Barbara Walters' ABC interview with Chavez

["michael a. lebowitz" <mlebowit@xxxxxx>]

This morning ABC's Good Morning America interviewed Barbara Walters about
her recent interview with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, scheduled to
air tonight on ABC's 20/20 at 10pm EDT. In the interview Walters
discusses her impressions of President Chavez and describes him as a
"dignified" man who is committed to alleviating poverty. She
also mentions that he is not a madman, but rather a very intelligent man
who does not plan to cut off oil to the U.S. but rather through Citgo
continues to provide cheap oil to Americans. You can view the full
interview

here. Scroll down on the left and click on the "ABC Exclusive
Interview with Chavez." 
-------------------

EXCLUSIVE: Barbara Walters Interviews Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

Walters Engages in Candid Talk With One of Latin America's Most Influential Leaders

March 15, 2007 ­ - ABC News' Barbara Walters sits down
with President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela for an interview in which Chavez
shares his views on the United States, President Bush and America's 2008
presidential elections.

Hugo Chavez made headlines across America when he famously called Bush
"the devil" in a speech at the United Nations headquarters in
New York last year. 

Watch Barbara Walters' full interview with President Hugo Chavez of
Venezuela Friday on "20/20" at 10 p.m. EDT on ABC

When Walters asks Chavez about the name-calling, he explains it by
saying that he wanted his strong words to bring attention to the facts.
"Yes, I call him a devil in the United Nations," says Chavez.
"That's true. Another time, I said that he was a donkey just because
I think that he is very ignorant ? about the things that are actually
happening in Latin America and the world. If that is an excess on my
side, I accept. And I might apologize. But who is causing more harm? He
burns people, villages and he ? invades nations." 

Chavez also accuses Bush of planning a coup against him. The Venezuelan
president briefly lost power in a coup in 2002 but with help from a
popular uprising against the coup leaders, reclaimed his position within
days.

Bush is not the only U.S. official to become the butt of Chavez's words.
Chavez has referred to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as an
illiterate who suffers from sexual frustration. Chavez shrugs off these
insults as jokes, saying that his words are nothing when compared to the
the loss of lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

About both Bush and Rice, Chavez says, "As a lady I respect her, for
the president of the United States, as a human being, I respect him, but
they are killing people."

CIA Assassination Plot

Chavez insists that the CIA is
collaborating with dissident elements within Venezuela to assassinate
him. He says the CIA killed Chile's President Salvador Allende in 1973,
and has attempted to kill Fidel Castro of Cuba. 

The New York Times reported in 2004 on an intelligence brief showing that
the CIA was aware of plans of a coup against Chavez. The documents do
not, however, indicate that the CIA or the Bush administration supported
the coup in any way. 

Possibly sending a message to his supporters, Chavez tells Walters,
"If something happens to me, if I get killed, the president of the
United States should be held responsible."

Oil and Democracy

Despite the animosity between the two
nations, Venezuela continues to be the U.S.'s fourth-largest supplier of
oil. He says that "Venezuela is supporting tens of thousands of poor
families in the United States with heating oil," and that his
country sends "1.5 million barrels of oil" to the United States
every day. Chavez also says, "There is no intention to reduce or
eliminate that supply, but we have said, in case of any other aggression
by the U.S. administration, we would cut this oil supply, but we expect
this not [going] to happen."

Chavez refuses to endorse an American presidential candidate for 2008,
saying that his support would be a burden for the candidate. He does,
however, express great confidence that if he could run for president in
the United States, he would have no trouble winning and that he could win
over any right wing candidate within six months.

Asked about his governing methods, Chavez dismisses the idea that he
rules by decree, saying instead that he leads a society that is both
socialist and democratic. He calls himself "an enemy of an empire
who wants to dominate the world" but a "friend of equality and
freedom."

Iran and Fidel

Though Chavez affirms his support for the
state of Israel, he also says that he would support Iran against any
attack from the United States. Chavez expresses doubt that there would
ever be such an attack, cautioning that it would be "a
boomerang" and seen as an attack against the entire world.

Chavez also updates Walters on the health of his friend Fidel Castro of
Cuba. He says that Castro is making a remarkable recovery from a very
serious illness and insists that the Cuban leader has not stopped
governing. Says Chavez: "He's got a rein in his hand and the other
rein is in Raul's [Fidel's brother's] hand."

Walters asks Chavez about Bush's just concluded five-nation trip through
Latin America, asking how he'd rate it on a scale of one to 10.
"One," says Chavez. "One, because I am generous. Because
it could be minus five." 

Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures

Michael A. Lebowitz

Professor Emeritus

Economics Department

Simon Fraser University

Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6

Currently based in Venezuela.

NOTE NEW PHONE NUMBERS

Can be reached at

Residencias Anauco Suites

Departamento 601

Parque Central, Zona Postal 1010, Oficina 1

Caracas, Venezuela

(58-212) 573-6333, 571-1520, 571-3820 (or hotel cell: 0412-200-7540)

fax: (58-212) 573-7724