WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (AFP) - The United States on Thursday urged Venezuela's opposition to present proof of its claim that last weekend's referendum on President Hugo Chavez was marred by fraud.
State Department spokesman Adam Ereli also called on observers from the Carter Center and the Organization of American States (OAS) -- which have endorsed Chavez's victory -- to investigate the opposition claims.
"We urge the international observers to investigate exhaustively all credible concerns regarding the electoral fraud expressed by the opposition, and we likewise urge all those concerned about possible electoral fraud to present their evidence to the OAS and Carter Center," Ereli told a press briefing.
"This is what is needed in order to, I think, reasonably and responsibly address the concerns and resolve them in a way that serves the interests of all Venezuelans."
"There were some cases, as we said before, of intimidation that we noted, but overall, we think that the process was credible and met international standards," he added.
The United States on Wednesday delayed stating its official position on the recall referendum against Chavez while waiting for the vote audit.
Official results show Chavez won 59 percent of the vote in Sunday's referendum on whether his mandate should be cut short.
Venezuelan electoral authorities Thursday conducted a random audit of the referendum that confirmed Hugo Chavez's mandate, but the opposition rejected the probe and insisted the vote was a fraud.
Observers from the Carter Center and the Organization of American States (OAS), as well as representatives of the government witnessed the audit, which was expected to conclude at the latest on Friday.
But the opposition, which claims Sunday's vote was a massive fraud, boycotted the exercise and demanded a far wider audit to include the touch-screen machines used in Sunday's voting. Even before the probe started, opposition leaders said they would reject its results.