April 28, 2005
Venezuelan Vice-President invites US officials to discuss political differences

(Venews , reproduced by BBC Monitoring Service) - "(.) Executive Vice-President José Vicente Rangel has invited US officials to discuss their positions concerning Venezuela, pointing out that the Venezuelan government is not an enemy of the United States. There are political differences? Then let's deal with them politically in a proper discussion,' Rangel said.

According to Vice-President Rangel, it is peculiar that almost every day, representatives from the US State Department, the Pentagon and the White House voice their concerns regarding Venezuela.

Minister of Communication and Information Andrés Izarra stated that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's attempts to isolate Venezuela during her Latin American tour will not work, since she will not be able to find any support for her argument describing Venezuela as a 'negative force in the region' (.)".