about whether the diplomatic clash could hurt trade. Venezuela is the fourth-largest oil supplier to the United States, and Chavez threatened on Thursday to cut off crude shipments "if there's any aggression against Venezuela."

He has made similar threats in the past, but the United States is his No. 1 oil client and taking such an action would debilitate his government financially.

Chavez, long at odds with Washington, appeared to leave open the door for restoring full relations once President George W. Bush's successor is in the White House.

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"Hopefully, sooner than later, (the U.S.) will have a government that respects the peoples and the governments of Latin America," Chavez said.

Chavez warned last month that Duddy could soon be "packing his bags" after the diplomat lamented that U.S. and Venezuelan officials have not been cooperating in the war on drugs.

Duddy has said that deteriorating diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington were giving drug smugglers the upper hand.

Chavez announced the decision to oust Duddy hours after saying his government had detained a group of alleged conspirators in a plot to overthrow him. He accused the group of current and former military officers of trying to assassinate him with backing from the United States.

U.S. officials have repeatedly denied Chavez's accusations of backing plots against him.

Asked about Chavez's remarks, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Jennifer Rahimi said: "We saw the speech and we're investigating, but we haven't seen anything official."

Tensions between Venezuela and the U.S. grew this week after two Russian strategic bombers were deployed to the country at Chavez's invitation.

"The presence of those Russian planes in Venezuela is a warning," Chavez said. "There's nothing better to keep yourself from being attacked than to dissuade."

The president said that behind the conspiracy to overthrow him were "the same coup-plotters" who masterminded a failed 2002 coup _ which he also blamed on the Bush administration.

Chavez ordered an investigation of the alleged plot, which he said involved an active vice admiral and other former military officers. He said his intelligence services had been "following this for some time."

Military prosecutors were questioning several officers about their alleged involvement, Defense Minister Gen. Gustavo Rangel Briceno said.

Chavez ally Mario Silva, who hosts a program on state television, first played recordings of the purported coup plotters' phone conversations late Wednesday. It was unclear when they were recorded.

In one, a voice identified as an ex-officer said "we're going to take" the presidential palace. In another, a voice identified as retired air force Gen. Eduardo Baez Torrealba said "there is a pilot who has 1,000 hours in an F-16" _ allegedly to be used in the plot.

Chavez said the authorities have known for some time that the conspirators were "looking for ground-to-air missiles ... to try to blow up the presidential plane ... or bomb the (presidential) palace with a plane."

____

Associated Press writers Ian James and Fabiola Sanchez contributed to this report.

Comments

[greg32]

These comments on here are hilarious, I guess liberalism is pretty much gone off the deep end into socialism. Not all of us want to sink into a communist state, some of us actually think self reliance and hard work are what this country is all about. Go ahead, relocate to Venezuela where your hero Chavez keeps everyone down by a state run institution based on wealth redistribution, stripping any motivation away to actually make something of themselves. Socialism isn't the way people, quit bowing at the alter of crazed dictators like Hugo Chavez, why don't you try reading interviews of actual people on the ground in Venezuela who have to live under that tyrant, not your left wing hollywood buddies who want to buddy up to that maniac and have no idea what is really happening there.

[TotoToo]

Bush is proud of his frat boy, "I May be an Idiot but I'm a Rich Idiot" image. He has sold his soul to faceless, greedy corporations whose only allegence is to their quarterly profits. It will take a person of restraint and actual intelligence to clean up the mess that Shrub has left this nation in.

The U.S. is funding radical Islamists and an eventual WWIII through our purchase of ridiculously high priced oil in the Middle East. IMHO, the only reason we started an illegal war with Iraq was to allow Exxon and the other global oil corporations to monopolize the flow of crude through the Middle East. Remember, Bush and Cheney are oil men. Their mantra for the past eight years has been: Instill fear in the American people, enlarge the war, send the poor and middle class off to die in a distant land, and make sure billion dollar corporations get fat off the profits.

Deep down, people know McCain/Palin will only make things worse.

[AnnArky]

It rwarms my heart to see other countries stand up to the U.S. America really is the bully of the schoolyard.

[DutchSockPuppet]

Spot on.......

[AzRealProgressive]

Another eurotrash envy statement coming from one who enjoys the freedoms americans have died for.

[blackmouth]

The emperors clothes are coming off little by little and the history of empire of the U.S. will finally be known. Power to the people.

[gorgol]

We are reaping what we have sewn....we constantly meddle in the affairs of other nations...­we over throw governments, putting in puppets no matter how they treat peole..."e­x. Shah of Iran"...wi­th future horrible consequenc­es...we are arrogant (our government) and think we know more than others...b­ut now the tables have turned....­KARMA.
OBAMA 08.

[rudiy]

For all those who think Chavez is a great leader, think oil prices. Things are not as good in Venzuela as he alleges, but as all scared leaders, he needs a diversion. Blame the US. Threaten to sell your oil elsewhere. Act tough. Hopefully all your domestic problems will go away.

[Stoyver]

So you think that the US in not trying to off Chavez?

[jahzilla]

Man, you have a lot to learn.

Such parroting of the "Great American" false-nationalist screed, has literally shut down your ability to find the actual truth.

From education, to job training to health care access to infrastructure building, has placed Venezuela on track to increase it's GDP at a faster per capita rate than we are showing here . . . all because Chavez believes that the citizens should receive value for anything harvested within their borders. The historical inequities, regarding the percentage of (absurd) profit margins, relative to former disparities in Western oil company contractual agreements, purchased (within standard oil company philosophies of gutting sources for higher profitability through greed) are now being reversed (as we should) and poured back into countries that have been left in the last century (by design). Bolivia gets it too. Expect others to get wise as well. Too bad we can't say the same for so many Americans who lazily get all worked up by their programmers. Do the work by looking outside our borders to source your opinions. The truth will either set you free . . . or shut you up!

[Hare]

or make you cry... and wish you were one of those who live by "Ignorance is bliss"

[oxygen]

that's right - chavez knows the dollars value has been propped up by many sources such as the stupid piss on the grave of your ancestors "war on drugs" - remember the statue of liberty's architect lamented if he had had cocaine wine he would have made it much taller (all our grandparents used or could use or lived amongst those who used these "drugs" legally and responsibly - and got us here so why do we need bush a holes to pour alcohol and cancer causing cigarettes down our throats? oh it's great if we export cigarettes to bolivia and columbia right? remember coulter saying she wanted something to chop up!

the war on drugs is another war on peace to spread printed greenbacks and shame blame, and finacially oppress as well as otherwise -others like the indians in bolivia who have been using this "drug" for ? 15K years - anybody from another country who has dark skin is either a terrorist or a drug dealer - and remember the last thing a drug dealer wants is for drugs to be legal so what's our real beef about? control? fanaticism? insulting our ancestors?



I live in boston and would like to thank the great and proud leader of the people Mr Chavez for his help with our own poor people's heating needs and I want him to know we know the truth here and he is doing what is correct

great leader an honest man - too bad

[rwe]

this is how putrid and pathetic the Prograssive/libs are ... You support and defend Putin, Chavez and Castro and vilify your own.....Sh­eeesh...Dr­ill Here Drill Now..Hey , remember your icon, JFK and Bobby tried to nail Castro, and preemptive strikes and dictated our policy on our Southern neighbors.

[RebelPatriot]

No, that was not JFK doing those attempts on Castro.

That was Allen Dulles and the Paperclip Nazis over at the CIA doing that.

Read a history book, that is, unless your one of those No Child Left Behind prodigies.

[Hare]

American policy in Latin A,merica, be Democrat or Republican at the helm has been the same all along, squash dissent, give military aid to corrupt heads of states, support and encourage coup de tas, instigate opposition rebellions, invade if all else fails. The goal is to have all their natural resources (chiquita bananas included) for us and give them nothing but poverty and misery ...and novelas

[newworldman777]

So true. Chavez -- who is part Native American -- doesn't hate European-A­merican-do­minated American government for no reason.

I can only wonder how an Obama administration would serve to change the negative attitudes that so many countries around the world feel toward America. Considering the fact that this is a world community, we would do well to try to improve our relations with countries like Venezuela. After all, since we purchase so much ol from them. criticizing them is like biting the hand that feeds us.

[ResistanceisFutile]

America's allies should have done the same, when Bush decided to invade Iraq. Maybe if our allies had guts we would not have invaded Iraq.

One can only wish!

[gcallaghan]

Here's a tip for Hugo:
Between now and January develop an extradition treaty with Paraguay, if one does not already exist, then sit back and wait for Bush's flight from justice in the US. A patient hunter gets his prey.

[totaldisbelief]

If you read "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein It will become very evident why countries in South America and elsewhere dislike and distrust the U.S.

[RebelPatriot]

No kidding.

However, those techniques were also applied in the US.

economically - and -

militarily.

[Pippilin]

And still are-- increasingly. Increasing intimidation and brute force by "law enforcement" (a 'Dirty War' here is not out of reality's realm), slow loss of the middle class,
economic chaos, privatization of everything publicly-owned that might have some profit in it, deregulation without supervision = corruption, constant attempts to stir up fear in the populace, attempts to divide the nation (divide and conquer), takeover of the press. Makes a conspiracy theory about 9/11 not so far-fetched at all.
I wish Hugo and Evo all the shrewdness & luck in the world because they are going to need it.

[All in All]

It's starting to look like Russia is prepositioning troops at are Back-door, Watch out Georgia, Russia is coming for You .

[lornejl]

Why is Hugo so stubborn in not allowing us to assas sinate him ?

[RebelPatriot]

and yet he still gives the Northeast cheap oil to use through the winter months.

I don't see Exxon or the rest of the Seven Sisters doing anything like that.

[usakaput]

amen .our own country doesnt even help ordinary americans.­look no further than the gas gouging ,brought on by our american oil companies. go chavez.hel­p me

[realityczech4u]

Bless his little heart.

[OB-GYN]

Wrote my two state Senators at midnight to cry out against McCain/Palin pubic saber rattling and apparent warmongering. Couldn't sleep.

McCain/Palin seek to further upset a delicate world balance deteriorated by Bush/Cheney.

"Fight, fight with me" and war, war...I fear for my teen sons who seek peaceful coexistence.

Republicans, the party that wrecked America.

[LibRS]

i just love the way libs cry and whine.

try growing a set.

[gorgol]

Too bad you'll never get to see the video of Jeff Gannon and Bush during a "night meeting"..­.or maybe you will.

[LITU]

Typical con, always focusing on the male genitalia.

[jmc42]

We should applaud Bolivia and Venezuela for declaring that South American countries are no
longer playing puppet to the US.

The rest of the continent should dismiss all US diplomats and tell them to remove all military
installations on their soil. It's a start but an important step in demilitarizing the world.

[RebelPatriot]

Here, here. Bravo.

that would be a good start, but continue it with Europe and Asia too.

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

If you consider OPEC's announcement yesterday that they will cut back on oil production to stop the downward trend on per barrel pricing, Venezula will have no problem selling their oil elsewhere.­Opec's announcement also means since they want to keep the price of oil up,any amount of oil the US brings to market will be too small to have any effect on pricing. If the larger suppliers conspire to set prices, there's no room for the US to maneuver unless it's militarily­.These last eight years have depleted our military of any strength, other than nuclear, to address any larger kind of threat such as the Russians invading Georgia.Co­uple this news with the saber rattling we saw on the interview with the gop vp hopeful,and things start to get even dicier,if not just downright scary.This is what the GOP thrives on now,the fear card,and it's in full play even though they have no remedy for these problems.

[SurrealPumpkin]

The economists seem to be forgetting that our biggest competitor for oil is China, India is not far behind. We may be the world's largest consumer of oil but we are no longer the world's only large consumer of oil. We no longer have an oil buying monopoly. Would Venezuela suffer? Probably, not much.

[frynpan]

Things are unraveling pretty quickly in the world arena and at home.

[totaldisbelief]

Just wait until the day no one wants our worthless dollars anymore.
If you ask any hourly worker in the US they'll tell you we're becoming a third world nation.