January 13, 2006

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday rejected as propaganda charges by a leading Jewish rights group that he made anti-Semitic remarks during a Christmas speech.

Chavez, a socialist ally of Cuba and fierce critic of what he brands Washington's imperialist policies, did not mention the Jewish people in his December speech and had also referred to the betrayal of Venezuelan liberation hero Simon Bolivar.

Since he survived a 2002 coup, Chavez has often accused the U.S. government of trying to overthrow him. Washington counters that he has become a negative influence in South America.

In a televised Christmas Eve speech, Chavez, a former soldier, referred broadly to "minorities, descendants of those who crucified Christ" and those who had "grabbed all the wealth."

The influential Simon Wiesenthal Center promotes tolerance and confronts issues like racism and anti-Semitism and also deals with the prosecution of Nazi war criminals, neo-Nazism, and hate on the Internet.

Speaking to the National Assembly on Friday, Chavez also sent his regards to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as he remained in a medically induced coma after suffering from a massive stroke on January 4.