Hillary Rodham Clinton, the US Secretary of State, said on Wednesday that her government would very much like to have a positive relationship with Venezuela, but she added that there are many things which concern us "about what is happening in Venezuela today."

"President (Hugo) Chávez is trying to stifle the press in Venezuela. If you say any negative about him, he tries to shut you down. That is not the way a democracy operates," Clinton said in an interview with Brazil's Globo network.

US Secretary of State said that the Venezuelan President "is taking over companies and taking their assets and, unfortunately now, we see the results of those economic policies. There are electricity shortages in Venezuela, a country with oil. It makes no sense."

However, the top diplomat confirmed the US desire to have a positive relationship with Venezuela. She said that US President Barack Obama had acted accordingly. "I'm sure some of you remember when President Obama went to the Summit of the Americas, he shook hands with Hugo Chavez. He exchanged words with him. We want to have a positive relationship, but it's difficult under the current circumstances."

Clinton was asked about the alleged unsuccessful attempts of President Obama to reach out to the Muslim countries, to Iran, China, Chávez. She replied: "I don't agree with that. I think that it's working in many, many places, but it's also exposing those governments and leaders who have a different agenda."

Meanwhile, President Chávez responded to the US Secretary of State by saying that Hillary Clinton came to Latin America "to sow discord" within the region. He compared Clinton with her predecessor Condoleezza Rice, but with the difference that "she is white."

President Chávez rejected on Thursday night in a mandatory nationwide radio and TV broadcast the statements made by the US State Secretary in Brazil: "Mrs. Clinton said (some things) in front of (Brazilian Foreign Minister) Celso Amorim, who is a great friend (of Venezuela) … She was disrespectful to Brazil, to Latin America… She came to sow discord, to stir up trouble, by saying that Venezuela continues to erode democracy and other stories."

Chávez said that Amorim "intervened in favor" of Venezuela, when he agreed with Clinton by saying that Venezuela "is effectively looking southwards."