Maduro blasts 'devil' Obama

VENEZUELA: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro took a swipe at Barack Obama on Saturday, calling him the "grand chief of devils" after the US President declined to recognize his contested re-election.

"Coming out of Central America, Obama let loose with a bunch of impertinent remarks, insolent stuff... He is giving an order, and his blessing, for the fascist right wing to attack Venezuela's democracy," Maduro alleged in an address.

But "we are here defending our institutions, peace, democracy, the people of Venezuela... and we can sit down with anyone, even the grand chief of devils: Obama," Maduro said.

The socialist's harsh attack recalled diatribes from his predecessor the late Hugo Chavez aimed at former US president George W. Bush, whom he also called a devil, among other insults.

During a visit to Costa Rica on Friday, Obama would not say whether the United States recognizes Maduro as the winner of last month's presidential election.

Obama told US Spanish-language network Univision that the entire region "has been watching the violence, the protests, the crackdowns on the opposition" following the controversial April 14 election.

Maduro, 50, defeated opposition leader Henrique Capriles, 40, at least officially, by a razor-thin margin in the election to replace the late leftist leader Hugo Chavez.

Capriles, however, has refused to concede defeat, claiming there were irregularities. He has contested the results officially.

AFP