CARACAS, Venezeula (Reuters) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
                  plans to launch an English-language version of his newspaper, The
                  President's Post, in North America in a bid to counter what he sees as a
                  negative publicity campaign against his government, the newspaper's director
                  said on Monday.

                  The state-run daily, which was launched in Venezuela in July, will go on sale
                  later this month in Miami, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington,
                  Dallas, Orlando and in the Canadian city of Toronto, the paper's director,
                  Juan Barreto, said.

                  He said the 24-page periodical, of which Chavez is editor-in-chief, would be
                  sold for about 50 U.S. cents and aimed at redressing media coverage that
                  has been largely critical since the former paratrooper took office seven
                  months ago.

                  "People are not happy with information that reaches them from some
                  networks that generally don't understand the Venezuelan process or
                  misinterpret it," he told Reuters.

                  The leader of a bloody, but failed, 1992 coup, Chavez is highly popular in
                  Venezuela where he has pledged to root out corruption and rule in favor of
                  the poor.

                  But his radical reforms, which include re-writing the constitution, boosting
                  the role of the military and limiting the powers of the opposition-dominated
                  Congress, have prompted critics to label him as a dictator-in-waiting.

                  Chavez has taken a leading role in the Venezuelan media since coming to
                  power. He hosts a weekly radio program and a twice-monthly television
                  show on state-owned channels during which he answers calls from the
                  public.

                  Barreto said Latin American and European editions of The President's Post
                  would go on sale before the end of the year in Argentina, Colombia,
                  Mexico, France, Germany and Spain.

                     Copyright 1999 Reuters.