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Venezuela President Hugo Chavez.
Last update - 17:59 13/01/2009
A week after expelling Israeli officials over Gaza op, Venezuela looks to repair ties
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Hugo Chavez, Gaza, Venezuela 

Less than a week after Venezuela announced it was expelling the entire Israeli diplomatic mission to Caracas in the wake of the Israel Defense Forces Operation Cast Lead, the South American country passed a message to Israel on Tuesday in which it said they are not interested in breaking off diplomatic relations with Israel.

Venezuela expelled Israel's ambassador in Caracas last Tuesday to protest the offensive in Gaza. The move came just hours after President Hugo Chavez called the attacks a "holocaust."

Israeli Ambassador to Venezuela Shlomo Cohen returned to Israel this week where he spoke by phone with several officials from the Venezuela Foreign Ministry, including the heads of the Asian affairs division.
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Cohen was reportedly surprised to hear from the two officials that Venezuela is looking for Israel to send a temporary supervisor to Caracas, so they can work towards reestablishing a diplomatic mission in the South American capital.

Cohen told the two that Israel was under the impression that Venezuela had severed diplomatic ties after expelling Israel's diplomatic team from Caracas. The two Venezuelan officials told Cohen it was not their intention for Israel to close the embassy and if he got that impression, it was a mistake.

The Foreign Ministry is currently still in the process of determining Venezuela's intentions and the possibility of sending a temporary appointee who can go to Caracas to reopen the embassy. The ministry has so far decided not to expel the Venezuelan Ambassador to Israel and has reportedly received messages from Venezuela that they are open to Israel sending a temporary diplomatic official to Caracas.

Sources in the Foreign Ministry have said the messages received from Venezuela illustrate how they "realize they made a mistake [by expelling the Israeli Ambassador] and are trying to fix it."

Related articles:
  • To protest Gaza op, Venezuela gives Israeli diplomats 72 hours to leave
  • Israel weighs expelling Venezuelan envoys after Chavez dismisses ambassador
  • Israeli envoy to Venezuela departs after being expelled by Chavez over Gaza op
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      1.   Chavez is an idiot, never mind! 14:30  |  Rafa 13/01/09
      2.   Chavez 14:56  |  busetibi 13/01/09
      3.   To late 15:01  |  mim8sal 13/01/09
      4.   Stupidity. Israel should break relations. 16:44  |  Semsem 13/01/09
      5.   Chavez is nothing without his oil money 16:47  |  Jon 13/01/09
      6.   chavez opens mouth before thinking 18:04  |  linda northcutt 13/01/09
      7.   SCHIZOPHRENIC! 18:19  |  utagawa 13/01/09
      8.   COMMENT TO #5 18:40  |  DENNIS 13/01/09
      9.   Why Bother? Chavez Is A Moron 18:56  |  Bill Foonman 13/01/09
      10.   above 19:07  |  moishe 13/01/09
      11.   He realized how much Venezuela would lose... 19:25  |  Maurice 13/01/09
      12.   Unprofessionalism (nt) 19:40  |  Uri 13/01/09
      13.   Dont forget about the jewish community in Venezuela 20:05  |  Karen 13/01/09
      14.   Chavez 20:36  |  Elianah 13/01/09
      15.   Chavez & Israel 20:41  |  uri Weinstein 13/01/09
      16.   Crazy 20:45  |  Kow 13/01/09
      17.   CITGO is owned by Chavez 20:48  |  Larry 13/01/09
      18.   reply 23:11  |  mari 13/01/09
      19.   Venezuela 07:24  |  Eliezer Rabinovich 14/01/09
      20.   misinformed 04:22  |  Marto 15/01/09
      21.   Venezuela and Bolivia 16:20  |  Klaus 23/01/09
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