MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chavez tells Obama “leave us alone” and called him “clown” and an “embarrassment”

The Venezuelan leader reacted to Obama’s warnings about threats to democracy

President Hugo Chavez called on Barack Obama to stop meddling in Venezuelan affairs, “leave us alone” and described the US leader as a “clown” and an “embarrassment”. Chavez is currently in Montevideo for the Mercosur summit.

“Focus on governing your country, which you've turned into a disaster” the Venezuelan president told state TV on Monday. Chávez's comments followed a rare and strongly worded interview with Obama published by the Caracas-based El Universal newspaper.

Obama criticized Venezuela's business and political links with Iran and Cuba, and raised concerns at what he called threats to the country's democracy.

“It seems to me that the ties between Venezuela's government and Iran and Cuba have not served the interests of Venezuela and its people” said Obama in a written interview.

Chávez claimed the interview was motivated by next year's US presidential elections. “Mr Obama decided to attack us,” he said. “Now you want to win votes by attacking Venezuela. Don't be irresponsible. You are a clown, a clown. Leave us in peace … Go after your votes by fulfilling that which you promised your people.”

“Go and ask the black communities of your country what you are for them: the greatest frustration. Go and ask the poor people of your country what you mean for them, a great frustration”, added the Venezuelan leader.

Chávez, who also faces a tricky 2012 re-election battle, was known for his vitriolic attacks on George Bush, who he famously called the “devil” during a 2006 speech at the UN. His swipe at Obama suggested to some analysts that Chávez believed he could score electoral points at home by berating the US commander-in-chief.

Javier Corrales, an expert on Venezuela from Amherst College in Massachusetts, said that “Chávez response was predictable; Obama's motives [for giving the interview were], less so.

”Chávez seizes every opportunity he can find to have a fight with the United States, and his response to this interview follows that line faithfully,“ Corrales said. ”[But] Obama's motives for doing the interview were less predictable. The United States has been trying not to say too much about Venezuela in public since the last few years of the Bush administration. It's a policy of avoiding verbal confrontations at all costs,“ he said.

Corrales argued Obama's departure from that policy was likely a response to ”increasing pressure by conservatives on the United States to sanction Venezuela, especially because of its ties with Iran. Under Bush, the Conservatives were tolerant with the administration's policy. Under Obama, this tolerance is waning,” he added