HARRY DUNPHY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The United States said Tuesday the vote by Venezuela's people to allow President Hugo Chavez to complete his term marks an end to the Latin American nation's political crisis.

"The people of Venezuela have spoken," said State Department spokesman Adam Ereli. "This is about resolving a political crisis, an issue that has divided the people of Venezuela."

While stopping short of congratulating Chavez, Ereli said the United States was prepared to move on in relations with Venezuela and rejected a suggestion U.S. policy is guided not by a love of democracy but by a distaste for Chavez.

"So people want to make it a U.S. versus this person or a U.S versus that person issue and it's not," Ereli said. "It's not the way we've been approaching it."

He said the United States has traditionally had a close relationship with Venezuela based on a commitment to democracy and shared values as well as close economic ties.

"As we move forward in our relationship with Venezuela, we think it's important to remember these fundamental ties," Ereli said.

Voters decided by 58 percent to 42 percent in Sunday's referendum that Chavez should complete his term in office. Some opposition politicians insisted on a recount.

Ereli said that if there were any irregularities in the voting they should be investigated.

"If there were irregularities, those irregularities can be documented so that people can't persist in casting doubt over the results in a way that undermines the process of national reconciliation," he said.

Former President Jimmy Carter, a prominent observer, endorsed the results of the referendum, as did the Organization of American States.