In this picture released by Cumbre Iberoamericana Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, left, talks to Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, unseen, during the last working session of the XVII Iberoamerican Summit in Santiago, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007, minutes before Spanish King Juan Carlos told Chavez to shut up as the Venezuelan leader was involved in a heated verbal exchange with Zapatero about Spain's former President Jose Maria Aznar. At right is Venezuela's Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro. (AP Photo/Cumbre Iberoamericana)
Chavez Lashes Back at Spanish King
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — President Hugo Chavez lashed back at Spain's king Sunday for telling him to "shut up" during a summit, suggesting the monarch knew in advance of a 2002 coup that briefly ousted the Venezuelan leader from power.
Chavez claimed that Spain's ambassador had backed interim president Pedro Carmona and appeared at Venezuela's presidential palace during the two-day coup in 2002. He demanded to know how deeply King Juan Carlos had been involved.
"Mr. King, did you know about the coup d'etat against Venezuela, against the democratic, legitimate government of Venezuela in 2002?" Chavez said before reporters in Santiago. "It's very hard to imagine the Spanish ambassador would have been at the presidential palace supporting the coup plotters without authorization from his majesty."
Chavez touched off the spat Sunday at the closing session of a summit of Latin American nations, Spain and Portugal. Chavez accused former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of backing the 2002 coup and repeatedly calling him a "fascist" in an address to leaders gathered in the Chilean capital.
Spain's current prime minister, socialist Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, asked Chavez to be more diplomatic and show respect for other leaders despite political differences.
Chavez continued to interrupt as Zapatero spoke, although his microphone was off.
King Juan Carlos, seated next to Zapatero, then leaned toward Chavez and loudly asked, "Why don't you shut up?"
The leftist Venezuelan leader has often grabbed attention with flamboyant speeches at international gatherings, including calling President Bush the "devil" on the floor of the United Nations last year.
Chavez regularly accuses Washington of helping orchestrate the 2002 coup against him — a charge U.S. officials deny. U.S. and Spanish ambassadors did meet with Carmona and his newly appointed foreign minister on April 13, 2002, hours before Chavez was restored to power following massive demonstrations.
Officials at the Spanish Embassy in Venezuela and the royal palace in Madrid could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday.
In comments published by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Chavez recalled his spat with the monarch. "They had to rein in the King and he got very mad, like a bull," Chavez was quoted as saying. "But I'm a great bullfighter — ole!"
Chavez, who faces violent protests at home against proposed constitutional reforms that would greatly boost his power, said the incident had been exaggerated by the media.
"I hope this will not damage relations," Chavez said as he left his Santiago hotel room Sunday morning. "But I think it's imprudent for a king to shout at a president to shut up."
"Mr. King, we are not going to shut up," he said.
Juan Carlos I of Spain.
During a summit of the Latin American nations in Chile on Saturday, November 10, the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, told the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez to "shut up." The remarks quickly put an end to the meeting.

"Why don't you shut up?" said King Juan Carlos I, interrupting a speech by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of Spain who was condemning words by Chávez who called the country's former prime minister, José María Aznar, a "fascist." The King was waving a finger at Chávez.

"I want to express to you President Hugo Chávez that in a forum where there are democratic governments ... one of the essential principles is respect. You can disagree radically, without being disrespectful," said Zapatero before the King told Chávez to shut up.

Chávez quickly issued a statement on Sunday saying "Mr. King, did you know about the coup d'etat against Venezuela, against the democratic, legitimate government of Venezuela in 2002? It's very hard to imagine the Spanish ambassador would have been at the presidential palace supporting the coup plotters without authorization from his majesty."

Chávez believes and has publicly accused the United States of trying to take him out of power in a coup back in 2002. When protests broke out on April 13 of that year when Chávez was restored to power, Spanish officials met with U.S. officials just hours before.

Despite the harsh use of words between the two nations, Chávez says that he "hopes this will not damage relations" between them, but that also states "we are not going to shut up."