The U.S. State Department said Friday that the decision by Venezuela and Bolivia to expel U.S. ambassadors reflected "weakness and desperation."
Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said the move came as the leaders of these countries, Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia, faced "serious internal challenges" and "an inability to communicate effectively internationally in order to build international support."
On Thursday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recalled his ambassador from Washington and ordered the removal of the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela within the next four days.
Ramping up his aggressive rhetoric, the leftist leader accused members of Washington of trying to remove him forcibly from office and arrange his assassination, renewing concerns that Venezuela may cut off oil exports to the US.
This was the second US Ambassador to be kicked out of Latin America in the past two days as Bolivia ordered the removal of an American envoy Wednesday.
In his statement Friday, McCormack said, "The charges leveled against our fine ambassadors by the leaders of Bolivia and Venezuela are false - and the leaders of those countries know it."
He added, "The only meaningful conspiracy in the region is the common commitment of democratic countries to enhance opportunities for their citizens. The only overthrow we seek is that of poverty."
In a televised rally, Chavez accused the US of trying to get rid of him, stating "they're trying to do here what they were doing in Bolivia."
The return of Venezuela's ambassador to the United States will happen following the administration shift in the U.S., Chavez said, showing his distrust and dislike of the administration of George Bush.
"Hopefully, sooner than later, [the United States] will have a government that respects the peoples and the governments of Latin America," Chavez said.
The U.S. and Venezuela have had strained relations for much of the Bush administration, with Chavez referring to the U.S. president as "the devil" at a speech to the UN General Assembly in 2006.
The relationship with the country is particularly important though, as Venezuela is a large-scale oil producer and a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
The country was recently among those that pushed for OPEC to lower its oil output quotas, a decision the White House had opposed.
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