[R-G] Venezuelan President Clashes with the King of Spain at Latin American Summit

[Anthony Fenton]

Venezuelan President Clashes with the King of Spain at Latin American  
Summit
November 12th 2007, by Chris Carlson - Venezuelanalysis.com
King of Spain Juan Carlos, sitting next to Spanish President Jose  
Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, tells the Venezuelan president to shut up  
(YVKE Mundial)
Caracas, November 12, 2007 (venezuelanalysis.com)- Venezuelan  
President Hugo Chavez clashed verbally with King of Spain Juan Carlos  
at the Latin American Summit in Chile on Saturday. The Spanish King  
told the Venezuelan president to "shut up" after losing his patience  
with Chavez' interventions at the Summit, causing a sharp response  
from the Venezuelan leader.

The conflict began after Chavez labeled former president of Spain,  
Jose Maria Aznar, a "fascist" for his continued criticisms of Chavez  
and the political process in Venezuela. The comment offended the  
Spanish delegation led by current Spanish President José Luis  
Rodríguez Zapatero.

"You all know that Jose Maria Aznar, I said it yesterday and I'll  
repeat it today, that man is a fascist," said the Venezuela President  
at the closing session of the Summit. Chavez accused Aznar of knowing  
about, and supporting the 2002 coup d'etat in Venezuela that  
temporarily overthrew the Chavez government.

President Chavez' statements provoked a response from Zapatero, who  
demanded "respect" for all political leaders, regardless of their  
ideology.

"You can be against a certain ideological position, and I am not very  
close to the ideas of Aznar, but he was elected by the Spanish  
people, and I demand respect," said Zapatero to Chavez.

But it was when Chavez attempted to answer Zapatero, explaining that  
the ex-president Aznar continues to criticize Venezuela in public,  
that King Juan Carlos lost his patience, and said to Chavez "Why  
don't you shut up?" while angrily pointing a finger at Chavez.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Bolivian President Evo Morales,  
and Cuban Vice-President Carlos Lage all came to the defense of the  
Venezuelan President, while President of Peru Alan Garcia expressed  
his support for the Spanish King, as did the government of Chile.

It wasn't until the following day that Chavez responded to the King's  
statements, saying that he hadn't heard what he said.

"People have asked me why I didn't respond to him, but I didn't hear  
what the King said," said Chavez to journalists outside his hotel in  
Chile. "There was noise. I didn't even see the king, or hear him."

The Venezuelan president stated that he would never shut up, and  
accused the Spanish king of also supporting the 2002 coup d'état in  
Venezuela.

"I'm not going to shup up, and they won't shut me up because I'm not  
speaking for myself, I am speaking for millions, the millions who are  
the children of Bolivar, the millions who are children of Guaicaipuro  
and Manuela (Saenz), Jose Leonardo Chirinos, and all of those who the  
Spanish murdered, ambushed, and slaughtered here," he said.

Chavez directed a question directly at the Spanish King, demanding to  
know if he was involved in the Venezuelan coup.

"Now the debate has begun Mr. King. Answer this: Did you know about  
the coup d'état against Venezuela, against the democratic, legitimate  
government of Venezuela in 2002?"

Chavez asked if perhaps the King is angry about his comments against  
Aznar because he was also involved in the Venezuelan coup. Chavez  
explained that the Spanish government at that time openly supported  
the coup, and that the Spanish ambassador to Venezuela, along with  
the US ambassador, both went to the presidential palace in Venezuela  
to greet the coup leaders.

"The Spanish ambassador, with the US ambassador, went to applaud (the  
coup) while I was in jail," said Chavez. "It's very difficult to  
think that the Spanish ambassador is going to be in the presidential  
palace supporting the coup leaders without the authorization of His  
Majesty."

Although Chavez expressed concern about future relations between the  
two countries, and stated that he hopes they will not be affected, he  
assured that he would not change his posture.
"We've been here for 500 years and we'll never shut up, much less at  
the demands of a monarch," he said. "If I shut up, the people of  
Latin America would scream. They are ready to be free of all  
colonialism after 500 years."