President Hugo Chavez has barred the Nobel Peace Price laureate Lech Walesa from entering Venezuela because the former Polish president is against indefinite reelections, authorities said Wednesday.
Chavez, on Tuesday ordered Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro to make sure that Walesa, who was supposed to arrive Venezuela on Friday, stays away from Venezuela, Xinhua reported.
"We are obliged to make Venezuela's dignity to be respected. He (Walesa) can say what he wants outside Venezuela's borders, but here, inside Venezuela, no, no," Chavez said days before a Feb. 15 referendum on a measure that would allow him to lead the country as long as he wins elections.
Walesa, who has described Chavez as a "demagogue" and "populist" had been invited by a group of anti-Chavez college students to a conference in 2008, but he skipped the event due to security concerns, local press reported on Wednesday.
Walesa was set to arrive in Venezuela on Friday to meet with students and members of non-governmental organizations.