The United States has indicated it is willing to improve ties
with Venezuela after the two countries expelled diplomats this
month in a dispute over charges that a US naval attache was spying,
a US diplomat said on Wednesday.
Though US-Venezuela relations were not at their best as the two
countries were divided on some issues, Venezuela and the US have
cooperated in fields such as energy, trade, as well as anti-drug
and anti-terrorism efforts, US Ambassador to Venezuela William
Brownfield told a local television channel.
The envoy hoped that through negotiation, the two countries
could establish mature relations.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs,
Tom Shannon, and Venezuela's ambassador in Washington, Bernardo
Alvarez, met earlier for the possibility of establishing dialogue
over the disputes between the two countries, said Brownfield.
The US and Venezuela have already shown that they can cooperate
in effective ways, said Brownfield. He hoped the two countries
could meet again to make new progress in bilateral efforts.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who took office in 1999, has
clashed frequently with the Bush administration, which he accuses
of trying to topple his government.
US-Venezuela relations hit a new low earlier this month after
Venezuelan authorities accused a US naval attache at the embassy in
Caracas of spying and expelled him from the country. Washington
responded by sending home a Venezuelan diplomat.
(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2006)
