US, Venezuela look to exchange ambassadors after diplomatic spat

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.

July 30th, 2009 OAS chief: Diplomacy needed to resolve spatCARACAS, Venezuela — The head of the Organization of American States urged Venezuela on Wednesday not to break off diplomatic relations with Colombia or take other drastic steps amid escalating tensions between the two South American neighbors. OAS chief Jose Miguel Insulza said he was concerned by President Hugo Chavez's decision Tuesday to recall the Venezuelan ambassador from Bogota over Colombia's statement that anti-tank weapons found in a rebel arms cache 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 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.

April 30th, 2009 Correction: Venezuela-Opposition Leader storyCARACAS, Venezuela — In an April 20 story about corruption allegations against Venezuelan opposition leader Manuel Rosales, The Associated Press erroneously reported that the accusations relate to $68.3 million in disputed income. Both prosecutors and Rosales say the income was worth about 147,000 strong bolivars, or about $68,000 in Venezuelan currency at today's official exchange rate.

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.

April 27th, 2009 Venezuela establishes ties with PalestiniansCARACAS, Venezuela — Palestinian officials established formal ties on Monday with Venezuela and opened a diplomatic mission in the South American country. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki thanked President Hugo Chavez's government for its support during the recent Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which prompted the Venezuelan leader to break off relations with Israel.

April 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has defended the Obama administration's bid for rapprochement with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, saying that the policy of isolating him has not 'worked very well'. 'We've isolated him, so he's gone elsewhere.

April 22nd, 2009 US diplomat: Relations don't change overnightCARACAS, Venezuela — The top official at the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela said Tuesday that ambassadors won't be returning to Washington and Caracas anytime soon, but he was optimistic that diplomatic relations will improve.

April 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US government has said that it views as positive Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's proposal to discuss the restoration of full diplomatic relations between the two countries. 'Dialogue is what we believe is important.

January 14th, 2009 CARACAS - Venezuela has announced that it was breaking diplomatic relations with Israel 'in the face of the seriousness of the atrocities against the Palestinian people', EFE reported Thursday. In a communique released by the foreign ministry, the government of President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday that it would insist 'before the international community that the crimes against humanity committed by (Israel's) leaders be denounced before the International Criminal Court'.