Venezuela, US move to restore envoys

MARACAY, Venezuela: Venezuela and the United States said on Wednesday they will restore their ambassadors more than nine months after President Hugo Chavez expelled the US envoy in his final diplomatic bout with the Bush administration.

But Chavez signaled he still has major differences with Washington, accusing the US of having a hand in recent protests in Iran and saying he hopes President Barack Obama will lead the United States on a new path.

"I hope that Obama takes charge of dismantling the empire, that the United States starts to respect the world," Chavez told reporters.