Venezuela's Chavez Reiterates Threats To Expel EU Companies

President Hugo Chavez on Monday reiterated threats to expel European Union companies doing business in Venezuela because of tough new immigration rules imposed by the E.U. Chavez, who is in Argentina attending a meeting of the regional trade group Southern Cone Common Market, known as Mercosur, said in comments broadcast by Venezuelan state television that E.U. companies operating in the oil, banking and other economic sectors 'would have to be asked to leave' if the E.U. went ahead and applied the new immigration rules. Chavez threatened on June 19 to expel EU companies doing business in Venezuela and warned that he could shut oil sales to Europe because of the new immigration policy. The new E.U. immigration rules allow for illegal immigrants to be held in detention centers for up to 18 months before being deported. The new measure is likely to affect Latin American illegal immigrants in Europe.