King of Spain Tells Chavez to Shut Up

Spanish King Tells Chavez to “Shut Up”

Spain’s King Juan Carlos told Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, to “shut up” on Saturday during closing speeches by leaders at the Ibero-American summit in Chile.

“Why don’t you shut up?” the king shouted at Chavez, when he tried to interrupt a speech by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister.

Zapatero was in the middle of a speech at the summit of mostly leftist leaders from Latin America, Portugal, Spain and Andorra, and criticised Chavez for calling Jose Maria Aznar, Spain’s former prime minister, a fascist.

Zapatero, a socialist, told the leaders gathered in the Chilean capital, Santiago: “I want to express to you President Hugo Chavez that in a forum where there are democratic governments … one of the essential principles is respect.

“You can disagree radically, without being disrespectful,” Zapatero, a socialist, said sternly, drawing applause from some of the other heads of state.

Chavez, a former soldier, made his mark on the three-day summit from the start, announcing his arrival earlier in the week with defiant lyrics from a Mexican ballad.

“With the truth in hand, I do not offend, I do not fear,” Chavez said on Saturday.

“The government of Venezuela reserves the right to respond to any aggression.” — AP

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