Rice calls closure of Venezuela's RCTV undemocratic

PANAMA CITY, June 4 (Reuters) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today called Venezuela's closure of an opposition television station ''anti-democratic'' as she flew to a regional summit that US officials hope will fault President Hugo Chavez for his moves against the media.

Chavez took the RCTV opposition television station off the air on May 27, silencing what had been a major opponent to changes that have given the leftist leader greater control over the judiciary, the military and the oil sector of the OPEC member.

Two days later, he called news channel Globovision -- the last main opposition media in Venezuela although it does not have nationwide coverage -- an enemy of the state and said he would do what was necessary to stop it from inciting violence.

''Everyone recognizes that when you start closing down television stations because they express opposition to the leadership that that is in fact a strong move against democracy,'' Rice told reporters as she flew to Panama for an Organization of American States meeting.

''It's not the first in Venezuela but it's perhaps the sharpest and the most acute,'' she added. ''I do not see how closing down an opposition (television station), literally because they have taken you on and taken on your policies, can be seen as anything but anti-democratic.'' Rice said she would address freedom of expression in Venezuela in her comments to the OAS as well as call for democratic change in Cuba, whose participation in the 35-member group was suspended after Fidel Castro came to power in a 1959 revolution.

The United States expects press freedom in Venezuela to be a major topic at the OAS meeting in Panama City although it is not clear how explicitly the issue will be addressed in any collective statement.

US officials noted that because the organization operates by consensus, Venezuela could block any explicit criticism of itself.

However, they suggested a statement on freedom of the press expected to be issued by the group would at least implicitly rebuke Chavez for his moves to silence critics in the media.

Chavez has often been at odds with the United States and is President George W Bush's most vocal opponent in Latin America. But Rice said disagreement over the television closure was broader than just a dispute between Caracas and Washington.

''We are not going to allow the Venezuelan leadership to make this an issue between the United States and Venezuela.

This is an issue between Venezuela and democracy,'' Rice said.

REUTERS JK BST0055