FEBRUARY 03, 22:12 EST
Venezuela May Help US-Cuba Conflict
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's newly installed president, Hugo Chavez, might serve as an intermediary in the four-decade conflict between the United States and Cuba, Venezuela's foreign minister said Wednesday.
Chavez has not had any official talks about the idea, but believes he would be well-suited for such a role and plans to study the possibility, said Jose Vicente Rangel.
It was not immediately clear how feasible the proposal might be, given the long-standing hostilities between Washington and Havana.
Chavez, 44, enjoys good relations with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who spent much of Tuesday near Chavez's side during inauguration events.
Chavez's relations with the United States have been strained in the past but are improving. He had been barred from entering the United States after leading a failed 1992 coup attempt, but was granted a visa after winning a landslide victory in December.
Last week he met President Clinton in the White House. On Tuesday, U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, also in Caracas for the inauguration, said Chavez ''is a potential leader in the hemisphere.''
Rangel said the Chavez government opposes the economic blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba.
On Thursday, Chavez will attend a military parade traditionally held the day after a new president is inaugurated. Chavez pushed back the event by a day to coincide with the seventh anniversary of his Feb. 4, 1992, failed coup attempt."
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