CARACAS, Aug. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Venezuela announced on Friday night it would withdraw its ambassador from Panama and that President Hugo Chavez will not attend the inaugural ceremony of Panama's President-elect Martin Torrijos.

    The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said the withdrawal was in protest of Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso's statement that she pardoned four Cuban exiles linked to assassination plots against Cuban leader Fidel Castro for fear that they might be sentto Venezuela and executed.

    The move came one day after Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela, broke diplomatic relations with Panama because of the pardons.

    Panama's president-elect Torrijos criticized the pardons and said he would work toward normalizing ties with Havana after taking office.

    Venezuelan Ambassador Flavio Granados told reporters that he was recalled because of Moscoso's "offensive statements."

    Granados confirmed that Chavez had canceled a planned Sept. 1 trip to Panama to attend the inauguration of Torrijos, Moscoso's successor.

    On Thursday, Moscoso said she pardoned the four "for humanitarian reasons."

    "We know that if they stay (in Panama), they might be extradited to Venezuela or Cuba, where I am sure they would have killed them," she said.

    In response, Granados said that "in Venezuela, we respect life and the death penalty is prohibited. We categorically reject and repudiate those statements."

    However, he said the two countries would continue to maintain diplomatic relations. Enditem