Chavez says he wants to 'reset' relations with US

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez said Saturday he hopes to "reset" relations with the United States at an upcoming summit.

Despite recent criticism of President Barack Obama, Chavez said he wants to bring relations between the two governments back to a "rational level."

"I'll be willing to press the reset button," he said in a telephone call to Venezuelan state television from Iran. "I hope that will be the policy of President Obama."

Venezuela's relations with Washington grew increasingly strained under former President George W. Bush _ reaching a low point in September, when Chavez expelled the U.S. ambassador and withdrew Venezuela's envoy to Washington. His visit to Iran is part of an effort to build ties with other countries at odds with the U.S.

The socialist leader last month called Obama "ignorant" after the U.S. president accused Chavez of "exporting terrorism" and being an obstacle to progress in Latin America.

But Chavez said Saturday that the April 17-19 Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago could "be the place to reset all types of relations between the United States and Venezuela."

Chavez employed the "reset" metaphor that U.S. officials have been using to describe their efforts for better relations with Russia after years of tension under the Bush administration.

Chavez said he's waiting for signals that Obama is willing to take similar steps with Venezuela. Chavez said that he'll have some questions for the new U.S. leader when they finally meet.

"Somebody needs to ask him what his vision is for the crisis that's weighing terribly on Latin America," he said.

"It would be good to see if something happens with Posada Carriles," he added. "If the blockade against Cuba will persist."

Venezuela has said it plans to reactivate an extradition request for Luis Posada Carriles, a former CIA operative accused of plotting the 1976 bombing of a Cuban passenger plane that killed all 73 people.

During a televised news conference later Saturday, Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad railed against the G-20 meeting held earlier this week in London. Ahmadinejad said the Group of 20 industrial and developing countries wants to continue on the same path that led the world into the economic crisis.

"It's a total failure," the Iranian president said.

Iran's state television reported that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised Chavez for breaking ties with Israel in January to protest its offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Iranian television reported that the two countries signed agreements on economic, energy and consular affairs during Chavez's trip.

___

Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed to this story from Cairo.

Comments

[revoltinglibrarian]

10:13 PM on 04/07/2009

It is striking the amount of ignorance there is on this board about President Chavez. Let's take a few examples:

LIE ONE: President Chavez has shut down the opposition press. - I was in Venezuela, and the first thing I saw on TV was a puppet of Chavez having sex with a puppet of a donkey. The opposition controls virtually ALL TV, radio, and newspapers in the country. And the things they say about Chavez are libelous to say the least.

LIE TWO: President Chavez wants to be a dictator. - Hmmm... by winning internationally supervised election after internationally supervised election? Some dictator. Also, let's keep in mind that President Chavez is the first Venezuelan head of state in 60 years NOT to declare martial law. Funny how all the previous "freedom-loving and democratic" presidents were supported by the US capitalist-fascist empire.

LIE THREE: President Chavez is militarizing the region. - Wow, so Colombia, which recently invaded Ecuador, has a military budget larger than Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina COMBINED. All paid for by the US capitalist-fascist empire. And besides killing farmers and labor union organizers, what is this bloated Colombian military being used for? Meanwhile, Uribe - "our friend" in Colombia - is himself a narco-terrorist, and his brother is one of the leading drug dealers in the hemisphere.

[JerryLevy]

04:46 PM on 04/08/2009

"All paid for by the US capitalist-fascist empire. And besides killing farmers and labor union organizers, what is this bloated Colombian military being used for?"

OK, I see where your mindset is. Thanks for sharing that astute logic with us all.

[Bouddicca]

04:52 PM on 04/07/2009

I thought he was kind of interesting for a while (Years ago)
When he gave heating oil to the poor in Mass ..that was cool..
BUT
I then Watched Frontline's The Hugo Chavez show,
Did a little research and gotta tell you

This guy is a standard operating dictator wannabe..
boo on him..

[chirps]

11:11 AM on 04/07/2009

Most everything you named is questionable.

Tax cuts? Where'd that borrowed money come from? China. Where did it go? Fatcat City. It was just one more step down the disastrous road of Bushonomics, which is now bearing its bitter fruit.

No Child Left Behind? Sorry, Jerry, that went bust. Or so say most educators.

Eliminated the Taliban from Afghanistan? Hello! Jerry, the Taliban are alive and well in Afghanistan.

Terrorists? Arafat? What the hell was that Israeli toad Menachim Begin? Wasn’t dear old Menachim wanted on murder and terrorism charges in Britain? Yet Begin would be welcomed into the Oval Office with a big smile and handed a check for several billion dollars! We’ve been letting Israeli terrorists into this country for years, Jerry, with the AIPAC controlled Congress forming the welcoming committee.

And 9/11? Jerry, you know what brought us 9/11? The core reason? Forty years worth of blind, endless support of Israel, that’s what. It most definitely was NOT, as the fool said, “Because they hate our freedoms”.

[JerryLevy]

04:35 PM on 04/08/2009

No child left behind not only raised the funding from the federal government to record levels but it measured effectiveness. For the first time there was accountability but the teachers unions did speak out against it. The Taliban are not alive and well in Afghanistan. They are fighting for their very existance instead of controlling an entire country. As for Bush eliminating the terrorist Arafat from the world stage-----it is a fact that he did it. Once he refused to meet with him until the PA adhered to all the treaties they had signed, no other western leader wanted to meet with him. If you want to go back to 1948 to debate Begin, that would be OK, but it has nothing to do with Bush's accomplishments. Lets not forget the success of Bush's Africa AIDS suppport. 9/11 came not from our support of Israel but from a hate filled, racist ideology that is implacable and cannot be negotiated with. Israel is only one of the things those terrorists hate.

[JerryLevy]

09:08 PM on 04/06/2009

Most all of the opposition leaders in Venezuela have been jailed, are under indictment, or are being investigated by the state. A classic move of any leadership looking to establish complete and total control of a country.

[texasaggie]

05:43 PM on 04/06/2009

Let's hope Obama has the decency to reach out to Chavez and the rest of Latin America. So far, it looks just like more of the same from the new American admin. It is nice to see that while we in the west have hailed the glowing success of the G20 meeting and Obama because Sarkozy didn't walk out, Michelle and Carla were on splendid sartorial display together, and the queen was humanized, the NAM still has the guts to speak some truth. Time to separate yourself from the failed policies of the past, Barry. Not looking promising yet.

[Realityism]

04:36 PM on 04/06/2009

Desperation. This is Chavez's way of saying "Please send money."

[zaz33]

05:45 PM on 04/06/2009

Chavez doesn't need our money.

Venezuela has money in the bank.

[Realityism]

01:32 PM on 04/08/2009

Not for long they don't.

[philosopherkingtomas]

03:02 PM on 04/06/2009

i like Chavez ! he is better than the real anti American's Palin, Bachman, Rush, or Hannity!

[Gasparilla]

10:15 AM on 04/06/2009

The best thing to do is leave Chavez alone. The price of oil has put a lot of his plans on hold. He is also charging a couple of his political opponents of corruption [like Putin] and is seeking their arrest. It's not going over very well.

[Drummaboy]

04:03 AM on 04/06/2009

Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, Ahmadinejad, Putin, Mao, Kim Jung IL, Castro, Chavez....another name in a long line of self indulgent evil leaders.

[LooktotheLeft]

06:47 AM on 04/06/2009

You want to throw Chavez in with that bunch? Give me a f**king break. I would think twice before even throwing Castro and Putin in with the likes of Hitler and Stalin. Last I checked, neither was responsible for mass murder of its citizens

[Diogenes08]

09:06 AM on 04/06/2009

GW Bush, on the other hand...

[TheBlackCat]

09:06 AM on 04/06/2009

Some people are completely ignorant when it comes to history. America isn't exactly a nation of scholars.

[RoloTomassi]

09:05 AM on 04/06/2009

Such summations can only be drawn from a shallow, extremely biased interpretation of history and the figures sited....

[billw8017]

03:20 AM on 04/06/2009

It would be good if the United States were to resume a "Good Neighbor" policy in Latin America. That we should acknowledge that "President" of Venezula is a title of some pride and the man is trying to lift up the less wealthy to first world standards. Even when he remarked on the odor of sulfure where our previous President had been, he was jocular rather than so mean or humorless as some of his critics. We should wish him well and hope he can raise the economy of his country.

Columbia is another basket of fish altogether. They have suffered some sixty years of revolution now and have turned into a narco state. Revolution should be impossible in a well run democracy because the leaders of the different faction have respect and something to lose.

[jmundstuk]

02:58 AM on 04/06/2009

Oh, come on. Relations between the US and Russia or China can hardly be called alliances. Agree on Saudi Arabia and Iraq in the '80s. But these are taunts, not arguments. It's criticism of Israeli policy being answered with (fill in the blank) is bad, too.

[TJCole]

01:36 AM on 04/06/2009

This is a good sign, and maybe as a good faith gesture President Obama could ask KBR to install a custom shower for President Chavez's....personal use only of course...!

;- )

I know, I am a terrible person...

[ILibertine]

11:41 PM on 04/05/2009

All very interesting. Iran perhaps "assisting" in Afghanistan, Chavez pondering less reactionary dialogue. Wishing less strained relations with other countries does not by any means imply acceding to their demands and condoning their style of government (as if our's was as perfect). It does imply endeavoring to prioritize potentially constructive dialogue over threats. We can maintain dialogue with Hu Jintao when China enables our debt, with no apparent sense of ambiguity. Our policy as relates to Iran, Venezuela or Cuba insofar as demonization begets its own rewards and forestalls any improvements we might genuinely desire, and that can be had through mutually beneficial negotiation.

We may be able to witness some interesting developments in the nature of global states as time evolves. Historically, perhaps it is time for a world wide "breather" where every nation goes back to mending its own (economic) fences. The alternative possibility that history teaches is not so settling.

[cylindar]

11:34 PM on 04/05/2009

I like Chavez, I hope Obama realizes that he is not dealing with a dummy when he meets him. Chavez is a good guy whether you agree with him or not. Chavez is a man who deserves great respect as he is genuinely interested in helping his people. I hope Obama understands this. It is really sad the way the US has demonized him. I personally wish I could meet Chavez in person and shake his hand and thank him for attempting to do the impossible without going too crazy.

[politicali]

01:58 AM on 04/06/2009

I don't think Chavez "deserves great respect" but he shouldn't be demonized either. He is a clown with a huge ego but he is not dangerous. All other countries in Latin America have normal relations with him and the US should try it also. Cuba needs to be considered too, Castro is not a big bad wolf, it's time for the US to grow up.

[JerryLevy]

12:10 AM on 04/07/2009

I like him too. He has shut down the pesky opposition press, nationalized much of the industry in Venezuela, not to mention crime and the black market is at a record high, his support of the FARC terrorists is another good point and his alignment with Iran is especially gratifying. What I like most is that most opposition political figures are either jailed, under investigation or have been indicted. Maybe after you meet Chavez, you can check in with Fidel and Putin.

[jimrs6]

09:27 PM on 04/05/2009

Hilary's team will have an inappropriate Spanish translation of "reset" available for him shortly.