The Associated Press Wednesday, March 22, 2006; 9:45 PM
CARACAS, Venezuela -- A raucus rally supporting leftist President Hugo Chavez stranded the U.S. ambassador and his delegation inside a social club for more than two hours Wednesday, officials said.
About 200 chanting Chavez supporters burned an American flag, set tires ablaze and blocked the gates of the Italian-Venezuelan social club during the visit by Ambassador William Brownfield to San Juan de los Morros, about 50 miles southwest of Caracas, said U.S. Embassy spokesman Brian Penn.
"It was loud, hostile and somewhat threatening. There were burning tires, loud firecrackers and obscene chants," Penn said. "They weren't about to move and the police weren't about to move them, so we were stuck."
Gov. Eduardo Manuitt, a Chavez supporter, told Union Radio that protesters were simply demonstrating against the ambassador's presence, "asking for him to leave Guarico state _ that's all."
U.S. officials say Chavez has failed to commit himself to democratic principles and poses a threat to the region's stability. Chavez has repeatedly accused U.S. officials of trying to discredit his "revolutionary" government and orchestrate his ouster. American officials deny those allegations.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032202 293.html
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