Mexico, Venezuela withdraw ambassadors in rift:

[rmnunez]

Venezuela and Mexico decided to withdraw ambassadors from each others' countries amid a deepening dispute between leftist President Hugo Chavez and his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Fox. The move came as Venezuela angrily rejected Mexico's demand that it apologize for statements by Chavez, who has called the Mexican president "a lapdog" of the United States. The outspoken Venezuelan leader stepped up his attacks during his weekly television show Sunday, warning Fox: "Don't mess with me, gentleman; you'll get hurt." The Mexican government promptly threatened to lower diplomatic relations to charge d'affaires level unless Venezuela apologized for the comments, but Caracas preempted the ultimatum Monday, saying it was pulling back its ambassador. http://sg.news.yahoo.com/051114/1/3whhe.html

Steps in a process:
1. Fidel Castro heaps praise on former soccer star Maradona who repudiated Bush at the Americas Summit and prognosticated its failure.
2. Argentine's Kirchner, Lula from Brazil and the Venezuelan paratrooper Chavez reject Bushian proposals for an Americas FTA which has been in gestation for over a decade.
3. Setback for Fox, who publicly deplores the result, Kirchner dismisses the Mexican president, Chavez calls Fox "yankee lapdog" agitating the domestic opposition in Mexico.
4. Mexican State Department calls in the Venezuelan ambassador for an explanation, unsatisfied relations are degraded and ambassadors recalled.
5. Stung by the confrontation and firm in his convictions, Fox must recover lost ground at the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea.

[Rainbow]

The outspoken Venezuelan leader stepped up his attacks during his weekly television show Sunday, warning Fox: "Don't mess with me, gentleman; you'll get hurt."

It seems Chavez thinks he rules the world.

[rmnunez]

The Bolivarian revolution will sweep across Latin America and put those United Statians in their place, hopes Chavez, Castro and Lula (with their fellow travellers).

Its interesting the translation. We read (in English) of Chavez's rant, he said Fox could "get hurt" if he messed with Chavez. Actually Chavez read from a Venezuelan ballad and made an analogy. He mentioned a flower from the prairie which floats in the wind and when it lands and drops its seed grows into a very thorny bush which stings, said if Fox 'agitated' (meneaba) this plant he would get stung or pricked (espinazo). His descriptiopn of Fox wasn't as reported ("yankee lapdog") rather than as "cachorro del imperio" which would more accurately be rendered as "imperial puppy".

Definitely Fox's advocacy for free trade and globalization chaffs the critical left. Chavez, Castro, Lula or Kirchner would prefer to find the head of state of the most important and fastest growing Latin American economy on their side rather than echoing Bushian pronouncements. Unfortunately, Chavez´s insults offended and since Fox has the prerogative we get a degradation in relations. No doubt Chavez feels he can mouth off at Bush because the US depends on Venezuela for about a quarter of the oil they import. Mexico doesn't import much from Venezuela so he's got nothing to threaten Fox with.

[Osborn F Enready]

Rainbow said:
It seems Chavez thinks he rules the world.

I say:
Funny, before I read the above translation courtesy of RMnunez, I would have said that it reminded me of a statement from our dear leader.

"You're either with us, or against us....."

Ask Bush, and in his own way, he would explain how he thinks he rules the world.

I appreciate the more in depth, if correct, translation and I think it shows a much more focused, and eloquent jab for its intended purpose. I have no doubt that Chavez is enjoying his time in the spotlight, as the great lion who challenges the imperialist horde as he views it, but time will tell if there is any teeth in the sentiments expressed.

[rmnunez]

The subtleries in translation are interesting, but Chavez isn't a refined fellow toying with semantics rather than an uncouth speaker, "menear" isn't appropriate to describe shaking a plant -sometimes it used to describe how guys get that last drop to fall into the urinal. "Espinado" is espina (thorn) with the suffix "ado" (past tense as "ed" in English). Fox would come out stung ot pricked if he tangles with Chavez is the gist of it. Heads of state don't or shouldn't go around saying things like this of each other, such statements do cause offense and rulers often have the capacity to take action for this. In this case the Venezuelans will not be favoured by an estrangement with Mexico because Mexico is a powerful investor, a source for employment and an important supplier to Venezuela, but the inverse does not apply.

[Rainbow]

rmnunez

Can you translate some parts of that original speech ? so I would have a chance to get more precise information ?

[rmnunez]

The first relevant offensive statement by Chavez was that Fox was that Fox is a "cachorro del imperio", literally "pup (or whelp) of the empire", after Fox complained, the paratrooper made a broadcast in a regular radio programme and citing somepoetry made an analogy with a thorn plant saying if Fox "meneaba" (agitated or wiggled) the plant he would "salir espinado" (come out pricked or stung). Can't find the actual transcript now.

[Rainbow]

It sounds like made-in Venezuela neo-Communism is going better and better.

Would Chavez shut the oil valves off, in case Venezuela soccer team loses ? :-)))
If "yes", then Brezniev missed his top activist on South American continent :-)))

[jose]

Quote by: rmnunez The first relevant offensive statement by Chavez was that Fox was that Fox is a "cachorro del imperio", literally "pup (or whelp) of the empire", after Fox complained, the paratrooper made a broadcast in a regular radio programme and citing somepoetry made an analogy with a thorn plant saying if Fox "meneaba" (agitated or wiggled) the plant he would "salir espinado" (come out pricked or stung). Can't find the actual transcript now.

Hay una copla en mi llano, usted que es hombre de caballos", dijo Chávez a Fox durante su programa semanal de radio y televisión, y recitó la copla: "Yo soy como el espinito, que en la sabana florea, le doy aroma al que pasa y espino al que me menea. No se meta conmigo, caballero, porque sale espinao
http://articles.news.aol.com/latnews...14034209990001
the song translates to
Im like the little thorn bush, that flowers in the savannah,
i give a nice smell to those who pass me,
and i scratch those who try to shake me¨.

[rmnunez]

Mexican Secretary of State Derbez in a radio interview discussing the relationship with Venezuela deemed it was on the path to normalcy, but said Mexico was still waiting for an apology from Chavez. The paratrooper subsequently suggested the Mexican government might prefer to wait seated as no apology from him was imminent.

[jose]

¿si pero tiene cojones, el paracaidista?