Chavez, speaking on his weekly ``Hello President'' radio and television show, said he had received a May 22 letter of support from the U.S. Congress' Black Caucus, which groups African-Americans in the legislature.

In their letter, some 30 U.S. Congress members condemned the April 11-14 coup against the left-wing Venezuelan leader led by rebel generals and admirals. They expressed support for his call for dialogue and reconciliation, which he made after he was reinstated by loyal troops and supporters.

Chavez, who is of mixed race, thanked ``these black brothers and sisters'' and invited them to visit Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter which is a major supplier of crude oil and petroleum products to the United States.

``We have invited them, and they have accepted, to come and participate as observers, mediators and facilitators ... for the national dialogue,'' Chavez said. He added the Black Caucus members would be visiting in the next few months.

Relations between his left-leaning populist government and the United States were already cool before the April coup. They suffered further strain immediately afterwards when some Chavez supporters accused the U.S. Government and military of welcoming, and even participating in, his short-lived ouster.

But senior U.S. officials vehemently denied this and both sides have said since they want to keep friendly relations.

Despite Chavez's dialogue offer, political, labor and business foes of the outspoken former paratrooper question his sincerity. They say they do not believe he is willing to change the course of his self-proclaimed ``revolution,'' which has drawn criticism in the oil-rich nation since his 1998 election.

Opponents of Chavez say his confrontational rhetoric and leftist reforms covering everything from oil and land to finance and fisheries is driving Venezuela to economic ruin and social conflict. He dismisses his critics as a resentful, rich minority who feel threatened by his anti-poverty plans.

Fueling fears of future political confrontation, and even of another coup bid, Chavez and his political opponents are locked in an unrelenting war of words over who to blame for the more than 60 killings that occurred during the April coup.

The bitter, no-holds-barred row focuses on the question of who opened fire on a huge march of anti-Chavez demonstrators that converged on the Miraflores presidential palace April 11.

At least 17 people were killed, and more than 100 injured, when gunmen fired into the streets where the anti-Chavez marchers and supporters of the president were gathered. The deaths triggered the military coup by disgruntled officers.

In his broadcast yesterday, Chavez repeated testimony he gave to a parliament inquiry late Friday.

He accused members of Caracas' Metropolitan Police, who come under the authority of anti-Chavez city mayor Alfredo Pena, of backing the coup against him by firing against his supporters on April 11.

``You see how they (the coup plotters) sent the police to savagely repress the people,'' Chavez said in his program, which broadcast videos showing police officers firing their weapons.

His version, which is faithfully echoed by his ministers and supporters, contradicts testimony to the inquiry from the officers who ousted him and are now facing rebellion charges.

They accuse the President of calling out armed supporters, troops and tanks to counter the April 11 anti-Chavez march.

Four suspects in the shootings have been detained. They are all either pro-Chavez militants or government employees who were seen in television footage firing pistols from a bridge.

But Chavez said yesterday, this TV footage had been altered and manipulated by local media which he said had backed the coup.

He dismissed the accusation that he ordered the killings as ``one of the big lies designed by the coup plotters.''