CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton shook hands and chatted briefly Saturday in a rare cordial encounter amid a diplomatic dispute that has left Venezuela and the United States without ambassadors in each other’s capitals.
The handshake came as leaders were milling about at the inauguration of new Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. It was unclear what Chavez and Clinton discussed.
Both governments have shown firmly entrenched stances in the past week as the United States revoked the Venezuelan ambassador‘s visa in response to Chavez’s refusal to accept the chosen U.S. envoy.
“They thought we were going to back down. Anything negative that happens will be the responsibility of the United States,” veteran Venezuelan diplomat Roy Chaderton told the Caracas-based television channel Telesur on Thursday.
Chaderton, a close Chavez ally and former foreign minister, said the Venezuelan government is “studying the case with sensitivity … and will make the respective decisions.”
Chavez has skipped opportunities to respond during the past few days, saying nothing about the U.S. government’s decision to revoke the visa of his ambassador, Bernardo Alvarez. President Barack Obama‘s administration took that step in response to Chavez’s rejection of Larry Palmer, who has been awaiting Senate confirmation.
It was unclear what concrete effects those actions could have on U.S.-Venezuela relations, or whether the encounter between Chavez and Clinton could help ease the tensions. Clinton did not respond to questions as she walked into a cocktail reception for Rousseff.
Diplomats from the two countries have long had reduced contacts due to antagonism fed both by Chavez’s condemnations of the U.S. and by State Department criticisms of deteriorating democracy in Venezuela.
“Much of the cooperation between the United States and Venezuela in recent years has involved lower-level and lower-profile individuals and agencies than the ambassadors, so the immediate fallout will be limited,” said Shannon O’Neil, a fellow for Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. She said she expects the tensions to persist.
“Demonizing the United States remains too important a political foil for Chavez,” O’Neil said.
Palmer angered Chavez by suggesting — in written responses to questions from Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana — that morale is low in Venezuela’s military and that he is concerned Colombian rebels are finding refuge in Venezuela.
Chavez accused Palmer of dishonoring his government by expressing concerns on several sensitive subjects — including 2008 accusations by the U.S. Treasury Department that three members of Chavez’s inner circle helped Colombian rebels by supplying arms and aiding drug-trafficking operations.
“This outcome was predictable from the moment Palmer’s comments were made public by Senator Lugar in July,” said Miguel Tinker Salas, a Latin American studies professor at Pomona College in Claremont, California. “For the State Department to allow this predictable outcome to develop shows that they had no interest in improving relations with Venezuela.”
Chavez had vowed not to back down in his opposition to Palmer and dared the U.S. government to expel Alvarez before diplomats confirmed on Wednesday that his visa was revoked. Alvarez was outside the United States when the action was taken, preventing his return.
U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said earlier this week that the United States hopes to improve strained relations with Venezuela. “We believe it is precisely because there are tensions in the relationship that it is important to maintain diplomatic communications at the highest level,” Toner said.
The U.S. Embassy has been without an ambassador since Patrick Duddy finished his assignment and left in July.
A previous dispute prompted similar expulsions of ambassadors at the end of President George W. Bush’s administration. In September 2008, Chavez expelled Duddy and withdrew his own envoy, saying it was in solidarity with Bolivia after President Evo Morales ordered out the U.S. ambassador and accused him of helping the opposition incite violence. The Bush administration denied it and reacted by expelling the envoys of Venezuela and Bolivia.
U.S.-Venezuela relations began to look up after Chavez shook hands with Obama at a 2009 summit in Trinidad. Later that year, the Obama administration and Chavez’s government announced they were restoring their ambassadors.
Since then, the relationship has again grown more hostile.
In the past month, the U.S. State Department has strongly criticized decree powers granted to Chavez in the waning days of an outgoing congress firmly controlled by his allies. A new National Assembly takes office Jan. 5 with a bigger opposition contingent, and the decree powers will allow Chavez to bypass congress and enact laws in a range of areas for the next year and a half.
Despite such friction, the two countries are linked by deep trade ties. Chavez’s economy relies heavily on oil sales to the U.S. and imports large quantities of consumer goods from the United States. Oil sales to the U.S. have declined in recent years as Chavez has sought to diversify his oil market, selling more to allied countries such as China.
Chavez, whose anti-U.S. position has been a defining feature of his 12-year presidency, has often used his vehement condemnations of U.S. “imperialism” to rally nationalism among supporters while also drawing close to countries such as Cuba and Iran that share his views.
Larry Birns, director of the Washington-based Council on Hemispheric Affairs, said that if boths parties’ “rhetoric becomes more shrill, the situation can deteriorate faster than either side originally intended.”
Some in the U.S. Congress, meanwhile, are calling for a hard line against Chavez.
Republican Rep. Connie Mack of Florida said this week that the United States “has looked the other way for far too long as Hugo Chavez destroyed democratic institutions.” Mack accused the Obama administration of taking a passive approach toward Venezuela.
“Chavez is harming the future of his country and breeding insecurity in the region and he will have to face direct consequences for his decisions,” Mack said. “One day the United States and Venezuela will once again have a strong, mutually beneficial diplomatic relationship, but unfortunately, it does not appear that this will be possible under the leadership of Hugo Chavez.”
___
Associated Press writer Marco Sibaja in Brasilia contributed to this report.
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Comments (118)
obamasux
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 2:36pmJust two commies hanging out together and celebrating the new year and the coming downfall of America!
Report Post »dictionmary
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 2:28pmHill is a “floater”– when her blips fall like armor-clad dung to the bottom of the pool, she backs off.
Report Post »loveoursoldiers
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 2:06pmThis could add a whole new chapter to the — Clinton/cigar/ pick an orifice— book!
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 2:00pmObama is so jealous. As Clinton returns Obaman will say, “did he ask about me? What did he say? Did he smell like a fresh cigar? Oh, um, eh, sorry, uh no pun intended, you know how much a smokey man turns me on”.
Report Post »mrclean
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 8:36pmHill: “Oh, your brackness, his cigar was firm and fresh, but I didn’t smell it…”
puke
Report Post »neverending
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:49pmThey make such a lovely couple!!
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 2:00pmHe (male) isn’t her type.
Report Post »WHITE LOTUS2x
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:45pmhugo and barak both no how to go arround congress. i wonder how that happened? hillary must have told them. hilly hilly hilly ,where do you have your head? i dont believe the two love birds are really mad at each other, fust a little spat. which one will give in and whats it going to cost and who is it going to cost.keep them out and take care of the border. and for Gods sake guys start that drill baby drill thing a goin as soon asyou can in America.
Report Post »YesNdeedie
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:42pmHey Hugo, Bammy heard that you managed to control everything and even get a policy passed that says you make all the rules. It‘d look funny if he came to visit you but if you tell me how you accomplished so much I’ll relay this information back to Bammy. It will be our little secret though.
Report Post »walker1812
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:40pmPretty sad when our administration sucks up to two bit dictators. Oh, that’s right Chavez and Barry are interchangeable!
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:27pmThey were discussing how their respective government takeovers were going .Hillary was a bit jealous of how quickly Hugo’s communist coup was coming to completion ,while those pesky conservatives were slowing down the progressive/socialist ambitions here in the good old peoples republic of Washington DC.
Report Post »In-God-I-trust
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:26pmGet rid of the Federal Reserve and get rid of this kinship with murderer dictatorships.
Read, read, read and make our elected officials do what they should do. We have been scammed much too long.
http://www.amazon.com/Reality-Money-Federal-Reserve-Stephen/dp/1450553397/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1293990276&sr=8-1
Report Post »loveoursoldiers
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:26pmwhat I love the most about the Blaze are the posters user names.. first prize goes too
OBAMA-BINPHARTEEN
I also love .. a birka will make me look fat.. or something like that
I can count on Blazers to give me a good laugh each day no matter how grim the news is
Report Post »loveoursoldiers
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:19pmlovely.. I have a sudden urge to go hug some trees.. oooooweeee…cumbaya my lord.. cumbaya…
Report Post »lynnissmart
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:02pmI’m going to vomit…but I’m not surprised….No book from Chavez to Hillary?
Report Post »obama_binpharteen
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:16pmI was just about to say the same thing about no book. You beat me to it…
Report Post »lynnissmart
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:38pmGreat minds think alike!!!
Report Post »MissCherryJones
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:56pmDon’t the uber-liberals understand that in communist/socialist countries, it’s the actors, musicians, gays etc that are the first to be rounded up? Unless they are going to be shills for the government, that is. Free thinking is not allowed under those regimes. This has boggled my mind for years, ever since the first time I saw an actor wearing a Che shirt. Let‘s praise the guy who’ll imprison or kill us!
Report Post »Apparently, Hillary and the rest of the progressives are SO caught up in trying to create a socialist-type government here that they don’t realize the consequences.
dcwu
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:51pmReds
Report Post »ChiefGeorge
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:50pmIts funny how childish natons act isn’t it? This after a generation of having a UN. We have made much progress in the world. Thank a progressive. Venezuela is a third rate nation and needs to know their place in the world and not try to dictate to a first rate power what it should and should not do. No nation gets to select our AMB’s. Next they’ll start selecting our Presidents. Too Late!!!
Report Post »TaterSalad
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 6:17pmWe are not a first rate power as long as Kid Mao is in charge!
Report Post »N37BU6
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:49pmPoor Hillary… still looking for a fine gent to offer her a cigar tube.
Report Post »Looner
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:48pmBirds of a feather…
Report Post »Cool inside the Fyre
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:47pmThe Clinton’s, CAP, Soros, Obama BI GOVT Progressives Love Chavez and his “Incredible Revolution” they themselves are aspiring wannabe dictators
Report Post »Become a Progressive Hunter or lose your Country
YesNdeedie
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:31pmDid she have to have her blue dress laundered after leaving Chavez?
Report Post »Seneca264
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:28pmAaaaaaah, two perverted Marxist morons fellowshipping. Hillary is nothing more than filth.
Report Post »chasbronson
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:26pmMaybe she took diplomatic lessons from Monica,And Obama sent her down there to do what he was just too busy to do.With the wars and all.Sorry had to say it.
Report Post »TrueGrit
Posted on January 3, 2011 at 6:35amMake all the fun you guys want.
THESE PEOPLE ARE DANGEROUS.
Chavez has a GREAT PR group.
His CITCO stations here still have American customers. And the Money goes to him.
( A fact I can never understand-foriegn business permitted by a dictator who hates us)
Iran is sending and building multiple misslie sites on the coast in real time.
He still get a measure of US foreign aid.
This guy is NOT stupid.
Hillary is an animal. Never washes. Unbelieveable body odor.
Just ask any x secret service guys who had to work with her.
Loves to throw things around the room when angry.
AND fully intents to run for President.
This was not a chance meeting.
Folks, we are really screwed.
Wolverine
Report Post »zagfan
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:16pmWe almost went to war with Cuba over missiles, but yet Venezuela is loaded up with ones that can reach our main land and I don’t hear anything about that. They are busy talking about having an Ambassador expelled??? How about the missiles? Let get those expelled!
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {cat folk art}
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:42pmSimpler idea; hand Chavez a card that shows a picture of him asleep in his bed, with a special op’s band surrounding him. It has printed on it the words “Get the hint?”
Report Post »AzDebi
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:23pmI often wonder how different this country would be if JFK had not been killed…
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {cat folk art}
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 3:05pm@AZdebi
If I were somehow POTUS with Chavez in power, not to mention that dingbat in North Korea and in Iran, I would explain the simplest doctrine of all to any and all aggresion on their part “You launch one missile against us, and I send it back sixteen fold in response.”
Report Post »Country
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:12pmBirds of a feather…
Report Post »Laus Deo
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:25pmMore like douche bags of the same brand.
Report Post »RobertCA
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 2:32pmNice to see this lovely moment between Hillary & Chavez the dictator who’s officially harboring the terrorist group hezbollah wich is pro Iranian – pro Syrian .
Report Post »Good job Obama & Clinton good job with the RESET BUTTON .
chips1
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 4:13pmHas Chavez found his Monica?
Report Post »CatB
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 6:34pmBirds of a feather .. precisely.
Report Post »NancyBee
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 7:15pmYa’ll this is no joke…this guy is too weird for me….and there Hilliary is brown noseing him …while is buddying up to Russia……all they have to do is come up thru Mexico…and then what?
Report Post »Lord_Frostwind
Posted on January 3, 2011 at 3:40amI miss the good old days of Hugo ranting about smelling sulfur, and complaining about the number of US lights visible from space. Now, we actually communicate with him. I miss that crazy south american clown that i watched in high school.
Report Post »C.C.D.
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:09pmThat wasn’t a hand shake, she was passing him the address to Wikileaks…..
Report Post »Curator_JDR
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:19pmThe look on Hilary‘s face towards Chavez is almost as adoring as the way Obama looks into Chavez’ eyes. Maybe they’re both on the down low.
Here’s a new animated feature that shows the insanity of the Progressives. Its very funny. http://www.marcrubin.com/hairmerica.ivnu
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {cat folk art}
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:26pmProgressive meets Socialist and Wannabe Dictator for Life; either that or Hillary is seeking options for her and Obama to flee the land and find asylum when the elections of 2012 come about, and they get tried for capital crimes against the nation.
http://www.artinphoenix.com/gallery/grimm
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 12:49pmHillary was asking how she could advance socialism in the US like Hugo has for Venezuela. She will pass this on to Obammy when she gets back.
Report Post »walkwithme1966
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:03pmOh give me a break – she is a diplomat – she is suppose to look as if she is interested in what the other person is saying – and we should be grateful that our country has such a dedicated public servant as Sec. Clinton. http://maboulette.wordpress.com
Report Post »tifosa
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:37pmOnce again the adults rise to the surface…
Report Post »tobywil2
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:44pmHILLARY AND CHAVEZ BOTH AGREE ON TYRANNY THEIR DISAGREEMENT IS THE IDENTITY OF THE TYRANT! http://commonsense21c.com/
Report Post »Cobra Blue
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 1:48pmNothing new here. Birds of feather flock together. Just discussing the control of the free and soon to be “more oppressed” world. If this surprises you you have a problem or are grossly uninformed.
Report Post »oldguy48
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 2:29pmAnd she is less a marxist than obama? Guess again!
Report Post »click4cheapandeasyweb
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 2:49pmI say they are lovers!
Report Post »tifosa
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 3:19pmThe real question: WWSD?
Report Post »mtnclimberjim
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 3:41pmBirds of a feather, and a little coke on the side, combined with their obvious lust for each other. Hill is all about saving the latin man. And you know hugo just knows he can show this white chick a good time. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
Report Post »Marcobob69
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 4:06pmTwo progressive peas in a pod. Sickening. WAKE UP, AMERICA! Is this who we want the Secretary of State having a “pleasant conversation” with? A DICTATOR of a once FREE COUNTRY!!! C’MON MAN!
Report Post »mtnclimberjim
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 4:21pmWALKWITHME
I see you need to change your belly button wipers, You’ll be able to see a bit better when you do, but you still should come out of there for some air.
Report Post »ME
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 7:19pmWhat a utterly ugly couple a true match made in hell, both the socialist pigs belong together and the soon both are gone the better the world will be.
Report Post »WHITE LOTUS2x
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 7:46pmI think she was wondering if he washed his hands. After all she is married to Bill and they probably dont wash hands as often as Americans do.
Report Post »Dandylyon
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 8:35pmBirds of a feather.
Not running for prez she can be her socilaist/communist self.They make a good couple.If this is the best the world can do for leaders we as a people are in deep s**t,nothing will get fixed.
Report Post »Mister President
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 11:10pmIf this guy even tried to shake my hand, I’d say:
I’m the President of the United States of America. You’re a tyrant concerned only with keeping power. You’re not worthy of a handshake by the President of the United States of America. Your people certainly are, but you certainly are not. So, move along Mr. Chavez. Move along.
Report Post »JKN
Posted on January 3, 2011 at 8:09amMs. Clinton, our “Modern Progressive” in action…
Report Post »banderashovel
Posted on January 3, 2011 at 12:43pmhotel room number.!!
Report Post »