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News from Venezuela as of
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Venezuela insulted, detained US agents, says envoy
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| Published on Thursday, July 5, 2007 | Email To Friend Print Version
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By Saul Hudson
CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters): US federal agents guarding the American team at South America's top soccer tournament were insulted as "terrorists" and threatened with arrest by Venezuelan officials, the US ambassador said on Wednesday.
Ambassador William Brownfield told Reuters two State Department diplomatic security agents were detained for two hours at Maracaibo airport when they arrived to provide security for US players at this month's Copa America hosted by Venezuela.
"They jacked us around at the airport and then revoked the weapons permits," Brownfield said on his last day as ambassador in a country whose President Hugo Chavez is openly hostile to Washington.
"It is an unusual way of doing business," he added.
The US team, which has suffered heavy defeats in its opening games, has generally received good cooperation from Venezuelan authorities during the tournament, the ambassador said.
But the detentions and a formal note from the foreign ministry withdrawing permission for any of the 10 agents at the tournament to have guns is symptomatic of the increasingly sour ties between the United States and its No. 4 oil supplier.
The Venezuelan foreign ministry did not have an immediate comment when asked about the ambassador's complaint.
Brownfield, who has had tomatoes and eggs thrown at him in public appearances and overseen tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats, warned embassy staff over the deterioration in relations.
"They are probably going to get worse before they get better," he said in a speech at an event to mark US Independence Day and his last day on the job.
A huge Stars-and-Stripes, which US diplomats said they hoped could be seen across the crowded capital from the presidential palace, was hoisted above the fortified embassy compound.
Chavez tussles with the Bush administration over everything from oil prices to free trade to definitions of democracy. Accused by the United States as a threat to regional stability, he also frequently angers Washington by insulting Bush and forming alliances with foes such as Iran and Cuba.
Venezuela, where baseball and basketball usually dominate the sports pages of newspapers, is hosting for the first time a tournament that brings together the best soccer teams from across the Americas.
Chavez has spent $1 billion on stadia. The competition has generally had a successful start despite last-minute construction that has left debris strewn around venues and complaints tickets have been hoarded for government supporters.
Venezuela has one of the world's highest rates for crime-related deaths by shooting, but there is every sign the tournament's players -- including the Americans -- are generally safe.
Opposition newspapers have reported the main "security breach" has been to allow in fans who have chanted for freedom and against a president they call a dictator. | | | | Reads : 916 | | | |
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