Envoy says Venezuela open to better ties with US

Venezuela's government is open to improving troubled ties with Washington and is considering a US proposal for the return of anti-drug agents kicked out of the country eight years ago by President Hugo Chavez, a senior official said.

There has been no word from Chavez since he had cancer surgery in Cuba five weeks ago, so every move the government makes in his absence is being picked over for clues to what the OPEC nation might look like in a post-Chavez era.