Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in London on Sunday for
a two-day private visit, but he will not meet British Prime
Minister Tony Blair.
During his trip, Chavez will meet left-wing members of
parliament (MPs), trade unionists and the Mayor of London, Ken
Livingstone.
On his previous trip to London in 2001, he warmly embraced
Blair, but has since fiercely criticized the British support for
the war in Iraq.
The tension between Britain and Venezuela has been growing since
February, when Blair said in the House of Commons that Venezuela
"should abide by the rules of the international community" and that
he would like to see Venezuela's close ally Cuba become a
"functioning democracy".
Chavez responded by calling Blair a "pawn of imperialism" of the
United States.
The Venezuelan embassy in London confirmed in a statement on
Thursday that Chavez would not have any contact with the British
government during his visit, saying that Chavez has "already had an
official visit to the United Kingdom where he met with the prime
minister and other British authorities."
The statement, however, did not mention the recent tension
between the two countries.
The British Foreign Ministry has declined to comment on the
reasons why Chavez will not meet any senior government officials
during the ongoing visit. And a spokesman in Blair's office said a
meeting was not requested this time and that Chavez's visit was
"private."
Chavez arrived in London after a participation in the EU-Latin
American summit held in Vienna.
While in Vienna, Chavez said he would like to provide cheap
heating oil for Europeans on low incomes as he had to needy
Americans in the eastern United States this winter.
Blair, who also attended the summit, said that Venezuela and
Bolivia should act responsibly with their resources.
On Friday, Livingstone praised Chavez as "a beacon of democracy
and social progress in the Latin America."
Livingstone also said London could benefit from closer ties with
Venezuela.
"Latin America is an increasingly important world economic
region and London's future depends of establishing strong links
with the world's great emerging economies ... Venezuela is an
important country economically in the region, and one of the
world's largest oil exporters," he said.
On Sunday afternoon, Chavez will address a meeting on
Venezuela's social reforms hosted by Livingstone. On Monday, he
will meet with trade union leaders at the Trades Union Congress,
followed by a press conference with Livingstone at City Hall.
He is scheduled to leave Britain for Libya on Tuesday.
(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2006)
