Venezuela dismisses US report on religious freedom

Caracas, Venezuela - Caracas has denounced what they consider to be Washington's determination to make unacceptable accusations against the will and the capacity of the Venezuelan government to guarantee the free exercise of individual rights. For Venezuelan Chancellor Nicolas Maduro, this and other recent accusations by the U.S. over Venezuela's policies aim at hindering the administration of President Chavez.

The report, which is believed to be one of the tools that the U.S. uses to define its foreign policy, makes emphasis on the Venezuelan government's attempts to limit the influence of religious groups in the political arena. One of the examples is the alleged campaign to discredit Cardinal Jorge Urosa after he declared in mid-2010 that the government wanted to violate the Constitution with its socialist plan.

The government of Venezuela claims that the harmonious coexistence between cultures and religions in the country has been especially shown in the past weeks by several cults through their ceremonies in favour of the good health of President Chavez.