http://www.voicesmag.com/Archives/News/sept2005/us_accept_aid_venezuela_090605.htmA top U.S. State Department official says the United States will accept Venezuela's offer of humanitarian aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but does not view the offer as a signal of change in the strained relations between the two countries. The official made the comment to VOA Friday in a wide-ranging interview as he prepares to leave his post later this month.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roger Noriega, says Washington has received offers of relief assistance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina from some 15 countries in the Americas, including Venezuela.
The oil-rich government of President Hugo Chavez earlier this week offered energy and cash assistance to the United States, including sending some two-thousand soldiers, firefighters and others to help with the relief efforts.
Mr. Noriega says the Bush administration welcomes the offer, but still needs to study whether it can accommodate the deployment of Venezuelan humanitarian aid workers. Asked whether the aid offer signals a change in the tense relationship between Washington and Caracas, Mr. Noriega responded with a firm no -- characterizing it as a public relations ploy by President Chavez.