Venezuela rejects U.S. concerns on move to grant Chavez special powers

Sunday, January 21st 2007, 6:16 am

By: News On 6

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) _ Venezuela condemned the U.S. government on Saturday for what it called unacceptable meddling after Washington raised concerns about a measure to grant President Hugo Chavez broad lawmaking powers.

The National Assembly, entirely made up of Chavez allies, said in a statement that it ``emphatically rejects'' the remarks by State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey, who on Friday said Chavez's plans ``have caused us some concern.''

Casey referred specifically to a measure that won initial approval Thursday in the National Assembly and would grant Chavez authority to pass a series of laws by decree during an 18-month period.

The National Assembly is expected to give final approval to the so-called overarching ``Enabling Law'' in the coming week, a move that Chavez says will permit profound changes in areas from the economy to defense. Among Chavez's plans are moves to nationalize Venezuela's main telecommunications company and the electricity and natural gas sectors.

Referring to the measure, Casey said: ``That's the sovereign right of Venezuela but certainly is a bit odd in terms of a democratic system.''

The National Assembly said in its statement that those remarks were ``an unacceptable intervention in our nation's internal affairs'' and demonstrated Casey's ``crass ignorance'' about a process that is spelled out in Venezuela's constitution.

The lawmakers suggested the U.S. focus on its own internal problems and its ``genocidal war'' in Iraq, and said President Bush's administration seems to believe ``it has the right to subject the world to its strange dictatorship.''

``The only truly odd thing in the world is that the government that claims to defend 'democracy' has become one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse,'' the National Assembly said in the statement posted on its Web site.

Chavez, who was re-elected by a wide margin last month, says this year will bring sweeping reforms to remake Venezuela into a socialist state. His Venezuelan opponents accuse him of using his political strength to extend his power without regard for opposing views.