Peru recalled its ambassador from Venezuela on Thursday in protest against what Lima called interference in its internal affairs ahead of the scheduled April presidential elections.

Peru ordered Ambassador Carlos Urrutia to return from Caracas for consultations after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expressed support for presidential candidate Ollanta Humala and his brother.
 
Humala of Peru's Nationalist Uniting Party is running second in the pre-election opinion polls, next only to Lourdes Flores of the conservative National Unity coalition.

Local media quoted Chavez as praising Humala this week for leading a "worthy" uprising against Peru's previous ruler in October 2000.

The Peruvian Foreign Ministry said Chavez's public support for Humala is seen as intervention in Peru's internal affairs.

The ministry accused Chavez of violating international law and the principles of the inter-American system by raising issues related to Peru's political process.

Despite the friction with Venezuela, Peru will keep its April 9 election date, according to the ministry.

On Thursday, the Venezuelan government denied that it was interfering in Peru's internal affairs.

Venezuelan Ambassador to Peru Cruz Martinez said in a statement that Chavez "saluted the Peruvian election" and that the president repeated his promise to "comply with international law over bilateral relationship."

"The reference that President Hugo Chavez made to Mr. Ollanta Humala can in no way be interpreted as inference by Venezuela in the affairs of the Republic of Peru," Venezuela's Foreign Ministry said.

It said it expected relations between the two countries would not be strained by the incident.

Humala's brother Antauro is being jailed for leading 150 former soldiers to occupy the police headquarters last year in Andahuayas, southeastern Peru. The incident left six people dead.

Antauro demanded the resignation of President Alejandro Toledo, calling him corrupt and a traitor delivering the country to foreign capitalists.

The Peruvian government has not said when Ambassador Urrutia will return to Caracas.

(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2006)