US to keep Palmer as ambassador candidate (Spanish)

http://www.eluniversal.com/2011/01/06/pol_art_eeuu-mantiene-a--pal_2152100.shtml

Departamento de Estado dice estar preparado para quedarse como está

Washington.- EEUU negó que esté buscando un nuevo candidato a embajador en Venezuela, dos días después de haber sugerido la nominación de un nuevo emisario ante el rechazo del gobierno venezolano a Larry Palmer.

El portavoz del Departamento de Estado P.J. Crowley dijo que "ha habido sugerencias del presidente Chávez de que estamos buscando otro candidato, y la respuesta es que no estamos buscando a otro candidato'', dijo AP.

Crowley agregó que "estamos preparados a quedarnos como estamos por tiempo indefinido'', refiriéndose a la ausencia de embajadores en las representaciones diplomáticas de ambas naciones y precisó que corresponde ahora a la Casa Blanca decidir el próximo paso.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hQkVHlLFtBzZoCWmHA4PLxfTDKvA?docId=CNG.05a6e85bfb37cddd7fe037aaf5164bc0.1131

US stands by choice for Caracas envoy
(AFP) – 14 hours ago

WASHINGTON — The United States said Wednesday it stood by diplomat Larry Palmer as its choice for ambassador to Venezuela despite being rejected by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Chavez joked Tuesday that the United States should send filmmaker Oliver Stone, actor-activist Sean Penn or linguist Noam Chomsky to be ambassador to Venezuela amid the diplomatic row.

"We appreciate President Chavez's suggestions, but the fact is we are not looking for another candidate to be the US ambassador to Caracas," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.

"We've made clear that we felt very strongly that Larry Palmer was the appropriate candidate, fully qualified and would have been and would be an effective interlocutor to improve relations between the United States and Venezuela."



it would have been really foolish for Obama to give in especially as Chavez is ignoring the recent vote and ruling by decree. sounds to me like Obama himself may have straightened the State Department out on this issue after their recent waffling.

The State Department had no choice but to stand still. If they had let the item go off the radar screen, the State Department may have named somebody else soon. But after Chavez opened his mouth the way he did, and started suggesting the people he would accept, that sealed the issue. Chavez is well known for his big mouth and tendency to insult other nations, and this put the State Department in a quandary.