Venezuela does not support Hamas or Hezbollah: minister
Venezuela”s Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro denied late Tuesday that his government maintains relations with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
In response to an article in the Israeli daily Haaretz which claimed President Hugo Chavez”s government gave aid to the groups, Maduro said Venezuela had a "transparent relationship" with the Muslim world.
"We have no official relations with (Hamas and Hezbollah) and if we did we would say so," Maduro said in a telephone interview with state television channel VTV.
Maduro also denied that the Venezuelan government was anti-Semitic.
"Our government totally and absolutely guarantees religious equality and non-discrimination on religious issues," he said.
Venezuela broke diplomatic ties with Israel on January 14 in protest over the Jewish state”s deadly military assault in the Gaza Strip.
Madura assured that the decision had nothing to do with anti-Semitism. He added that the Israeli government "must not hide behind its religion."
When it broke off ties Caracas said it had made the decision "in accordance with its vision of world peace, in solidarity and respect for human rights," adding it was compelled to do so by the "cruel persecution of the Palestinian people directed by Israeli authorities."