Chavez/Venezuela - Obama - does it pertain to the NH case?

[texasmom]

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2009/04/18/obama-chavez-meet-chavez-gives-obama-a-book.aspx



Obama, Chavez Meet; Chavez Gives Obama a Book

Saturday, April 18, 2009 9:19 AM

By Katie Connolly

Obama has come face to face with leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, one of Washington’s fiercest critics, twice so far at the Summit of the Americas. According to a senior official, when the two men were lining up for the ceremonial entrance last night, Obama strode over to Chavez and introduced himself. Chavez reportedly told Obama he hoped for a new start to relations between the two countries, an account the U.S. officials did not dispute. According to U.S. officials, Obama smiled and returned to his place in the line. Later that night Obama joked to reporters that he’d said “Como estas?”

This morning, at the beginning of a meeting of the Union of South American Nations, Chavez gave Obama a book: “Las Venas Abietas de America Latina” or “The Open Veins of Latin America”, a scholarly text that analyses Latin America’s dependence on the north. The media friendly Chavez waited until the press had been allowed into the room for a photo opportunity before gifting the book, which Obama accepted.

The two leaders are the rock stars of this event. Local television in Trinidad reported Obama’s arrival as the most anticipated “highpoint” of the afternoon, but quickly followed with reports of Chavez’s enthusiastic reception. Hundreds of reporters had gathered outside the Hyatt hoping to catch a glimpse of Obama as he arrived, and many were sorely disappointed when he entered through a back door. But, the crowd was sated by the arrival of Chavez, who happily responded to reporters calling his name by twice stopping to answer questions. Trinidad TV reports that the crowd became frenzied, lunging forward to engage Chavez. Security was called and calm restored after several minutes. Some local reporters took the incident as a sign of the two leaders' different styles. Aabida Allaham wrote in the Trinidad and Tobago Express. "When Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez set foot in front of the Hyatt Regency Hotel yesterday chaos broke out, proving to many that he was a man of the people. In contrast, the move by United States President Barack Obama to dodge the media by taking a back route, meanwhile, did not go down well."  Looks like a Latin American popularity contest is underway. 

** UPDATE** At the commencement of a plenary session later this morning, Obama was asked by reporters about the book. "I thought it was one of Chavez's books," he said. "I was going to give him one of mine."

[texasmom]

www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-cb-summit-obama-chavez,0,6340220.story

chicagotribune.com


Obama, Chavez shake hands at summit; Venezuelan says 'I want to be your friend'

BEN FELLER

Associated Press Writer

8:57 PM CDT, April 17, 2009

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Presidents Barack Obama and Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's socialist leader, met Friday and shook hands on the sidelines of a summit of their hemisphere's democracies.

Obama walked across a hotel meeting room to meet Chavez for the first time, said a senior U.S. administration official who witnessed it and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the details of the event. The official said Obama initiated the encounter.

Chavez has been a fierce critic of the United States during President George W. Bush's tenure.

"It was very, very short," the official said of Friday's meeting. "The president shook his hand, smiled and then went back to his position in the line."

The encounter comes as Obama softens U.S. policy against Cuba, a Chavez ally.

Asked later about the meeting, Obama elicited laughter from reporters with a brief response: "I said, 'Como estas?'"

That's the familiar form of Spanish for "How are you?"

Chavez was more forthcoming with reporters.

"We shook each other's hands like gentlemen, and it was predictable this would happen," Chavez said.

"We don't have any complexes that would prevent us from extending our hands to each other. I'm grateful for his gesture."

Photos released by the Venezuelan government show the two smiling and Obama touching Chavez on the shoulder. Other photos show them with clenched hands in the room next to the main summit ballroom while the heads of state and government were waiting in line to enter the opening ceremony.

The Venezuelan presidency also said Obama initiated the handshake and quoted Chavez as telling Obama he hopes for better relations between their nations.

Chavez told reporters he had a simple message in English for Obama: "I want to be your friend."

Obama's comments were limited to saying that he wanted to introduce himself to Chavez, the U.S. official said. The Obama official would not comment on what Chavez told the U.S. president.

But when a reporter asked if the Venezuelan account of what happened was accurate, the Obama official said: "I wouldn't dispute that."

As recently as last week, Chavez expressed a desire to "reset" relations with Washington.

___

Associated Press writers Frank Bajak, Mark S. Smith and Alan Clendenning contributed to this report.




Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[texasmom]

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2009/04/18/obama-chavez-meet-chavez-gives-obama-a-book.aspx



Obama, Chavez Meet; Chavez Gives Obama a Book

Saturday, April 18, 2009 9:19 AM

By Katie Connolly

Obama has come face to face with leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, one of Washington’s fiercest critics, twice so far at the Summit of the Americas. According to a senior official, when the two men were lining up for the ceremonial entrance last night, Obama strode over to Chavez and introduced himself. Chavez reportedly told Obama he hoped for a new start to relations between the two countries, an account the U.S. officials did not dispute. According to U.S. officials, Obama smiled and returned to his place in the line. Later that night Obama joked to reporters that he’d said “Como estas?”

This morning, at the beginning of a meeting of the Union of South American Nations, Chavez gave Obama a book: “Las Venas Abietas de America Latina” or “The Open Veins of Latin America”, a scholarly text that analyses Latin America’s dependence on the north. The media friendly Chavez waited until the press had been allowed into the room for a photo opportunity before gifting the book, which Obama accepted.

The two leaders are the rock stars of this event. Local television in Trinidad reported Obama’s arrival as the most anticipated “highpoint” of the afternoon, but quickly followed with reports of Chavez’s enthusiastic reception. Hundreds of reporters had gathered outside the Hyatt hoping to catch a glimpse of Obama as he arrived, and many were sorely disappointed when he entered through a back door. But, the crowd was sated by the arrival of Chavez, who happily responded to reporters calling his name by twice stopping to answer questions. Trinidad TV reports that the crowd became frenzied, lunging forward to engage Chavez. Security was called and calm restored after several minutes. Some local reporters took the incident as a sign of the two leaders' different styles. Aabida Allaham wrote in the Trinidad and Tobago Express. "When Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez set foot in front of the Hyatt Regency Hotel yesterday chaos broke out, proving to many that he was a man of the people. In contrast, the move by United States President Barack Obama to dodge the media by taking a back route, meanwhile, did not go down well."  Looks like a Latin American popularity contest is underway. 

** UPDATE** At the commencement of a plenary session later this morning, Obama was asked by reporters about the book. "I thought it was one of Chavez's books," he said. "I was going to give him one of mine."

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