General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, singled out Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez who this week attacked President George W. Bush as the "devil" in a speech to the UN General Assembly.

"There have been increases in government actions that are not friendly to us," Pace said in a question-and-answer session with Pentagon employees. "President Chavez is clearly not a friend to the United States."

He said it would be interesting to see what impact Chavez's speech would have on Venezuela's quest for a seat on the US Security Council.

"He has also been sending money to other countries in South America to try to destabilize them or get elected those who he believes would follow in his footsteps," Pace said.

Noting that Cuba's Fidel Castro is ill, Pace suggested his passing would be an opportunity for political change there.

"Sooner or later, just like me, he's going to die," he said.

"And then the Cuban people will have an opportunity again to state who they are and establish the kind of a government they want to have," he said.

Pace described Latin America as "a large family" with common goals and aspirations.

"But we need to be alert to the fact that there are forces brewing right now that are not friendly to the United States and not friendly to other freedom-loving countries in this hemisphere. And together we need to do something about it," he said.

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