Foreign Ministers of the Latin American countries belonging to the Rio Group expressed confidence that U.S. authorities will set in motion the "appropiate legal processes" to punish the call of evangelical telepreacher Pat Robertson to assassinate Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

The declaration, signed by diplomats of 19 Latin American and Caribbean nations meeting in Bariloche, Argentina states, in relevant part: "We are amazed at the declarations of Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, an organization linked to the Republican Party of the USA, urging the assassination of the democratically-elected president of Venezuela." The declaration described the telepreacher's remarks as "a clear call, to commit a crime."

Meanwhile President Chavez asked in a speech at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas: "Imagine what would happen if some one in Venezuela would appear on TV to ask my government to assassinate the president of the U.S."

President Hugo Chavez added that the major dilemma facing the planet today is "either the world ends U.S. hegemony, or U.S. hegemony ends the world."

Source: La Jornada (Mexico)
sent & translated by Luis Martin