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Chile's Bachelet, Venezuela's Chavez lower tone after diplomatic spat
AFP
CARACAS
Petroleumworld.com 04 19 07
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday held talks in Caracas with her Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez, who just days earlier caused a diplomatic spat by saying Chilean senators were "fascists."
The two presidents made it clear they had put the dispute behind them and stressed the need for the two South American countries to work together.
"Our people want peace and cooperation," Bachelet said at a joint news conference after her talks with Chavez.
"We have and want to have the best possible relations with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," the socialist Chilean president said.
Chavez, for his part, stressed the need to "resolve any hurdles whenever they appear, and move jointly toward a better future."
Bachelet had said earlier she would demand that Chavez show some respect toward Chile, after he railed against the Chilean senate for criticizing his decision to effectively shut down Venezuela's RCTV television station, which is critical of his government.
In an 18-6 vote, the senate had requested that Bachelet denounce the "violation of freedom of thought and expression" before the Organization of American States.
Chavez, a leftist known for his often virulent statements, claimed last week the motion was passed by "the fascist, extreme-right wing, the one that toppled progressive governments, popular governments in Latin America, that supports aggressions against people, disappearances, assassinations and genocides."
The verbal attack struck a deep chord in Chile, a country still scarred by the 1973-1990 dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet that is blamed for some 3,000 deaths and disappearances, and other grave human rights violations.
Bachelet was also scheduled to meet with leaders of the opposition to the Chavez government, including former presidential hopeful Manuel Rosales, the governor of the western state of Zulia.
Another opposition leader, Julio Borges, said he would ask Bachelet to press for a reversal of the decision not to renew RCTV's broadcasting license.
AFP 18 2126 GMT 04 07
Copyright© 2007 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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