Chavez accepts evangelist apology
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said that he accepted a letter of apology from US televangelist Pat Robertson, who called two weeks ago for Chavez’s assassination.
But Chavez, speaking on Sunday in his weekly television show Hello, President, said he would reserve the right to sue Robertson.
On 22 August, Robertson said on his televised religious programme in the United States that the US government should assassinate Chavez.
“We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability,” said the conservative Christian leader.
“We don’t need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.”
Chavez said on Sunday that Robertson had apologised to him in a letter and that he accepted the apology “wholeheartedly, as the good Christian that I am”.
“But my government and I reserve the right to take legal action on the case,” said Chavez.