U.S. turned to Venezuela for help, ambassador says

U.S. turned to Venezuela for help, ambassador says: "September 10, 2005

WEBSTER GROVES (AP) - The United States did not officially ask Venezuela to increase fuel supplies after Hurricane Katrina, but some Bush administration officials turned to the oil-rich neighbor for help despite the countries’ uneasy relations, Venezuela’s ambassador to the United States said yesterday.

They 'were telling us they need help,' Bernardo Alvarez said yesterday during a visit to Webster University in this St. Louis suburb. 'We understand that.'

With 12 percent of Gulf Coast refineries down, Venezuela’s infusion of 1 million barrels of gasoline - in addition to its normal shipments - 'will make a real and immediate impact' to ease hurricane-related energy problems, Alvarez said. The first shipment will leave Venezuela on Wednesday and should arrive at the Gulf Coast in four to five days, he said.

The shipment is not a gift but rather an additional supply for the market, he said. Roger Noriega, the Department of State official responsible for Western Hemisphere affairs, said Thursday that the United States is paying for it.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whose close relations with Cuban President Fidel Castro puts him at odds with the United States, also authorized the release of as much as $5 million in humanitarian relief. The money is being sent to the American Red Cross at the request of U.S. officials, Alvarez said.

Chavez’s aid offers also came with a criticism of the U.S. government for failing to evacuate the victims before disaster struck.

But Venezuela’s offer of mobile clinics; rescue, safety and evacuation specialists; power generators; and water-cleansing machines has not been accepted Alvarez said.

He said that Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco welcomed the relief but that the U.S. government has so far snubbed the offer."