Venezuela accuses US of destabilizing world
The United States is "the most destabilizing force in the world" and its policy toward Caracas "has been a failure," Venezuelan Communication and Information Minister Andres Izarra said Monday.

His remarks came after General John Craddock, commander-in-chief of the US Southern Command, said in a recent interview with the US daily The New Herald that Venezuela is a "destabilizing" factor in the region.

The influence of Venezuela among its neighbors is creating a destabilizing situation posing a danger to the hemisphere, Craddock said.

Izarra refuted the US general's accusation, saying, "Our opinion is that the most destabilizing force, not only in the region, but in the whole world, is the United States, which invades countries and arrests individuals in violation of their human rights."

Craddock's accusation is a continuation of the same "story being repeated by the US State Department, in a policy that has led to many failures recently," Izarra said.

Venezuela and the United States have been at loggerheads since Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took office six years ago.

Caracas criticized Washington for supporting an abortive coup aimed at overthrowing the Chavez government in April 2002. Chavez also said Washington had plans to invade Venezuela and assassinate him, but the US government denied the charges.