Four Venezuelan deputies supporting President Hugo Chávez visited several institutions of the European Union to deny claims that the Venezuelan Government is persecuting 53-year-old television channel RCTV, as Chávez has vowed not to renew the TV network broadcasting license, Efe reported.

"We have to stand up to manipulation," parliamentarian Juan Carlos Dugarte told reporters. He and lawmakers Rosario Pacheco, Israel Sotillo and Manuel Villalba are the members of the parliamentarian delegation.

They said they met with the Vice-President of the European Parliament Miguel Ángel Martínez and European deputy Manuel Medina, both socialist, and with Giusto Catania and Athanasios Pafilis, of the parliamentarian group European United Left and with members of the Belgian Senate.

Their goal, they explained, is to counter a campaign by RCTV CEO Marcel Granier, who has asked both the European Union and the United States for protection against Chávez' decision.