Chavez Threatens to Halt Oil to U.S.

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threatened Saturday to halt oil exports to the United States and said opponents of his leftist government are not welcome within the military or the state-run oil company.

Also on Saturday, tens of thousands of supporters of Manuel Rosales, Chavez's main challenger in Dec. 3 presidential elections, staged a 16-mile march through the capital Caracas. More than 1,000 police were deployed along the route to prevent clashes between Rosales supporters and "Chavistas" who gathered on street corners shouting "Viva Chavez!" and "Oh, No! Chavez Won't Go!" as the marchers passed.

The opposition has accused Chavez's administration of political coercion after Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez was caught on videotape threatening to fire employees of state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, who oppose Chavez.

"If they try to destabilize PDVSA, if the empire and its lackeys in Venezuela attempt another coup, ignore the outcome of the elections or cause election or oil-related upheaval, we won't send another drop of oil to the United States," Chavez said in a speech to PDVSA workers in the coastal city of Puerto La Cruz, 150 miles east of Caracas.

Chavez - a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro - said President Bush "had better tie down his crazies here in Venezuela" to prevent a possible end to petroleum exports.

Venezuela supplied 12 percent of U.S. crude oil imports last year and the U.S. remains the top buyer of Venezuelan oil.

On Friday, Chavez suggested anyone who does not like his leftist policies should go somewhere else, like Miami. ......