SYRIA: Venezuela's Chavez visits Syria, showing solidarity with Arab nation that has defied Washington for years

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday (August 30) to show solidarity with the Arab nation that has defied Washington for years. Chavez's popularity in Syria and the Arab world has shot up after he ordered Venezuela's envoy in Israel home earlier this month to protest the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon and threatened to break off diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. President Bashar al-Assad held talks with Chavez at a hilltop palace overlooking Damascus on Wednesday. Venezuela's and Syria's relations with the United States have plummeted in the last few years. Caracas and Washington argued last week over Venezuela's impounding of cargo that the U.S. embassy said was protected by diplomatic protocol. The United States imposed sanctions on Syria in 2004 for allegedly backing terrorism. Damascus shrugged off calls by Washington, Israel's chief ally, to pressure Hizbollah to cave in to Israeli demands during the recent war. During Chavez's visit, Syrian and Venezuelan officials are expected to sign pacts that include transport and oil, of which Syria produces 400,000 barrels a day, far less than Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest oil producer. There are an estimated 1 million Venezuelans of Syrian descent. Chavez, a critic of U.S. foreign and trade policies, has sought to enhance Venezuela's ties with U.S. foes such as Iran and Cuba, despite Washington's criticism of what he calls a socialist revolution.

ITN Source | August 30, 2006

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