Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threatened to expel the US ambassador, pushing tensions between Venezuela and its top oil buyer to a new extreme as he accused the US diplomat of provoking a confrontation with protesters.
Chavez said US Ambassador William Brownfield sought to escalate tensions by venturing into Coche, a pro-government stronghold where he was unwelcome, and failing to adequately advise authorities of his travel plans.
Protesters in the poor neighborhood pelted the US ambas-sador's car with eggs and tomatoes and chased his convoy on motorcycles.
"The ambassador went to Coche seeking an incident," Chavez said.
Muted criticism
"It was a provocation to look for another incident, seeking an escalation," he said.
Chavez offered muted criticism of the protesters -- "We reject any kind of aggression," he said -- but loudly warned the ambassador.
"If you continue provoking us, go pack your bags because I'm going to throw you out of here," Chavez said to a cheering audience on his weekly televised address on Sunday.
Chavez's ultimatum comes in response to Washington's warning of "severe diplomatic consequences" if anything similar should happen again to Brownfield, who has encountered protests three times in as many weeks. Earlier, demonstrators burned tires and torched an American flag.
Chavez response on Sunday was defiant: "If the Washington government takes some measure against Venezuela because of provocations, you will be responsible, you will have to leave here, sir. I will declare you persona non grata in Venezuela," Chavez said.
US embassy spokeswoman Salome Hernandez said by phone, "the ambassador will continue to travel and we will not be intimidated."
Spike in tensions
The spike in tensions between the US and its fourth-largest oil supplier follows months of increasingly strained ties.
Chavez has threatened in the past to halt oil exports to the US if Washington attempts to unseat his government.
In February, Washington expelled a Venezuelan diplomat in response to Chavez's expulsion of a US military attache who was accused of spying.
Many analysts say Chavez risks losing much more from a break in commercial relations because the US remains Vene-zuela's top buyer of oil and an indispensable refiner of its heavy crudes.
Venezuela supplied 12 percent of US crude oil imports last year.
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