Venezuela's Chavez praises Sean Penn for critical stance on Bush
The Associated Press
Published: August 1, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met privately with American actor Sean Penn on Thursday after praising his staunch opposition to the war in Iraq.
Penn sat at the front of an auditorium packed with Chavez's red-clad supporters to hear the president speak shortly after meeting him at the presidential palace. Penn, who has kept a low profile since arriving in Caracas earlier this week, did not speak but smiled and waved to the crowd as Chavez introduced him.
"Welcome to all visitors from other regions of the world who are with us," Chavez said. "Make yourself at home."
Chavez said Penn has a fondness for Venezuela's world-renowned chocolate, saying, "Hollywood actors like chocolate." He then launched into a workshop-style talk with leaders of neighborhood "communal councils."
Chavez said Wednesday that Penn traveled to Venezuela this week wanting to learn about the situation in the country and walked around some of Caracas' poor barrios on his own.
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He read aloud from a recent open letter in which Penn condemned the Iraq war and called for U.S. President George W. Bush to be impeached, saying that he, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are "villainously and criminally obscene people."
Chavez who shares those views called Penn "well-informed about what is happening in the United States and the world, in spite of being in Hollywood."
The Venezuelan president also professed to being a fan of Penn's films, saying said he recently watched his Oscar-winning performance in "Mystic River."
The Associated Press
Published: August 1, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met privately with American actor Sean Penn on Thursday after praising his staunch opposition to the war in Iraq.
Penn sat at the front of an auditorium packed with Chavez's red-clad supporters to hear the president speak shortly after meeting him at the presidential palace. Penn, who has kept a low profile since arriving in Caracas earlier this week, did not speak but smiled and waved to the crowd as Chavez introduced him.
"Welcome to all visitors from other regions of the world who are with us," Chavez said. "Make yourself at home."
Chavez said Penn has a fondness for Venezuela's world-renowned chocolate, saying, "Hollywood actors like chocolate." He then launched into a workshop-style talk with leaders of neighborhood "communal councils."
Chavez said Wednesday that Penn traveled to Venezuela this week wanting to learn about the situation in the country and walked around some of Caracas' poor barrios on his own.
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Before them, films were just movies
He read aloud from a recent open letter in which Penn condemned the Iraq war and called for U.S. President George W. Bush to be impeached, saying that he, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are "villainously and criminally obscene people."
Chavez who shares those views called Penn "well-informed about what is happening in the United States and the world, in spite of being in Hollywood."
The Venezuelan president also professed to being a fan of Penn's films, saying said he recently watched his Oscar-winning performance in "Mystic River."
