U.S., Venezuela to restore diplomats?

According to Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro the U.S. and Venezuela will restore their respective ambassadors.

While speaking to reporters during the summit of the ALBA trade bloc, Maduro claimed that the move "will take place in the coming days, and as soon as the ambassadors have resumed their functions we will move forward to a more fluid communication." That seemed to be confirmed by source at Venezuela's Foreign Ministry who told Reuters that” Bernardo Alvarez returns to Washington this Friday (and) relations have been reestablished.”

The State Department didn’t confirm or deny Maduro’s claims though spokeswoman Heide Bronke Fulton said that "since Secretary (of State Hillary) Clinton and (Venezuelan President Hugo) Chavez spoke at the Summit of the Americas, both our governments have worked toward the goal of returning ambassadors to our respective capitals."

Both diplomats were sent packing in September after Bolivia’s Evo Morales accused U.S. ambassador Philip Goldberg of conspiring against the Andean sate’s government. Assuming that Maduro is correct, the restoring of ambassadors would mark an improvement in U.S.-Venezuela relations.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said in April, at a summit of the Americas where he met US President Barack Obama for the first time, that he hoped to send an ambassador back to Washington.

Mr. Chavez was a fierce critic of the US under former President George W Bush, accusing Washington of plotting to assassinate him.

But in a sign of warming ties, Mr. Obama shook hands with Mr. Chavez at the summit, and accepted a book from the Venezuelan leader.

Image- China Daily (“Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez (L) greets new US ambassador to Venezuela, Patrick Duddy, at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas in this October 29, 2007 file photo.”)
Online Sources- BBC News, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, AFP