PORT OF SPAIN (Reuters) – Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez said yesterday he had proposed a former foreign minister as his ambassador to Washington in a move toward restoring normal ties with the United States.

Chavez, a fierce critic of US policies, expelled the US envoy to Caracas in September and Washington responded by kicking out Venezuela’s ambassador in a dispute over US activities in Bolivia.

“I have spoken to Roy Chaderton and I have designated him as the new ambassador to the United States,” Chavez told reporters on the sidelines of a Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Now we just have to wait for the United States to give Chaderton the approval to take up this important post to direct a new era in relations,” he said.

The Venezuelan leader made the announcement hours after saying he had no doubt ties with Washington would improve with U.S. President Barack Obama in the White House. The two leaders exchanged several friendly greetings during the summit.

Chaderton was Chavez’s former foreign minister and Venezuela’s representative in the Organization of American States in Washington.
Relations between OPEC member Venezuela and its key oil customer the United States have been frayed since Chavez came to power and positioned himself as Cuba’s closest ally and a standard-bearer for anti-U.S. sentiment in Latin America.

Obama met Chavez on Friday at the start of the U.S. president’s first encounter with Latin American and Caribbean leaders, where he reached out to the Americas by offering a possible new beginning with Cuba.