Venezuela's Chavez douses hopes of US dialogue

BRASILIA, Brazil, Dec 7 (Reuters) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the US government was decadent and less important than Brazil's, further dashing hopes of a new dialogue with Washington after his re-election on Sunday.

Chavez had briefly entertained an overture from Washington to open dialogue. While he doubted the US government's sincerity, he would accept ''if they wanted to talk as equals,'' the Venezuelan official news agency ABN reported him as saying on Tuesday.

But at the beginning of a 24-hour official visit to Brazil last night he used a tougher tone against the United States.

''For us a government that is going, that is gone, is not at all a priority. It is a decadent government,'' he said yesterday in response to a question on the chances of a new dialogue with the United States.

''To me Brasilia is more important (than Washington) and that is why I am here,'' the combative anti-US Chavez told journalists at the airport in the capital Brasilia.

The former coup leader said that the real priority was to forge South American unity against Washington ''so they respect us.'' Chavez was to hold meetings with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to discuss energy integration projects between the two countries.

The Venezuelan leader also said Cuba's Fidel Castro was in good health. ''I haven't spoken (to him) but they tell me he is doing fine,'' said Chavez, who has close ties to Castro.

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