6-25-09, 9:30 am

Venezuela and the United States agree to improve bilateral relations Ambassadors to Return to their Posts The Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs, Nicolas Maduro Moros, confirmed Wednesday that in the coming days, Venezuelan and US ambassadors, Bernardo Alvarez and Patrick Duddy, will return to their respective diplomatic posts.

'The Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, Thomas Shannon, told us, as was published by some media, that the Obama administration wants to have more fluid communication and to improve relations. Our position on this issue is very clear, and we are ready to move forward,' said Maduro.

The diplomatic crisis between the United States and Venezuela deepened starting on September 11, 2008, when President Chavez decided to expel US Ambassador Patrick Duddy out of solidarity with President Evo Morales, who had done the same in Bolivia following violent attacks by separatist elements who attempted to thwart the last constitutional referendum in the Latin American nation.

For this reason, the President also ordered the immediate return of Venezuela’s Ambassador to the United States, Bernardo Alvarez, to Caracas. Ever since Barack Obama assumed the presidency of the United States, both heads of states have expressed their desire to resolve their differences and restore relations. --Ministry of People's Power for Foreign Affairs, Translation by the Press Unit of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United States, June 24, 2009.