Post by Papa C. on May 3, 2007 7:19:50 GMT
By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer
Wed May 2, 9:10 PM ET
WASHINGTON - The State Department's No. 2 official said Wednesday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez cannot continue spending billions of dollars helping other countries while he faces so much "blatant poverty" at home.
"Sooner or later these policies will fail," Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte told a State Department gathering. He said Venezuela's long-term prospects are not good because Chavez is neglecting "the wealth-producing portions" of the economy.
Negroponte took note of Chavez's anti-American rhetoric and said it would be a mistake for the United States to respond in kind. "It's important that we not rise to the bait," he said.
When Negroponte took office in early March, Chavez labeled him a "professional killer" and said the possibility of a "death plot" against him "gained weight" with Negroponte's shift to the State Department after serving as director of national intelligence.
Negroponte spoke to a meeting of the Council of the Americas, a U.S. business organization that supports free trade. His comments about Venezuela came in response to a question.
Chavez, taking advantage of high oil prices, has spent billions trying to gain support in Latin America for his "21st Century socialism" agenda and to weaken American influence in the region. His closest ally in the hemisphere is ailing Cuban President
Fidel Castro.
Negroponte said the best way to counter Chavez would be for the United States and Latin America's democracies to adopt a common approach "so that we are more or less singing from the same page."
Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice has asked Negroponte, a former ambassador to Mexico and Honduras, to advise her on Latin American issues.
He is closely identified with U.S. policies in Central America in the 1980s, having served as ambassador to Honduras at a time when Washington was backing anti-communist rebels in neighboring Nicaragua. U.S. military aid to Honduras sharply increased during the period.
Negroponte will make his first trip to Latin America as deputy secretary next week, visiting Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama.
Wed May 2, 9:10 PM ET
WASHINGTON - The State Department's No. 2 official said Wednesday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez cannot continue spending billions of dollars helping other countries while he faces so much "blatant poverty" at home.
"Sooner or later these policies will fail," Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte told a State Department gathering. He said Venezuela's long-term prospects are not good because Chavez is neglecting "the wealth-producing portions" of the economy.
Negroponte took note of Chavez's anti-American rhetoric and said it would be a mistake for the United States to respond in kind. "It's important that we not rise to the bait," he said.
When Negroponte took office in early March, Chavez labeled him a "professional killer" and said the possibility of a "death plot" against him "gained weight" with Negroponte's shift to the State Department after serving as director of national intelligence.
Negroponte spoke to a meeting of the Council of the Americas, a U.S. business organization that supports free trade. His comments about Venezuela came in response to a question.
Chavez, taking advantage of high oil prices, has spent billions trying to gain support in Latin America for his "21st Century socialism" agenda and to weaken American influence in the region. His closest ally in the hemisphere is ailing Cuban President
Fidel Castro.
Negroponte said the best way to counter Chavez would be for the United States and Latin America's democracies to adopt a common approach "so that we are more or less singing from the same page."
Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice has asked Negroponte, a former ambassador to Mexico and Honduras, to advise her on Latin American issues.
He is closely identified with U.S. policies in Central America in the 1980s, having served as ambassador to Honduras at a time when Washington was backing anti-communist rebels in neighboring Nicaragua. U.S. military aid to Honduras sharply increased during the period.
Negroponte will make his first trip to Latin America as deputy secretary next week, visiting Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama.
