MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela removes ambassador and keeps pressure on Chile

Venezuela announced Monday the name of its new ambassador to Chile following Santiago's claim last week that the outgoing diplomat had grossly “interfered in internal affairs”.

The new ambassador is Maria Lourdes Urbaneja, a former Public Health and Social Development minister from President Hugo Chavez administration and currently Venezuela's representative in Uruguay.

"Ambassador Urbaneja will be taking the post of ambassador in the Republic of Chile to continue strengthening friendship links between the two countries", announced Venezuela's Foreign Affairs minister Nicolas Maduro.

Without mentioning a word about the incident but recalling the exile of Chileans in Venezuela during the Pinochet regime, Mr. Maduro said that "we have a common history, in the last thirty years thousands of Chileans were next to the Venezuelan people working and studying in the seventies and the eighties".

"We're sending a woman of great human sensitivity, great working capacity to help strengthen the South American integration process. Ms Urbaneja has very precise instructions: to advance in plans involving cultural, commercial, energy and political cooperation", he added.

The Venezuelan minister also underlined that President Chavez has a "very special respect" for the Chilean leader Michelle Bachelet, "to whom we ratify our sympathy".

Simultaneously it was announced that the controversial Venezuelan ambassador Victor Delgado was re-posted to Honduras.

Chile complained to Venezuela of "interference in internal affairs" when ambassador Delgado in a public forum accused the junior member of the ruling coalition, Christian Democrats, of supporting the aborted coup against President Chavez in April 2002.

Furthermore Delgado claimed the Christian Democrats of having acted similarly in 1973 when allegedly they let down Chilean president Salvador Allende who was violently ousted by a military coup under General Augusto Pinochet.

Christian Democrats are against supporting Venezuela's bid to become a non permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, which will be decided this month.

Chile's protest made Venezuela call its ambassador to Caracas for "talks" about the diplomatic incident, a decision which was considered insufficient by Chile's Foreign Secretary Alejandro Foxley.

Maduro in Caracas said that the recent appointments and changes in Venezuelan diplomatic missions had the purpose of "revitalizing and strengthening" the country's Foreign Service.