Venezuela opposition labels Brazil's Lula a "strike-breaker"

The Venezuelan opposition on Thursday labeled Brazil's leftist president-elect a "strike-breaker" in response to his offer to sell gasoline to Caracas, which is in the midst of a 25-day general strike that has crippled the crucial oil industry.

In a letter sent to the Brazilian Embassy in Caracas, the Democratic Coordinator opposition alliance asked Brazil not to send two tankers loaded with fuel to alleviate the fuel shortages caused by striking workers at Venezuela's state-owned oil company, PDVSA.

The strike was called in an effort to pressure President Hugo Chavez from office. Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has expressed a willingness to lend Caracas a hand by sending gasoline-laden tankers. He takes office Jan. 1.

As a result, Democratic Coordinator spokesman Timoteo Zambrano ironically labeled the veteran leftist politician a "strike-breaker" and the decision to sell gas "unacceptable." Lula, a former metalworker turned union boss, helped found Brazil's Workers' Party.