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| Chavez Arrives in London for Private Visit, No Meeting with Blair |
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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in London on Sunday for a two-day private visit, but he will not meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair. During his trip, Chavez will meet left-wing members of parliament (MPs), trade unionists and the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. On his previous trip to London in 2001, he warmly embraced Blair, but has since fiercely criticized the British support for the war in Iraq. The tension between Britain and Venezuela has been growing since February, when Blair said in the House of Commons that Venezuela "should abide by the rules of the international community" and that he would like to see Venezuela's close ally Cuba become a "functioning democracy". Chavez responded by calling Blair a "pawn of imperialism" of the United States. The Venezuelan embassy in London confirmed in a statement on Thursday that Chavez would not have any contact with the British government during his visit, saying that Chavez has "already had an official visit to the United Kingdom where he met with the prime minister and other British authorities." The statement, however, did not mention the recent tension between the two countries. The British Foreign Ministry has declined to comment on the reasons why Chavez will not meet any senior government officials during the ongoing visit. And a spokesman in Blair's office said a meeting was not requested this time and that Chavez's visit was "private." Chavez arrived in London after a participation in the EU-Latin American summit held in Vienna. While in Vienna, Chavez said he would like to provide cheap heating oil for Europeans on low incomes as he had to needy Americans in the eastern United States this winter. Blair, who also attended the summit, said that Venezuela and Bolivia should act responsibly with their resources. On Friday, Livingstone praised Chavez as "a beacon of democracy and social progress in the Latin America." Livingstone also said London could benefit from closer ties with Venezuela. "Latin America is an increasingly important world economic region and London's future depends of establishing strong links with the world's great emerging economies ... Venezuela is an important country economically in the region, and one of the world's largest oil exporters," he said. On Sunday afternoon, Chavez will address a meeting on Venezuela's social reforms hosted by Livingstone. On Monday, he will meet with trade union leaders at the Trades Union Congress, followed by a press conference with Livingstone at City Hall. He is scheduled to leave Britain for Libya on Tuesday. (Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2006) |
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