Diplomat says more time needed to repair Venezuela-US relations, appoint new ambassadors

September 25th, 2009 20-year-old brunette wins Miss VenezuelaCARACAS, Venezuela — Marelisa Gibson, a 20-year-old brunette, has been crowned Miss Venezuela and will represent the beauty-obsessed South American country at next year's Miss Universe pageant. The annual Miss Venezuela pageant is the one of Venezuela's most watched programs and a source of national pride.

August 5th, 2009 Chavez: Venezuela to buy more tanksCARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez says his government plans to buy dozens of tanks because Venezuela feels threatened by pending deal to increase the U.S. military presence in Colombia.

August 4th, 2009 Senate panel endorses Asia ambassador nomineesWASHINGTON — A U.S. Senate panel has endorsed Utah Gov.

July 30th, 2009 CARACAS - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has frozen diplomatic and trade relations with Colombia in a spat over Colombian allegations that Swedish anti-tank weapons sold to Venezuela turned up in the hands of leftist guerrillas. Citing Bogota's "irresponsible" accusations, Chavez Tuesday Wednesday recalled the ambassador to Colombia, Gustavo Marquez, and froze bilateral "diplomatic and trade relations.

July 29th, 2009 Chavez recalls Venezuela's envoy to ColombiaCARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez recalled Venezuela's ambassador to Colombia and froze diplomatic relations with the neighboring country Tuesday to protest Bogota's suggestions that weapons found in a rebel arms cache could have come from Venezuela. Chavez accused the government of President Alvaro Uribe of acting "irresponsibly," saying there is no evidence the Swedish-made anti-tank rocket launchers that Colombia says its military seized came from Venezuela.

July 21st, 2009 Venezuela: US drug report threatens relationsCARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez's government criticized a U.S. congressional report on drug trafficking in Venezuela, saying Tuesday that relations cannot be normalized as long as Washington keeps passing judgment on the nation's internal affairs.

July 3rd, 2009 US envoy returns to post in VenezuelaCARACAS, Venezuela — A U.S. envoy who was expelled last year by President Hugo Chavez said Thursday he hopes to re-establish dialogue after resuming his post in Venezuela.

July 2nd, 2009 US ambassador returns to Venezuela after spatCARACAS, Venezuela — The U.S. ambassador to Venezuela has returned to his post — more than nine months after he was expelled by President Hugo Chavez.

June 27th, 2009 Venezuelan ambassador arrives in WashingtonCARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's ambassador returned to Washington on Friday as the nations moved to repair strained diplomatic ties, but the sides are not completely ready to bury the hatchet. Upon arriving in the United States, Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez called the countries' decision to restore top-level diplomatic envoys the "first step in normalizing relations." U.S.

June 26th, 2009 US, Venezuela restoring envoys after expulsionsCARACAS, Venezuela — The United States said Thursday it is sending its ambassador back to Venezuela more than nine months after he was expelled by President Hugo Chavez, creating an opening for a less hostile relationship even though many disagreements remain. The pending return of ambassadors to Washington and Caracas indicates both sides are testing the waters and aiming to re-establish channels of communication after Chavez and President Barack Obama had a warm first encounter at a summit in April.

June 24th, 2009 Venezuela, US move to restore expelled ambassadorsMARACAY, Venezuela — Venezuela and the United States said Wednesday they will restore their ambassadors more than nine months after President Hugo Chavez expelled the U.S. envoy in his final diplomatic bout with the Bush administration.

June 24th, 2009 US, Venezuela look to exchange ambassadorsWASHINGTON — The United States and Venezuela are working to send ambassadors back to each other's capitals. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters Wednesday that it was unclear when the ambassadors would return or who it would be.

May 8th, 2009 Venezuela to pay Ternium $1.97 billion for SidorCARACAS, Venezuela — Ternium SA has agreed to sell its 59.7 percent share in steel maker Sidor to Venezuela for $1.97 billion. The subsidiary of the Argentine-Italian conglomerate Techint has been locked in negotiations over a payment plan with Venezuelan authorities since last year.

May 3rd, 2009 Venezuela's Chavez courts Iran as US shows concernCARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez met with a delegation from Iran on Saturday to prepare for an upcoming visit from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — an alliance that has provoked concern in Washington. Venezuela's ambassador to Iran, David Velasquez, said following the meeting that Ahmadinejad's visit will deepen ties between the countries and "allow us to move ahead in the transfer of technology and industry," according to Venezuela's state-run Bolivarian News Agency.

April 28th, 2009 Venezuela recalls ambassador to PeruCARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela recalled its ambassador to protest Peru's decision to grant political asylum to a prominent opponent of President Hugo Chavez, calling it a mockery of international law and escalating a diplomatic dispute. Peru announced early Monday that it was giving Manuel Rosales, a former presidential candidate who ran against Chavez in 2006 and now claims he is being persecuted by Venezuela's socialist president, political asylum for humanitarian reasons.