Chavez denounces West over Libya

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a staunch of ally of embattled strongman Moamer Qadhafi, slammed Western powers Sunday for "destroying Tripoli with their bombs," as rebels surged to seize control of the Libyan capital.

"Today we are seeing images of the democratic governments of Europe, along with the supposedly democratic government of the United States destroying Tripoli with their bombs," Chavez said.

Television news footage aired out of Libya showed rebels forces pushing towards Libya on Sunday and late into the night capturing keys areas of the capital, including the symbolic Green Square, but not of bombing related to the NATO campaign that backed the anti-Qadhafi alliance.

The bombs, Chavez said however, were "falling on schools, hospitals, workplaces, farmland.

"Let's pray to God for the Libyan people," he said.

Last week Chavez along with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, both arch US foes, jointly denounced the West's "imperialist aggression" in Libya.

Chavez -- Qadhafi's main supporter in Latin America -- has consistently denounced the months-long military operation in Libya claiming it is an oil grab by Western powers.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011