* US President George W. Bush on November 7 urged Latin Americans to reject any stance aimed at rolling back democratic progress in the region, adding that Latin American peoples should elect representative governments and foster closer ties with other countries. His remarks were a veiled reference to his most outspoken critic in the region, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, Reuters reported.

* During his visit to Brazil, the US ruler stated that some people are trying to set democracy back in Latin America, as they play to fear and blame others for their failure.

* "Ensuring social justice in the Americas requires choosing between two rival views," Bush asserted. One of such views "involves hope and is founded on a representative government, integration to the world community and faith in the transforming power of freedom on individual lives," he explained. The other view, he said, "seeks to roll back democratic progress in the last two decades by playing to fear, putting neighbor against neighbor and blaming others for their failure to provide for their people."

* "Choices we make will determine what is the view that is to shape the Americas our children are to inherit, and we have to make tough choices today to ensure a better future," he added.

* Even though his remarks were an apparent reference to the Venezuelan ruler, Bush did not mention Chávez' name, a stance advisors described as an effort to avoid escalating rhetoric.

* In this way, Bush also avoided offending his host, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is Chávez' friend. The US ruler did not mention the only dictator in the American continent, Cuban President Fidel Castro.

* President Bush backed again President Lula, as opposed to Castro and Chávez, the other two representatives of the Latin-American leftwing.

* During his 20-hour visit to Brasilia, Bush clarified that he reserved to Brazil the role of privileged speaker in South America and that there was good alignment despite some differences.

* "As the major democracy in South America, Brazil is a leader and today Brazil is taking the lead around the world. Brazil should know that it has in the United States a strong partner," the president added during a speech before students and businesspersons, AFP quoted.

* While he did not make express reference, Bush criticized indirectly Chávez and Castro, who are at odds with Washington.

* The attacks of President Chávez targeted at President Bush during the Summit of the Americas show a populist stance based on emotion instead of reason, Uruguayan ex president Julio María Sanguinetti said.

* "They are the expression of immaturity that mirror survival in Latin America of a populist psychology based on an assembly and shout-like democracy," Sanguinetti told ABC Color daily.

* Sanguinetti, who was twice president of Uruguay, paid a short visit to Asunción, the capital city of Paraguay, where he delivered a speech on The Night of Broken Glass, a massive, coordinated attack on Jews throughout the German Reich on the night of November 9th, 1938.

* According to the ex ruler, Chávez "uses more emotion than reason. This has been one of the major problems in our historical Latin America."

* "It is clear that the United States lacks a true Latin American agenda. Latin America is not among US priorities, as the focus has been placed on fight against international terrorism."

Chávez: Fox is "a puppy of the impire"
* President Chávez, in his first public appearance following the fourth Summit of the Americas, on November 9 labeled his Mexican counterpart Vicente Fox as "a puppy of the empire," which lead the Mexican Foreign Affairs Office to react immediately by asking Venezuelan Ambassador Vladimir Villegas to "give an explanation."
 
* "I feel sorry for President Fox' selling out, this is sad," Chávez said late on November 9 in a mandatory nationwide radio and TV address.

* "It is so sad to see the president of such a dignified people as the Mexican people lending himself to be a puppy of the empire," the Venezuelan ruler claimed before an audience including businesspersons, middle-class people and public officials.

* Chávez accused Fox of kneeling down before the United States.

* "They wanted to run over us, they wanted to run over us, but as they could not, the Mexican President made a series of remarks against (Argentinean President Néstor) Kirchner and myself," Chávez asserted, in reference to the fourth Summit of the Americas.

"In connection with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez' remarks regarding Mexico's participation in the fourth Summit of the Americas, the Foreign Affairs Secretariat informs that Venezuelan Ambassador Vladimir Villegas has been convened to render an explanation," said the Mexican Foreign Affairs Office in a communiqué.

* Ambassador Villegas told AFP that the Mexican Foreign Affairs Office convened him to meet on November 10 with foreign affairs "officials," but he was not scheduled to meet with Foreign Affairs Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez.

* "Let's see what they have to say," said Villegas.

* When asked if this impasse between Venezuela and Mexico could lead to the two countries recalling their diplomats, Villegas replied: "I do not know, we will see. I do not think so, though."

* Chávez' remarks came in response to Fox' statements this week that Kirchner was to be blamed for the division seen at the end of the Summit of the Americas.

* Fox also lashed out at Chávez for the "ideological stance, detached from reality" the Venezuelan ruler deployed during debates in the Summit of the Americas and during his participation in an event rejecting the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

* The US government on November 10 expressed pleasure for the outcome of the fourth Summit of the Americas that backed free trade and showed isolation of President Chávez.

* During an interview with Efe, Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Thomas Shannon downplayed failure to reach an agreement on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA,) in the final declaration of the summit, that closed last November 5 in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

* In Shannon's view, "it was a different kind of summit. While a final declaration is important, in this case reaffirming democratic values and cooperation in the hemisphere in the face of the future was more important."

* "We got what we wanted" concerning job creation and support of democratic values, the senior officer maintained.

* All of the 34 countries participating in the meeting, except for Venezuela, "conceded importance of trade as an engine of economic growth and something needed in the Americas."

* President Fox "couldn't expect other thing" from Argentina and Venezuela reactions in reply to this "very aggressive remarks" against Buenos Aires and Caracas following the fourth Summit of the Americas, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Alí Rodríguez said on November 10.

* The diplomat told official TV channel Venezolana de Televisión, that he "would make an additional comment: President Fox is actually an enviable person, as he has already solved every problem in Mexico."

* "Mexico lives in wealth; it does not face poverty problems, it has no problems at all. And therefore, he (Fox), in a very generous gesture, has decided to take care of problems in Argentina and Venezuela," Rodríguez said ironically, as quoted by Efe.
 
* But the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister added: "We do have and want to continue having good relations with Mexico, and particularly with the Mexican people. If they make any move, we will see what to do."

* The Mexican Foreign Affairs Office on November 9 convened Venezuelan Ambassador Vladimir Villegas to give an explanation on President Hugo Chávez' statement that Fox is "a puppy of the empire," DPA informed.

* Rodríguez urged Fox "to face the consequences" of his attacks against Chávez and Argentinean President Néstor Kirchner. Further, he told Venezolana de Televisión he instructed Villegas to ratify Chávez' remarks against Fox.

* Venezuelan ambassador Villegas on November 10 viewed as highly positive a meeting held with Alejandro García Moreno, the Mexican Foreign Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean.
 
* The meeting following a clash when Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez labeled his Mexican counterpart Vicente Fox as "a puppy of the empire," was positive, the Venezuelan official stressed.

* Villegas highlighted willingness of the Mexican Foreign Ministry and the Venezuelan government to keep open diplomatic communication channels in order to settle the dispute and any existing difference.

* The ambassador does not think that the situation could escalate to the extent of closing such channels.

* "We are much fond of the Mexican people. We want precisely to keep this relationship between our countries above any circumstance, to claim the historical character of such relations," the ambassador told official TV channel Venezolana de Televisión during a telephone conversation.

* Villegas noted that he would be in touch with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Alí Rodríguez Araque and await instructions to continue improving bilateral relations.

* Mexican government on November 10 showed dissatisfaction with the explanations Venezuelan Ambassador Vladimir Villegas provided in connection with President Hugo Chávez' remarks on his Mexican counterpart Vicente Fox.

* In a press release, the Mexican Foreign Affairs Office claimed that in the face of this situation Foreign Affairs Secretary Luis Alberto Derbez requested holding talks with his Venezuelan counterpart Alí Rodríguez Araque to demand a broader explanation.

* "The Mexican government is waiting for an answer from the Venezuelan government," concluded the press release.

* Late on November 9, Chávez called Fox "a puppy of the empire."

* Mexico and Venezuela continue to keep diplomatic channels open to address this issue, said Villegas, who was convened to meet with the Mexican Foreign Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Alejandro García Moreno, to give an explanation on Chávez' remarks.

* Villegas ensured he attended the meeting to hear Mexican officials' view regarding an event that "neither breaks nor endangers bilateral links." He claimed the "meeting had good results, amid a cordial tone. I would describe this meeting as two countries with excellent relations addressing a particular aspect in their relations."

* The diplomat ensured that severance of diplomatic ties was never addressed during the meeting, and that there were not expressions of hatred, anger or forgiveness or retraction.

* Regarding tense diplomatic relations between Mexico and Venezuela following President Chávez' claims that his Mexican counterpart was a "puppy of the empire," Ambassador Villegas ensured that "Chávez did not start this."

* Villegas told BBC Mundo that Fox reacted "hastily" to Chávez' comments and urged the parties to move forward and seek improved ties without looking at the past.

"I do not want to go back to the past, and I did not attend this meeting at the Foreign Affairs Office carrying a rear mirror," Villegas stated, in a reference to the need to stop making remarks on the different stances the two presidents showed at the fourth Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina, on November 4-5.

* It seems that President Chávez forgot that Mexico was one the first countries that voiced opposition to the coup in 2002, Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez said.

* "Apparently, all of this is missing in the historical memory of some people. It is a shame," Derbez told TV news show "Primero Noticias," and recalled that Mexico is free in decision making concerning the United States.

* "We stand up for the real Bolivarian dreams. We back Latin Americanism, Mesoamericanism, we have shown solidarity and haven given support to Central America, the Caribbean, Haiti, Bolivia and every other country in the world," Fox added in connection with Chávez' claim that he was a "puppy of the empire."

* Fox dismissed that Mexico is playing a subordinate role before any world power. "Today, Mexico adopts international stances without subordination to unilateral hegemonies, big or small," he added.

* Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry Friday issued a communiqué replying to the Mexican government's communiqué on Thursday claiming that Mexico was dissatisfied with "the explanations provided by (Venezuelan) Ambassador Vladimir Villegas."

* The Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry added that during the meeting held at the Mexican Foreign Affairs Office "our Ambassador was not demanded an explanation at all, simply because he had nothing to explain. Further, the Venezuelan government did not demand an explanation for President Vicente Fox' statements questioning our stance regarding FTAA."

* Deputy William Lara expressed that ruling party MVR (Movimiento Quinta República) shares the view of President Chávez about the position of his Mexican counterpart Vicente Fox on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA.)

* In Lara's opinion, the governments of Mexico and the United States try to export the FTAA experience to the rest of Latin America, resulting in misery, impoverishment, bankruptcy and high unemployment rates, official news agency ABN reported.

* The pro-government deputy thinks that Fox is desperate because of his allegedly failed proposal in the Summit of the Americas. For this reason, he "lashed out at" President Chávez by saying that he acted for the cameras and fell down to excitement in Mar del Plata.