U.S. "Concerned" by Venezuelan Chief's Iraq Visit
August 9, 2000 - 0:0
WASHINGTON The United States expressed deep concern on Monday about plans by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to visit Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on a 10-nation tour of oil-producing countries.
"We do think it's a rather dubious distinction to be the first democratically elected head of state to go meet with the dictator of Iraq (since the 1990 invasion of Kuwait)," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at a briefing.
"And we're deeply concerned about the reports that they're planning this visit to Baghdad," Boucher said. "It's very hard for us to understand these reports, given that Iraq continues to flout its international obligations" after the end of the Persian Gulf War.
Less than a week after the 10th anniversary of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, which sparked the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Chavez embarked on Sunday on a tour of 10 members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to promote his plan to host the cartel's first summit in 25 years.
Chavez, whose leftist rhetoric evokes comparisons with Cuba's President Fidel Castro and who led an abortive coup in 1992, prompts mixed feelings in the United States, which is a major importer of Venezuelan oil.
Appealing overwhelmingly to his country's poor, he was re-elected to serve a six-year term in a landslide last week despite record levels of crime and unemployment during his 18 months in office.
Flouting UN Sanctions? Boucher said the United States was concerned about reports that Chavez planned to visit Baghdad without the approval of the UN Sanctions Committee.
"It's Venezuela's obligation, as a UN member state, to observe all the Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq and the sanctions regime," Boucher said.
"We'd also like to make clear that in any contact with Iraqi officials we would expect Venezuelan officials to make clear that the roots of the current confrontation with Iraq are Baghdad's nine-year-long refusal to meet its international obligations and, more recently, its continuing challenges to the no-fly zones," the spokesman said.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright planned a trip to Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Ecuador next week, but would not stop in Venezuela, Boucher said.
He stopped short of saying that Chavez's planned visit to Iraq was the reason Albright would bypass Venezuela.
"There's a limited amount of time, there are certain countries that she wanted to visit on this trip, she's not able to just add others," he said. "She's just not going to Venezuela on this trip.' (Reuter)
"We do think it's a rather dubious distinction to be the first democratically elected head of state to go meet with the dictator of Iraq (since the 1990 invasion of Kuwait)," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at a briefing.
"And we're deeply concerned about the reports that they're planning this visit to Baghdad," Boucher said. "It's very hard for us to understand these reports, given that Iraq continues to flout its international obligations" after the end of the Persian Gulf War.
Less than a week after the 10th anniversary of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, which sparked the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Chavez embarked on Sunday on a tour of 10 members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to promote his plan to host the cartel's first summit in 25 years.
Chavez, whose leftist rhetoric evokes comparisons with Cuba's President Fidel Castro and who led an abortive coup in 1992, prompts mixed feelings in the United States, which is a major importer of Venezuelan oil.
Appealing overwhelmingly to his country's poor, he was re-elected to serve a six-year term in a landslide last week despite record levels of crime and unemployment during his 18 months in office.
Flouting UN Sanctions? Boucher said the United States was concerned about reports that Chavez planned to visit Baghdad without the approval of the UN Sanctions Committee.
"It's Venezuela's obligation, as a UN member state, to observe all the Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq and the sanctions regime," Boucher said.
"We'd also like to make clear that in any contact with Iraqi officials we would expect Venezuelan officials to make clear that the roots of the current confrontation with Iraq are Baghdad's nine-year-long refusal to meet its international obligations and, more recently, its continuing challenges to the no-fly zones," the spokesman said.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright planned a trip to Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Ecuador next week, but would not stop in Venezuela, Boucher said.
He stopped short of saying that Chavez's planned visit to Iraq was the reason Albright would bypass Venezuela.
"There's a limited amount of time, there are certain countries that she wanted to visit on this trip, she's not able to just add others," he said. "She's just not going to Venezuela on this trip.' (Reuter)