U.S. revokes Venezuelan ambassador’s visa

washington —  — The Obama administration revoked the visa of the Venezuelan ambassador to the United States on Wednesday in a tit-for-tat diplomatic response to Venezuela’s rejection of the U.S. choice to be the next envoy to the South American country.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday dared the U.S. government to expel his ambassador, saying he will not allow the U.S. diplomat, Larry Palmer, to be ambassador because he made what Chavez described as blatantly disrespectful remarks about Venezuela.

U.S. diplomats familiar with the situation said the decision to revoke Bernardo Alvarez Herrera’s visa came after Chavez’s decision to withdraw his approval of Palmer. The diplomats said Alvarez is currently not in the U.S.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said late Wednesday that the U.S. has taken “appropriate, proportional and reciprocal action.”

Palmer, who is awaiting Senate confirmation, angered Chavez by suggesting this year that morale is low in Venezuela’s military and raising concerns that Colombian rebels are finding refuge in Venezuela.

Chavez, whose nation’s economy relies heavily on oil sales to the United States, has accused Palmer of dishonoring the Venezuelan government by expressing concerns on several sensitive subjects.