This Article is From Mar 06, 2013

Hugo Chavez: British foreign minister 'saddened' by death

Hugo Chavez: British foreign minister 'saddened' by death
London: British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was "saddened" by the death of Hugo Chavez on Tuesday, saying the Venezuelan President had left a "lasting impression" on his people.

"I was saddened to learn of the death of President Hugo Chavez today," Hague said in a statement issued by the Foreign Office. "As President of Venezuela for 14 years he has left a lasting impression on the country and more widely."

The foreign minister offered his condolences to the bereaved Chavez family and to the Venezuelan people.

Chavez lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday, silencing the leading voice of the Latin American left and plunging his divided oil-rich nation into an uncertain future.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro, who struggled to hold back tears as he announced Chavez's death, said the government had deployed the armed forces and police "to accompany and protect our people and guarantee the peace."(Venezuela's Hugo Chavez dies, armed forces deployed)
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