Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro denounced US government's attempt to sentence Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the International Criminal Court, according to an article published Friday by local daily Granma.

Castro quoted the Venezuelan Television "La Hojilla" program which picked up data and words reflecting US government's attempt to subject "Chavez to a trial just like (former Yugoslavian President Slobodan) Milosevic after the Kosovo war."

"When I heard the official declarations that a group of officials are undertaking the legal paperwork, I was completely sure. It is not a secret," Castro was quoted as saying by the daily.

(Xinhua News Agency March 8, 2008)