CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Cuba's parliament speaker demanded Thursday that United States extradite a Cuban exile wanted in Venezuela for his alleged role in plotting the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner.

Speaking to lawmakers in Venezuela's Congress, Ricardo Alarcon accused the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush of harboring terror suspect Luis Posada Carriles instead of promptly handing the Cuban exile over to Venezuela.

"They must turn him over and hand over the proof" of Posada's terror-related activities," said Alarcon. "Enough of talking about bringing him to trial in a Central American nation or the United States!"

"He must be extradited to Venezuela, where he must face justice," added Alarcon, who was in Caracas on a two-day visit.

Venezuela wants to try ex-CIA operative Posada on charges of murder for the 1976 bombing, which tore apart a Cubana Airlines plane after it took off from Barbados, killing 73 people. Posada is accused of plotting the bombing while in Caracas.

Posada, a naturalized Venezuelan, is in U.S. custody awaiting a decision on whether he will be extradited to the South American country. He has denied involvement in the bombing.

U.S. officials say that the United States has not received an official request from Venezuela for Posada's extradition.

The 77-year-old Posada, a devoted opponent of Cuba's Fidel Castro, is expected to request asylum at an immigration hearing June 13. He was charged last week with entering the U.S. illegally from Mexico, which could lead to his deportation.

Mexico's immigration commissioner, Magdalena Carral, said Wednesday that Posada left no record of his reported passage this year, indicating he was in Mexico illegally.

On Wednesday, Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said the United States was "making a joke" of international treaties by not promptly extraditing Posada.

Rangel -- one of President Hugo Chavez's closest confidants -- did not refer to any specific bilateral agreements, but last week he cited a 1922 treaty between the United States and Venezuela saying it obliged the United States to extradite Posada.

Officials in Washington said this week they won't bend to pressure from Chavez, who has warned that diplomatic relations between the two countries could suffer if the United States doesn't hand over Posada.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press