MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Livingstone hails visit by Chavez

Ken Livingstone has defended Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as “the best news out of Latin America in many years”.

With Mr Chavez due to visit Britain this weekend, the Mayor of London hailed his reforms, and dismissed human rights groups' concerns about Venezuela's treatment of political opponents.

Mr Chavez is not due to meet Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom he describes as the "main ally of Hitler" for his support of US President George W Bush.

But he will meet left-wing Labour MPs and trade union leaders, and will be guest of honour at a lunch to be hosted by Mr Livingstone.

The Mayor told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think he's the best news out of Latin America in many years.

"He's won 10 elections for his party in the last decade and he's pushed through a whole programme of social reform.

"Venezuela was like a lot of those old Latin American countries - a small elite of super-rich families who basically stole the national resources.

"He's now driven a new economic order through, you've got for the first time healthcare for poor people, illiteracy has been eradicated.

"And of course the rich old families and the American oil companies are squawking because they are getting less of the pies and more people get more."

Mr Livingstone added that the capital could benefit from its relationship with Venezuela.

He said: "The reason he wants to come to London is because clearly, as the Latin American economies really begin to emerge from the American shadow and grow, they don't want all their eggs in the Washington basket."