Venezuela's Chavez says even with Obama, it's still the 'US empire'

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez challenged President Barack Obama on Tuesday to remake U.S. policy toward Latin America, but said he isn't holding out much hope for major changes.

"No one here should have any illusions. It's the U.S. empire," Chavez told supporters during a televised speech shortly after Obama's inauguration.

The Venezuelan leader said he hopes Obama "looks to Latin America with a new view, with a new focus of respect toward the democracies and the changes" in the region.

The leftist leader, who once called outgoing President George W. Bush the "devil," also said he's glad to see the departure of a president "who filled the world with terror."

He told the crowd: "Goodbye, Mr. Bush."

The top U.S. diplomat in Caracas, charge d'affaires John Caulfield, said shortly before Chavez's speech that Obama "has shown his interest in improving communication."

The U.S. envoy told television station Globovision that "we have various administrative problems to resolve with the Venezuelan government, and I think we've started a conversation about those problems and we're on a path to solving them."

U.S.-Venezuela relations, tense for years, reached a low point in September when Chavez expelled the U.S. ambassador. But the president has previously expressed hope of improving relations under Obama.

Caulfield noted that Obama has said he plans to attend a summit in Trinidad and Tobago in April, which he called "an important step."