Posted on 11/12/2007 12:10:06 PM PST by trane250
The diplomatic row between Hugo Chavez and Spain intensified yesterday as the Venezuelan president demanded to know the Spanish monarch’s knowledge of a coup that briefly removed the Socialist leader from power.
Mr Chavez, who was in Chile for the Ibero-American summit, claimed that Spain’s ambassador had appeared at Venezuela’s presidential palace during the two-day coup in 2002 to support the interim president Pedro Carmona.
Mr Chavez insisted that such support could only have been sanctioned with the Spanish King’s blessing.
Related Links Chavez vows revenge for Falklands war Chavez seeks endless presidential terms His comments followed the public spat in which Spanish King Juan Carlos told Chavez to “shut up” during an increasingly acrimonious summit.
The King’s outburst came moments after the president had called Spain’s former prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, a “fascist” for backing the coup. At the end of the conference, Mr Chavez asked to what extent Juan Carlos had supported the coup.
“Mr King, did you know about the coup d’etat against Venezuela, against the democratic, legitimate government of Venezuela in 2002?” he said at a press conference yesterday.
“It’s very hard to imagine the Spanish ambassador would have been at the presidential palace supporting the coup-plotters without authorization from his majesty.”
No one was available to comment at the Spanish embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, or at the royal palace in Madrid, Spain, yesterday.
The fracas began when Mr Chavez accused Mr Aznar, of backing the 2002 coup and repeatedly called him “fascist” in an address at the summit of leaders from Latin America, Spain and Portugal.
“Fascists are not human. A snake is more human,” Mr Chavez said during the conference. Spain’s current socialist prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, asked Mr Chavez to be more diplomatic and show respect for other leaders despite political differences.
“President Hugo Chavez, I think there is an essential principle to dialogue, and that is, to respect and be respected, we should be careful not to fall into insults,” Mr Zapatero said.
Mr Chavez continued to interrupt as Zapatero spoke, although his microphone was switched off.
A frustrated King Juan Carlos, sitting next to Mr Zapatero, leaned toward Mr Chavez and said: “Why don’t you shut up?” The monarch then left the chamber.
“They told me some Spanish officials grabbed him by the arm, because he’s strong and tall. He acted like an angry bull as he stormed out,” Mr Chavez recalled in comments published yesterday by Spain’s El Mundo newspaper.
“I’m no bullfighter, but ole!” he added.
Mr Chavez, who faces violent protests at home against a proposed constitutional reform package that would greatly boost his power, said the incident had been exaggerated by the media.
“I hope this will not damage relations,” Mr Chavez said as he left his Santiago hotel room. “But I think it’s imprudent for a king to shout at a president to shut up.”
Mr Chavez regularly accuses Washington of helping orchestrate the 2002 coup against him, a charge US officials deny.
US and Spanish ambassadors did meet with Mr Carmona and his newly appointed foreign minister on April 13, 2002, hours before Mr Chavez was restored to power following massive demonstrations.
Have your say
My “liberal” MIL expressed how appalled she was at Chavez’ behavior.
I simply said, “What do you expect from a socialist? This is what they always end up doing out of necessity.”
I’ll buy the one .308 cartridge used.
“Mr Chavez regularly accuses Washington of helping orchestrate the 2002 coup against him, a charge US officials deny.”
Hard to imagine the US didn’t support or consult in some fashion, but given the disaster that event became, it’s nothing to brag about...
A pity the King didn’t reply “Know of it? I helped back it, you whelp!”
“Mr Chavez, who was in Chile for the Ibero-American summit, claimed that Spain’s ambassador had appeared at Venezuela’s presidential palace during the two-day coup in 2002 to support the interim president Pedro Carmona.”
I thought he previously claimed Bush was behind it.
Keep talking, Chavez. At some point, it will be a compliment when you accuse people of supporting the coup.
All it takes is one patriot with the courage to take action. If I were Hugo, I wouldn’t sleep too well at night.
“I hope this will not damage relations,” Mr Chavez said as he left his Santiago hotel room. “But I think it’s imprudent for a king to shout at a president to shut up.”
***
Snort!
Might be imprudent for a big mouth know-it-all to disrespect the Spanish delgation, including the king. Keep it up Hugo and the only friend you are going to have is ol Castro. And he’s not long for this world.
fas·cism
Function: noun
1) a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
2) a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control
Soon to be announced; a high budget Robert Redford blockbuster film starring Sean Penn as the Spanish king, raping four year old children and bludgeoning them with a polo mallet, as Dick Cheney looks on laughing uncontrollably. Don’t miss “The Divine Right,” coming to a theatre near you.
“...the KING had broken protocol.”
****
Good thing for Chavez that’s all the King might have broken. If I were His Majesty, I would have reached over and broken a few of Chavez’s teeth. Fortunately for Chavez, the King has some class.
Chavez looks like a glutton. If you want him to shut up just throw a cooked pig at him. I bet that will shut him up, at least for a while.
the darling of the clintonistas, kennedistas, carteristas, obamaistas, algoristas, etc., etc.
¡Bien dicho! Perros ladran. Es lo que hacen perros.
It's not the last coup you need to worry about Señor Presidente . . . It's the next one (with a wry smile).
So how do you say “Why don’t you shut up?” in Spanish?
Even better!!
So how do you say “Why don’t you shut up?” in Spanish?
¿Por que no te callas?
Juan Carlos is the direct patriline descendant of the Robertian and Merovingian Kings. The guy has seen his country through a civil war, and Chavez is lucky Juan Carlos didn’t knock him the F out.
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