VENEZUELAN President Nicolas Maduro told a rally in New York’s South Bronx district on Tuesday night that Venezuela would continue to supply heating oil to 150,000 low-income US families.

The project run by state oil company PDVSA through its US subsidiary Citgo was initiated by his late predecessor Hugo Chavez.

“Our plans with Citgo are to keep strengthening our investment,” said Mr Maduro.

“We need to consolidate and improve the heating oil project … so that working people on low resources and income do not die of cold in the winter.”

He told his audience of Venezuelan expats, trade unionists and peace activists that schemes such as the heating oil for hard up US citizens were “why Chavez earned a place in heaven.

“Chavez won the right to be next to Christ our redeemer because he was a true Christian.”

US politician Joseph P Kennedy II said that people claiming that Venezuela was not a friendly country should consider its long history of selling oil to the US.

“They are a friend and when they reach out their hand we can’t slap it away,” Mr Kennedy said to applause.

The Venezuelan president took issue with his US counterpart’s demand on Tuesday for the release of far-right opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, who has been held in custody since February awaiting trial on charges of inciting violence.

“We stand in solidarity with those who are detained at this very moment,” said Barack Obama.

But Mr Maduro reminded him that there were more political prisoners in the US than in Venezuela.

foreigneditor@peoples-press.com