CARACAS: President Chavez said on Saturday that Venezuela does not need Spanish companies, warning that if Spain's right-wing party wins elections next year its companies would no longer be welcome.

"Spanish companies go away, we really don't need them," Chavez said during a news conference at the presidential palace.

Chavez said he hopes Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero wins March's general elections, because "with Zapatero it's possible to talk."