IRAN/TERRORISM (PIX, TV)

Hitler wrongly invested on the Vatican but not on US politicians Israeli Hitler receives a standing ovation in US congress
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Bin Laden may be remembered as the Muslim warrior who was able to attack targets inside America and who had forced the Americans to launch very costly wars on Afghanistan and Iraq respectively, in 2001 and 2003. Many believe it was Dr Ayaman Al-Zawahiri who should be credited with expanding the limited agenda of Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda from freeing the holy Saudi Arabian lands, from the boots of the American infidels, to fighting continuous Islamic Jihadi wars throughout the world similar to Trotsky’s permanent socialist revolution.



Because of the death of the 19 attackers and because of security reasons, the full details of what had happened on September 11, 2001 are still unknown. Nevertheless, the ability to launch damaging attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon despite the presence of 15 US intelligence agencies showed Al-Qaeda to having operators with quasi superhuman talents.

While in Egypt, Medical Doctor Al-Zawahiri was credited with planning the assassination of President Anwar Al-Sadat on October 6, 1981, following his visit to Israel. Those close to Bin Laden know that their leader is not the person with the exceptional capabilities or with the high intelligence but they give credits to others, some still faceless, and to Dr Al-Zawahiri in carrying out spectacular attacks. It will take Al-Zawahiri some time before proving his worth in evading the US bullets and in launching the next attack which he promised to avenge the death of Bin Laden.

Al-though Al-Qaeda hasn’t been in the news lately despite their daily attacks in Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen. However, Dr Al-Zawahiri’s job is being facilitated by the American unlimited support for the intransigence of the extreme right-wing government of Netanyahu-Liebrman in Israel and by the American desperate attempts to undermine the on-going Arab people uprisings against the USraeli Arab agents in government.


The Americans have eliminated the enemies of the Islamic revolution in Afghanistan (2001) and in Iraq (2003), naturally to the cheers of the Iranians. The Arabs will also cheer the Americans if they eliminate their enemies in Israel.

Be reasonable and ask the impossible from the American Zombies whom I have given up on them. Despite 5000 universities and high teaching institutes, the Americans are unable to connect the dots and end up being ruled by imbeciles like Ronald Reagan and G.W. Bush. The stupid Americans went to invade and destroy Iraq while they should have invaded Saudi Arabia. They are currently trying to undermine Iran while they should concentrate on Pakistan where most of the terrorists are being bred and exported. The Americans can't name one single Iranian or Iraqi who have carried out terrorist attack anywhere on earth. Bin Laden was a Saudi so were 15 out of the 19 who carried out the attacks on 9/11. Al-Zawahiri is an Egyptian so was Mohammed Al-Atta. Al-Zarqawi was a Jordanian.

Catholic Hitler introduced a Church Tax in order to keep the Vatican on his side while fighting the Jews who were implicated in the crucifixion of Jesus and who refuse to recognize Christianity. In this regard, Hitler was successful as his ally Mussolini became a close friend of Pope Pius XII while Jews were being killed in German-occupied territories. But Hitler's biggest mistake was in ignoring investment on the US legislators who were like him vehement anti-communist.

Like Netanyhu, Hitler would have received standing ovations if he had given an address to the US congress announcing operation Barba Rossa; to invade and to destroy the communist Soviet Union and to topple Stalin, while his forces remained occupying Austria, the Czeck Republic and Poland.
Someone once said “victims of abuse tend to abuse others.” That is why one should not be surprised to seeing the Jewish victims of Nazi crimes establishing a state that carries out Nazi-style atrocities. Here are some of the similarities between German and Israeli Nazi practices:
1. The German Nazis preached the superiority of the Arian race. Similarly, the Jews believe that they are superior to others and are being preferred by God over the rest of his creatures.
2. The Germans had established the SS (Schutz Stafel/defense force) and the Gestapo (Geheimstaatpolizei/secret state police) to detain, torture and to assassinate all the 'undesirables' including Communists and Jews. The Israelis have established IDF (Israeli Defense Force), SHABAK, SHIN BEIT and MOSSAD which are known for carrying out heinous crimes against Palestinians in Israel, Jordan, Syria, Tunisia, Europe and Lebanon.
3. Germans discriminated against Jews, Israelis discriminate against Christians and Muslims.
4. The Germans developed and used sophisticated Luftwaffe, Panzers and Chemical weapons. The Israelis developed and used all kinds of weapons including cluster and phosphorus bombs.
5. The German Wehrmacht gave itself the right to attack neighboring countries. The Israeli IDF have invaded Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and the West Bank.
6. In 1947, the Irgun, Haggana and Stern gangs surrounded Deir Yassin and hanged the entire male population of (180-800) to frighten the population. That was a page taken from Himmler's book of atrocities in the former USSR.
While the German Nazi rule lasted from 1939-1945, the Israeli Nazi atrocities are on-going since 1948. The Americans fought NAZI Germany, albeit late, but are currently embracing Israeli Nazi-style atrocities and crimes.


Jews were always persecuted by Christians and not by Muslims. It was only in 1964 when the Jews were exonerated( to free from blame) by the Vatican from the blood of Christ. For hundreds of years, Churches of Germany, Italy and France had statuesand paintings depicting Jews as devils, blood suckers and wild beasts. Now with Jewish money and political clout, many Christians started to embrace Zionist causes. Western politicians, the like of Thatcher, Tony Blair, G.W. Bush, Barak Obama, David Cameron, Nikolai Sarkosi and Angela Merkel owe their positions to Jewish money. In the US, most senators and members of the house are on the payroll of the Jewish financial mafia(s) (see Bernie Madoff's list of political donations.)



Adnan Darwash, Iraq Occupation Times
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25 Jun 2011 11:33

Source: reuters // Reuters

* Leaders of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan attend conference

* Region has been battlefield for U.S. "war on terrorism"

* Tehran turns tables on Western claims it backs "terrorism"

By Mitra Amiri

TEHRAN, June 25 (Reuters) - Iran used a conference on stopping terrorism on Saturday to accuse the West of being the main sponsor of political violence against civilians.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told delegates who included the leaders of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the main battlefields for the U.S. "war on terrorism" -- that Washington, Israel and Europe were the worst culprits.

"It is unfortunate that I have to announce that the individuals and groups responsible for these (terrorist) incidents are supported by certain European governments and some American politicians," Ahmadinejad told the "International Conference on Global Fight Against Terrorism".

By accusing the West, Tehran was turning the tables on accusations that Tehran supports militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, which are considered terrorist organisations by Israel and its Western allies.

In a message read out at the conference, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Washington had committed "terrorist behaviour and financial and military support to organized terrorists" in the Middle East.

He said drone attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the downing of an Iranian civil airliner by a U.S. warship in 1988 and the assassination of two Iranian nuclear scientists -- for which no one has claimed responsibility -- were incidents from a "shameful and unforgettable list" of U.S. "terrorism".

Washington has led a global diplomatic offensive to tighten sanctions on Iran which it believes is seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. The two countries have been enemies since the 1979 revolution, which overthrew the U.S.-backed shah, and the subsequent occupation of the U.S. embassy in Tehran.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who has backed Washington's actions against militants in his country, echoed U.S. rhetoric about a "war" on terrorism.

"Our forces are in the trenches, the very front line in the great battle of the 21st century. We are fighting a war that will determine not only the future of my country but the future of your countries and the entire world," he told the meeting.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who received Iran's defence minister on a landmark visit to Kabul last week in an ominous move for Washington which fears Tehran increasing its influence in the region, also addressed the meeting.

"Despite our attempts in the last 10 years to build the foundations of the country, not only has our country not achieved peace but terrorism is still a threat to Afghanistan and the region," Karzai said.

In a private meeting on the sidelines of the conference, Khamenei told Karzai he believed Washington wanted a permanent military presence in Afghanistan. "As long as American soldiers are present in Afghanistan, real security will not be established," he was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani reiterated a point made by all speakers, that Islam must not be perverted to justify "terrorism" and warned foreign countries against supporting groups like al Qaeda.

"There is a mistaken understanding in some regions that those believe themselves of the Islamic faith use Islam to further their evil aims, whereas Islam is about peace and must be used against the phenomenon of terrorism.

"This phenomenon nearly destroyed our country and those who are supported wither financially or otherwise by foreign countries are mistaken," Talabani said. (Writing by Robin Pomeroy, editing by Alistair Lyon)

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Disarmament conference in Tehran (8 images)
[Iran host the second international conference on disarmament and non-proliferation in Tehran]
Iran host the second international conference on disarmament and non-proliferation in Tehran
Representatives of Pakistan, Qatar, and Algeria participate in the second international conference on disarmament and non-proliferation hosted by Iran in Tehran on June 12, 2011.The two-day conference will focus on nuclear disarmament issues. UPI/Maryam Rahmanian

Read more: http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/News/Disarmament-conference-in-Tehran/5251/#ixzz1QIXX4B4Y

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Leader: Terrorism, global powers' tool
Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:41AM

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says dominant powers use terrorism as a tool to achieve their illegitimate objectives.


“An important and shocking point [about terrorism] is the evil calculation of dominant powers which have introduced using terrorism as a tool for achieving illegitimate objectives into their policies and planning,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in his message to the International Conference on the Global Fight against Terrorism on Saturday.

The conference, which brings together senior officials from at least 60 countries and representatives from several international organizations including the UN, opened on Saturday in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

“The historical memory of the regional nations will never forget how imperialist states organized terrorists groups such as the World Zionist Organization and more than ten other similar groups to occupy Palestine and estrange its innocent nation.”

“The Zionist regime [of Israel] has publicly continued its terrorist actions inside and outside of Palestine and has announced them shamelessly,” the Leader said in his message relayed by his foreign policy advisor Ali Akbar Velayati.

“Another example is the regime of the United States of America which has created a long list of terrorist actions and also financial and arms support for organized terrorists in the countries of the region.”

The leader added that the US, the UK and some other Western countries which have a dark and condemning record of terrorist actions, are advocates of fighting terrorism.

“From the viewpoint of the leaders of hegemonic powers, terrorism is whatever that threatens their illegitimate interests.”

The Leader said one of the activities of the International Conference on the Global Fight against Terrorism could be providing a clear and accurate definition of terrorism.

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FACTBOX-Sanctions imposed on Iran

28 Jun 2011 09:07

Source: reuters // Reuters

(refiled to remove garble, copy unchanged)

June 28 (Reuters) - Following are details of sanctions imposed on Iran in recent years by the United States, the United Nations and the European Union.

* U.S. SANCTIONS:

-- Initial sanctions imposed after Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy and took diplomats hostage in 1979. Iranian products cannot be imported into the United States apart from small gifts, information materials, foodstuffs and some carpets.

-- In 1995, President Bill Clinton issued executive orders preventing U.S. companies from investing in Iranian oil and gas and trading with Iran. Tehran has looked for other customers.

-- The same year, Congress passed a law requiring the U.S. government to impose sanctions on foreign firms investing more than $20 million a year in Iran's energy sector. It was extended for five years in September 2006. No foreign firms have yet been penalised, although many have curtailed operations in Iran.

-- In October 2007, Washington imposed sanctions on three Iranian banks and branded the Revolutionary Guards a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction. The Treasury has since added numerous other Iranian banks to its blacklist.

-- The Treasury has identified about 20 petroleum and petrochemical companies as being under Iranian government control, an action that put them off-limits to U.S. businesses under the trade embargo.

-- Congress approved tough new unilateral sanctions on June 24, 2010 aimed at squeezing Iran's energy and banking sectors, which could also hurt companies from other countries doing business with Tehran.

-- The 2010 law imposes penalties on firms that supply Iran with refined petroleum products worth more than $5 million over 12 months. Firms can be banned from the U.S. financial system or denied U.S. contracts. It also effectively deprives foreign banks of access to the U.S. financial system if they do business with Iranian banks or the Revolutionary Guards.

-- In February 2011, Bank Refah was sanctioned for facilitating the purchase of millions of dollars worth of missiles and tanks by Iran's Defence Ministry.

-- In May, the U.S. blacklisted its 21st Iranian state bank, the Bank of Industry and Mine, as a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction for handling transactions on behalf of two previously sanctioned institutions, Bank Mellat and Europaeisch-Iranische Handelsbank.

-- It also announced new sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA and six other smaller oil and shipping firms for engaging in trade with Iran in violation of the U.S. ban, prompting fury and warnings from Hugo Chavez's government.

-- On June 11, it announced new sanctions applicable to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij Resistance Force, Iran's Law Enforcement Forces and its commander, Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam. The sanctions freeze any of the targets' assets under U.S. jurisdiction and bar U.S. persons and institutions from dealing with them.

-- U.S. sanctions against Iran can be found on the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control website: http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/iran/iran.sh tml and http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h2194/text

* EU SANCTIONS:

-- The EU has imposed visa bans on senior officials such as Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Ali Jafari, former Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar and former atomic energy chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh, and on nuclear and ballistic experts.

-- Britain announced last October it was freezing business ties with Bank Mellat and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), both of which have previously faced sanctions from the United States.

-- New EU measures approved on July 26, 2010, said European airports would bar cargo flights to or from Iran except those in which limited amounts of cargo were carried on passenger planes.

-- On Aug. 12, 2010 the EU toughened its sanctions against Tehran, including banning the creation of joint ventures with enterprises in Iran that are engaged in the oil and natural gas industries and any subsidiary or affiliate under their control.

-- Member states must prohibit the provision of insurance and re-insurance to the government of Iran. The sale, purchase, brokerage or assistance with the issuance of public or public-guaranteed bonds by the Iranian government, central bank or Iranian banks is banned.

-- The import and export of arms and equipment that could contribute to uranium enrichment or have a "dual use" is banned.

-- The sanctions forbid the sale and supply or transfer of energy equipment and technology used by Iran for refining, liquefying natural gas, exploration and production. The EU expects the effects of the sanctions to increase over time as existing parts wear out.

-- The transfer of funds over 40,000 euros will require prior authorisation from the member state concerned. Sums of more than 10,000 euros not related to foodstuffs or healthcare and medical equipment will require notification.

-- For the full EU sanctions decision click: (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:281:0001:0077:EN:PDF)

-- In May 2011, EU foreign ministers significantly extended its sanctions and agreed to add more than 100 new entities to a list of companies and people affected by sanctions including those owned or controlled by the IRISL. Among the shipping companies targeted by the EU were Safiran Payam Darya Shipping Lines, which it said took over IRISL's bulk services and routes and used vessels previously owned by IRISL.

-- EU diplomats said the May 23 sanctions list included German-based EIH bank, which specialises in business in Iran.

* U.N. SANCTIONS:

-- The Security Council has imposed four sets of sanctions on Iran, in December 2006, March 2007, March 2008 and June 2010.

-- The first covered sensitive nuclear materials and froze the assets of Iranian individuals and companies linked with the nuclear programme. It gave Iran 60 days to suspend uranium enrichment, a deadline ignored by Iran.

-- The second included new arms and financial sanctions. It extended an asset freeze to 28 more groups, companies and individuals engaged in or supporting sensitive nuclear work or the development of ballistic missiles, including the state-run Bank Sepah and firms controlled by the Revolutionary Guards.

-- The third increased travel and financial curbs on individuals and companies. It expanded a partial ban on trade in items with both civilian and military uses to cover sales of all such technology to Iran, and added 13 individuals and 12 companies to the list of those suspected of aiding Iran's nuclear and missile programmes. In September 2008, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution again ordering Iran to halt enrichment. Iran again disregarded the order.

-- A Security Council resolution passed on June 9, 2010, called for measures against new Iranian banks abroad if a connection to the nuclear or missile programmes was suspected, as well as vigilance over transactions with any Iranian bank, including the central bank.

-- It expanded a U.N. arms embargo against Tehran and blacklisted three firms controlled by Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and 15 belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The resolution called for setting up a cargo inspection regime similar to one in place for North Korea.

-- Annexed to the draft resolution was a list of 40 companies to be added to an existing U.N. blacklist of firms. (Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit; editing by Mark Heinrich)

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OPEC top official urges IEA to halt oil release
Jun 28, 2011 at 21:30
http://en.news.maktoob.com/20090000842532/OPEC_top_official_urges_IEA_to_halt_oil_release/Article.htm


By Reuters
VIENNA (Reuters) - The IEA order to release emergency oil stocks should be halted immediately, OPEC's Secretary General said on Monday at the end of cooperation talks with the European Union.

Years of producer-consumer harmony have come under threat after the International Energy Agency last week ordered the release of 60 million barrels of oil following the collapse of an OPEC meeting early in the month without a deal.

"I hope this practice will be stopped and stopped immediately," Secretary General Abdullah al-Badri told a news conference in Vienna following EU-OPEC dialogue.

"We don't see a good reason to release this quantity and I hope the IEA will refrain from using this practice."

The dialogue bringing together representatives of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and EU consumer countries has taken place every year since June 2005.

Typically, it has been an uneventful debate of topics including the impact of speculation and the need for regulation.

EU officials insisted Monday's talks had been constructive, although they accepted both sides had taken a different view of the IEA reserves release.

"Obviously, there was a disagreement on this particular issue," said Tamas Fellegi, president of the EU's energy council and also Hungary's development minister.

"Even if the IEA made this action, it has to remain extraordinary and limited in time, this is very important, and should not undermine the cooperation between the EU and OPEC and should not disrupt the market mechanisms."


IRANIAN OPPOSITION

Iran, current holder of the rotating OPEC presidency, was among seven members of the 12-nation producer group that blocked a Saudi-led proposal earlier this month to increase OPEC's output targets.

Immediately after the June 8 OPEC meeting collapsed without a new supply deal, leading exporter Saudi Arabia said it would pump all the oil the market needed, but the IEA still ordered a release from emergency stocks.

The IEA presented the emergency reserves release as a response to the loss of Libyan oil output to civil war, but Iran's Acting Oil Minister Mohammad Aliabadi said it was meddling that contradicted free-market principles.

"Why they are not abiding by those principles is really a big question for us. We believe that prices should be set by the market itself," Aliabadi told reporters on Monday.

Iran is not alone in arguing there is more to the IEA reserves release than meeting a supply shortfall.

Analysts have noted an economic element, as the world frets about the impact of oil prices above $100 a barrel on a fragile world economy, and a political element as U.S. President Barack Obama positions for re-election.

They also say the consequences could be severe for the oil market and any short-term price fall might not be sustained.

BP Chief Economist Christof Ruehl said in a television interview with Reuters Insider the single biggest risk for the oil market this year was "a war of attrition between OPEC and the IEA and that it goes on for a long time."

It could be a risk to both the upside and downside, he said, depending on the extent of both sides' response.

Brent crude fell to a session low of just above $102 a barrel on Monday, roughly 10 percent lower than the market close on Wednesday, the day before the IEA announcement. The price rallied slightly in late trade.

The IEA has had far more impact on the market than OPEC's inability to reach a new supply agreement and analysts said the producer group could be impotent for months to come.

"The big problem is that Iran has the presidency of OPEC in 2011 and is using it as a political tool," said analyst Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix.

"The statements coming out of OPEC are currently irrelevant as Iran has kidnapped OPEC and we will have to wait for 2012 to maybe see OPEC work again as an institution."

If the price falls too far, however, analysts predict OPEC could reunite as a force, just as it did at the end of 2008 when prices crashed below $40 a barrel.

The price collapse prompted OPEC to agree a record output cut of 4.2 million barrels per day.

That reduction theoretically remained in place until this month when OPEC's failure to reach agreement leaves all OPEC members at liberty to pump whatever they can.

After Iran moves aside as OPEC president, Iraq, which also opposed the Saudi-led push for an output increase at the June meeting, will take over at the beginning of next year.

(additional reporting by Daniel Fineren in Dubai; writing by Barbara Lewis; editing by William Hardy)

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Rocket attack kills 3 American soldiers in Iraq
APBy LARA JAKES - Associated Press | AP – 4 hrs ago

BAGHDAD (AP) — A rocket attack on a U.S. base near Iraq's border with Iran killed three American soldiers, an official said Thursday, blaming the strike on a Shiite militia linked to Tehran.

The deaths came at the end of the bloodiest month for U.S. troops in Iraq in two years, and with just six months before the American military is scheduled to leave after more than eight years of war.

Wednesday's rocket attack struck a U.S. base in southern Iraq that is located a few miles (kilometers) from the Iranian border, a U.S. military official said. He said the type of weapons used bore the hallmarks of a Shiite militia with strong links to Iran.

The official refused to give more details, and would not describe what kind of rockets were used against the base, or where it was. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

American intelligence officials have long believed that the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades, is one of the only militias to use weapons known in military jargon as IRAMs, or improvised rocket-assisted mortars, against U.S. troops. The weapons are made in Iran.

Kataib Hezbollah, which has links to the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group, is solely focused on attacking U.S. troops and other American personnel.

The U.S. military is preparing to leave Iraq by the end of the year, as required by a 2008 security agreement between Baghdad and Washington. But as both governments now consider extending the deadline to have thousands of troops remain in Iraq into 2012 — in part to counter Iran's influence over the unstable nation — at least three major Shiite militias have stepped up attacks on soldiers to force the military out.

Kataib Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a June 6 rocket attack on a U.S. base in Baghdad that killed five soldiers. In all, 15 U.S. troops have died this month in Iraq, all but one in hostile attacks. It's the highest number of military deaths in Iraq since June 2009.

Wednesday's deaths bring to 4,469 the number of American troops who have died in Iraq. That's according to an Associated Press count.

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FACTBOX-Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez

01 Jul 2011 02:36

Source: reuters // Reuters

June 30 (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez announced on Thursday that he had undergone a successful operation in Cuba to extract cancerous cells from a tumor and was on the road to full recovery. [ID:nN1E75T1QY]

The 56-year-old gave no indication of when he would return to Venezuela and did not name a temporary substitute to lead the South American OPEC member nation of 29 million people.

Here are some key facts about Chavez:

* Born to a poor family in the Venezuelan plains or "llanos" on July 28, 1954, Chavez once aspired to be a painter and then a professional baseball player. He often explains politics using baseball metaphors and the folksy language of the "llanos" he learned during his childhood.

* A former lieutenant colonel, Chavez spent much of his later military career conspiring with other leftist officers to overthrow the country's traditional political order. He led a 1992 coup that failed but made his reputation and propelled him toward the presidency.

* Chavez won power in a 1998 presidential vote and took office the next year. Opposition politicians and dissident troops led a coup against him in 2002, but supporters and loyal soldiers swept him back to power in less than two days. Chavez accuses the U.S. government of backing the putsch.(
A sudden attempt by a group to overthrow a government)

* Chavez has enjoyed wide backing among Venezuela's poor majority with massive social spending to expand health and education programs financed by income from oil exports. He has also cultivated support by confronting the United States, which he denounces as a decadent empire.

* He first warned in 2004 that he would shut off oil supplies to the United States if it tried to invade the Andean nation or impose a trade blockade against his country -- after he accused then U.S. President George W. Bush of backing the short-lived 2002 coup attempt. The following month, he backed away from the threat and said he did not have any intention of damaging relations with Washington.

* Inspired by his friend and mentor, Cuba's Fidel Castro, Chavez has taken Venezuela down an increasingly radical path, nationalizing large swathes of the economy and running the government with a personalized -- many would say autocratic -- style. Opponents say he has become an old-style Latin American "caudillo" or dictator, repressing critics, squandering the nation's oil wealth and ruining its economy.

* Chavez has a deliberately populist style and is famous for his strong language and long-winded speeches that often drag on late into the night. His weekly Sunday TV talk show, "Hello, President," has lasted as long as eight hours. (Reporting by Caracas bureau; Editing by Eric Walsh)