"The Venezuelan government has never failed the United States in its commitments regarding the supply of energy," he told reporters following talks with his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Martins da Cruz.

He added Venezuela had moved to quickly re-establish the flow of oil to the United States following the end in February of a 63-day opposition strike which battered the nation's petroleum industry.

"We have recovered our normal level of production and we have honoured our commitments to our US partners," Chederton Matos said.

"Our relationship with the United States is improving greatly, there are many pragmatic accords," the Venezuelan minister added.

Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter and the eighth-largest producer, and along with Saudi Arabia and Mexico is a major supplier to the United States.

The nation's oil exports collapsed dramatically during December and January when opposition leaders and dissident state oil workers spearheaded an economic shutdown in a failed bid to oust leftist President Hugo Chavez.

Chavez has repeatedly voiced his government's opposition to US-led military action in Iraq and some government spokesmen have even suggested a side-aim of the conflict was to break up the Organisatoin of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

SPACE.WIRE