MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Washington and Venezuela agree to re-establish their ambassadors

Chavez and Obama’s premonitory handshake in Trinidad Tobago.

Venezuela and United States will be re-establishing their ambassadors in the coming days, confirmed on Wednesday Venezuelan Foreign Affairs minister Nicolas Maduro Ambassadors Bernardo Alvarez and Patrick Duddy were withdrawn last September when hostility between President Hugo Chavez and former President George Bush climaxed following years of disagreements and diplomatic clashes.

“Normalization of relations will take place in the coming days, and the two ambassadors will be re-established immediately to their posts so as to advance in a more fluid communication”, said Maduro talking with the press in the city of Maracay, where the sixth Bolivarian Alternative for Our Americas, ALBA summit is taking place.

The issue was addressed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during the recent Summit of the Americas in Trinidad Tobago.

Chavez - fierce opponent of US policy who once likened President George W. Bush to the devil - had expressed hope for improved relations with Washington following years of tensions with the Bush administration.

After his testy relations with the Bush presidency, Chavez has warmed to the Obama administration. He greeted the new US president with handshakes at the April summit.

President Barack Obama has repeatedly stated his government wants to improve ties with all nations in the Western Hemisphere.

Although Chavez first thought of naming Ambassador Roy Chaderton, currently head of the representation before the Organization of American States it was later decided it was “simpler and more expeditious” to reassign previous ambassadors, revealed Venezuelan diplomatic sources.

Chavez expelled ambassador Duddy in September 2008 to show solidarity with Bolivia after Bolivian President Evo Morales ordered out the top US diplomat in his country, accusing him of helping the opposition incite violence. Washington denied the allegation and reacted by expelling the envoys of both Venezuela and Bolivia.

The normalization announcement took place during the ALBA summit which also includes President Evo Morales from Bolivia.

Maduro said that he had spoken with Thomas Shannon, the top US diplomat for the Americas, and that they “effectively reached an agreement on the proposal” to restore ambassadors as part of an effort to improve relations.

“The two ambassadors will re-establish their positions immediately - our ambassador, Bernardo Alvarez, in Washington and the US ambassador, Patrick Duddy, in Caracas,” Maduro said.

ALBA was created in 2004 by Cuba and Venezuela in an effort to counter the Free Trade Area for the Americas, FTAA sponsored by the United States.

Since then, ALBA has seen the incorporation of Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras and Dominica, and in this summit Ecuador, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua and Barbuda are expected to formalize.