If Venezuela Attacked, Chavez Warns Bush of a 'Wider War'

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If Venezuela Attacked, Chavez Warns Bush of a 'Wider War'

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez suspects that Washington plans some type of aggression against him, and warned his U.S. counterpart of the possible consequences.

March 3, 2005

Original Article (Spanish)

President Hugo Chavez informed his United States counterpart, George W. Bush, that if he invaded Venezuela, "there would be wider war."

He denounced what he called a new conspiracy against him, saying that "the United States thinks that the solution is to kill Chavez." He made the comments during a speech of almost three hours in Montevideo, Uruguay, DPA said.

"Bush is a man without scruples, capable of anything", he said, and he quickly added, "He has no one but himself to blame if there is a mistake. We do not want a war, but if the U.S. launches an aggression against Venezuela, a 21st century revolutionary war will begin in the mountains and valleys of South America."

"it would not be a war of a day nor of a year, but of one hundred years," he said, and he promised that other pockets of resistance around the continent would emerge.

He said that if the invasion took place, "they would also have to invade Cuba," just as if the U.S. commits an aggression against Cuba, "they will have to invade Venezuela."

Montevideo's Municipal conference center was filled with representatives of local Uruguayan authorities and social organizations, with which the Venezuelan government promises to deepen relations.