HoustonChronicle.com - U.S. Says Venezuela Complicit in Attack

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By GEORGE GEDDA Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The State Department accused Caracas city officials of complicity Friday in an attack on the car of U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield in the Venezuelan capital.

Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns summoned Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez to the State Department and told him that Venezuela was in violation of an international treaty that requires the host countries to ensure the safety of foreign diplomats, department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

The incident "clearly was condoned by the local government," McCormack said.

Pro-government activists bombarded Brownfield's car with fruit and vegetables and a group of motorcyclists chased the convoy, at times pummeling the vehicles with their fists.

McCormack said local government officials were handing out snacks to the perpetrators as Brownfield was participating in a ceremony at a Caracas stadium. The event included a gift of baseball equipment to children. McCormack said it was the fourth government-sponsored attempt to intimidate U.S. diplomats in Venezuela, three having occurred in the past three weeks.

"We will not be intimidated," McCormack said.

According to McCormack, Burns warned Alvarez that there will be "severe diplomatic consequences between our countries" if there is another incident.

U.S. relations with Venezuela have deteriorated sharply over the past 18 months.

Venezuela's socialist president, Hugo Chavez, has accused the United States of planning an invasion and said Washington was behind a failed coup attempt in 2002.

The Bush administration has denied the allegations while charging that Chavez is systematically dismantling Venezuelan democracy and using oil revenues to buy political influence in Latin America.