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King Juan Carlos tells Hugo Chávez to shut up during the closure of the Ibero-American summit
By h.b. - Nov 11, 2007 - 11:37 AM
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‘Why don’t you shut up!’
The words of King Juan Carlos 1 of Spain to the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, in the closing session of the Ibero-American summit in Chile on Saturday.
The Spanish monarch lost his cool when Chávez called the ex Spanish Prime Minister, José María Aznar, a fascist on several occasions. King Juan Carlos then got up and walked out of the session in a gesture without precedent, and just in time to hear the Nicaraguan President, Daniel Ortega, criticising Spanish businesses and the role of Union Fenosa in Nicaragua in particular. The King was to return later, but was not present for the singing of the Chilean hymn which closed the debates.
Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zaptero tried to get Chávez to moderate his speech, saying it was necessary to respect others, speaking in defence of Aznar.
‘I can be in a completely different ideological position and I am not close to the ideas of Aznar’, said Zapatero, 'but he was chosen by the Spanish people and I demand that respect’, said Zapatero.
To this Cháves replied that he had the right to say what he liked.
The ex Prime Minister, José María Aznar, is reported to have spoken by phone both with the King and with the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, to thank them for their position at the Ibero-american summit in the face of the criticism of Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela.
Meanwhile after the summit had ended Hugo Chávez continued with his declarations
‘He may be King’, he said, ‘be he could not shut me up. The difference between him and me is that I have been elected three times’.
Chávez has also implied that King Juan Carlos was also fully aware of the coup attempt against him in 2002.
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