Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Saturday that U.S. President George W. Bush's upcoming tour of Latin America was a "diplomatic offensive" doomed to failure.

Bush's planned trip was "without a doubt" aimed at dividing Latin America and containing Venezuela's influence in the region, Chavez said.

"It is a diplomatic offensive, but it is too late," he told a news conference. "I think the U.S. president has nothing to look for in Latin America. It is an offensive destined for the depths of defeat."

Chavez said he respected other Latin American nations' decision to meet Bush, but Venezuela "would never invite him because we know what he is."

The U.S. government's strategy "has always been to divide Latin America," he added.

The White House has announced that Bush is scheduled to visit Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico next month, adding that the visit aims to "underscore Washington's commitment to democratic governments in the region."

Relations between Caracas and Washington have been tense since Chavez took office in February 1999.

He accuses the United States of backing attempts to oust him, a charge denied by Washington, which says Chavez poses a threat to democracies both in Venezuela and Latin America.

Source: Xinhua