CHILE/SPAIN: Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez accuses the Spanish King Juan Carlos of knowing about 2002 coup attempt in Caracas

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez accused the king of Spain on Sunday (November 11) of knowing about military coup that nearly toppled Chavez in 2002, after sparring words with the monarch during a summit in Chile. King Juan Carlos told Chavez to "shut up" on Saturday after the Venezuelan firebrand interrupted a speech by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The king's flare-up at the Ibero American summit followed days of criticism by leftist Latin American leaders of Spain's political and business influence in former colonies. "Mr. King answer this: Did you know about the military coup against Venezuela? Against the democratic, legitimate government of Venezuela in 2002? Because it is very difficult to imagine that the Spanish ambassador was in the (Venezuelan presidential) palace supporting the coup leaders without the authorization of Your Majesty. Because (the King) is the one that direct foreign affairs. Now, I understand the fury of the King and that is why he said why don't you shut up. Senor King, I will tell you the following: we have been here 500 years and we will never shut up, much less beneath the voice of a monarch," Chavez said to journalists in Santiago. Chavez fell to the 2002 coup leaders for only a few hours, and has since accused the United States and the government of former Spanish leader Jose Maria Aznar of their involvement. He told journalists he hoped the incident with King Juan Carlos would not affect relations between the two countries.

ITN Source | November 13, 2007

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