Page One Daily News
VENEZUELA - Chavez No, Ledezma Yes

* VENEZUELA

Chavez No, Ledezma Yes
One of the leaders of the opposition was received by the president-elect of Chile

While President Hugo Chavez declined to attend the swearing in ceremony of his counterpart in Chile, Sebastian Pinera, Venezuela will not be without representation. The former mayor of Caracas, Antonio Ledezma, was received by the president-elect of Chile in what has been seen as evidence of the chasm that exists between the two presidents. Ledezma also met with former president of Colombia, Andres Pastrana, and with the head of Spain's government, Jose Maria Aznar. Meanwhile, representing Chavez will be Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro. The diplomatic divide between Caracas and Santiago deepened in Jan. when Pinera criticized Venezuela's political situation. "I want to state it clearly: those differences are profound and have to do with the way in which the practice of democracy is conceived, in the way in which the economic development model is conceived and a lot more," Pinera said after just being elected.
Mar-10-2010 06:03pm