Accepted, much to the chagrin of the State Department and the Bushistas.
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Venezuela Officially Offers Aid to U.S., Which Is Accepted
...In an interview with Voice of America (VOA), Noriega said, “We accept the offer in the spirit in which it's been offered, but I don't really see it as any kind of dramatic change.” “I think it's in part a public relations effort on his part. But we have to take in the context as part of a cycle where some positive things are said, and then some negative, unhelpful things are said. So if it's a public relations effort, we'll take the donation but I don't think it necessarily signifies a change in attitude on President Chavez' part,” said Noriega.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez criticized the Bush administration very strongly on Friday, saying that the U.S. reacted much too slowly to the impending catastrophe in New Orleans. “That government had no evacuation plan ... it is incredible, the first power in the world ... that is so involved in Iraq ... and it left its own population adrift!” said Chavez. "That man ... that man is the 'king of vacations’ ... he sat at his ranch in Texas and said nothing ... did nothing ... yes, he told people 'you have to flee' but he didn’t say how ... what a cowboy, what a cowboy mentality,” he added.
Below is the text of the Diplomatic Note:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs extends its greetings to the Honorable Embassy of the United States of America in the opportunity to express its deepest condolences for the disaster resulting from Hurricane Katrina, that which has affected vast regions of the southern United States, notably the states of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, and caused a terrible loss of human life and incalculable material damages.
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1745CITGO CEO Felix Rodriguez announces together with Venezuela's Consul General in Chicago, Martin Sanchez, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Chicago religious leaders that Venezuela would make an additional $! million available to victims of hurricane Katrina.
Credit: CITGO