MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chavez calls on the world to “respect” the Iran regime and Islamic revolution

A close ally, Chavez is one of the few leaders who have openly supported Teheran.

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez openly supported the Iran regime and called for “respect” for the country and an end to attempts “to erode the strength of the Iranian revolution”.

Speaking during his weekly program “Hello President” Chavez said “we send our support and respect for President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, the great leader of Iran, and to Ayatollah Alí Jamenei and the Iranian people. We call on the world to respect Iran because protests are trying to undermine the strength of the Iranian revolution”.

“We ask for respect from the world. The victory of Ahmadinejad has been an ample victory in all corners. They are trying to tarnish Ahmadinejad’s victory and with it the Islamic government and revolution. But I know they will not be able to bend them”, underlined the Venezuelan president.

Since June 12 when Ahmadinejad “officially” was re-elected, but the results repeatedly protested and questioned by the opposition, Chavez has reiterated on several occasions his support for his Iranian peer.

Apparently this week he was on the phone with the Iranian president to express the Venezuelan people’s solidarity and in a communiqué from the Foreign Affairs ministry condemned “the ferocious unfounded discredit campaign which from overseas has been launched against the Iranian government and the Islamic revolution”.

Most western governments have condemned the bloody repression by the Teheran regime against protestors and the leading opposition candidate who accuse the government of fraudulent elections.

In related news President Chavez also announced on Sunday the beginning of an “artillery barrage of thinking” to combat the “communicational” campaigns from the opposition press.

“We’re going into an ideas battle, they shoot this way, and we shoot at them” said Chavez who warned that the Venezuelan oligarchy is involved in “a daily campaign to discredit the revolutionary government appealing to fabrications and unfounded data”.

The oligarchy owns most newspapers (“but not for long if they publish defamation”) and are releasing “false documents” making parents believe that “their children are going to be taken from them; they are openly in a campaign to scare Venezuelans”•

President Chavez has already closed several broadcast and television media by not renewing their operation licences.