The Obama administration offered Venezuela Wednesday a chance to rebuild its relationship with the U.S. a day after the death of President Hugo Chavez who had often called the country the “Yankee empire,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

The administration said it plans to send a delegation to Chavez’s funeral Friday.

“We would like a productive and functional relationship,” a senior U.S. administration official told reporters who requested anonymity. 

From the Times: 

The official acknowledged that there is unlikely to be a thaw in relations soon given the coming campaign to elect a replacement for Chavez, with candidates wanting to show that they share the anti-Americanism that is popular among his followers.

On Tuesday, Venezuela expelled two American officials for allegedly “destabilizing” the state and appeared to hint that the United States may have been responsible for Chavez's death that same day after a nearly two-year battle with cancer.

Thousands of people lined the streets of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, on Wednesday as a six-hour procession accompanied Chavez’s coffin to the military academy.

According to BBC, the Venezuelan government has announced seven days of mourning for the president of 14 years. 

Chavez died Tuesday at 58-years-old after two years battling cancer. 

 

Read more of Neon Tommy’s coverage on Hugo Chavez here.

Reach Executive Producer Agnus Dei Farrant here.