Damascus, Aug 30, IRNA-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez here Wednesday said that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has defeated the the US on technical knock-out by offering to debate with his American counterpart, George W. Bush.

He made the remark while speaking to reporters after a two-hour meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad in Damascus.

Chavez said, "It would have been nice if Bush had accepted the proposal. Then I would have watched such a debate closely." During the press conference, attended by 100 domestic and foreign reporters, Venezuela's president praised Iran's policy towards the US pressures.

Chavez was holding a copy of Ahmadinejad's recent press conference in his hands and read selections from it as evidences of his own approach.

The Venezuelan president, heading a high-ranking political and economic delegation, arrived in Damascus this morning. He attended a press conference after meeting Assad.