Venezuelan and the United States Re-Establish Relations and Ambassadors

Mérida, June 26th 2009 (Venezuelanalysis.com) - Today, the Venezuelan ambassador to the United States, Bernando Alvarez, will re-take his position in Washington, and the US ambassador to Venezuela, Patrick Duddy, will return to Venezuela this weekend, the respective foreign ministries said.

In September last year Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expelled the US ambassador in Venezuela in a gesture of solidarity with Bolivia, who had expelled its US ambassador in response to evidence that the ambassador had met with separatist opposition groups. The US then removed its ambassador from Venezuela.

Alvarez called the re-establishment of relations between the two countries a "historic decision" and said that it expressed a change in the United States, exemplified by the US's attitude in this month's meeting of the Organisation of American States (OAS)