Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned that any attempt to overthrow him would raise the international oil prices to more than $50 dollars per barrel, The New York Times reported.

Chavez said he "would not tolerate" any U.S.-led attempt to force him from office.

He said the U.S. government does not respect the Venezuelan government, noting that Bush's interference in Venezuela's internal affairs would jeopardize one of the key oil providers to the United States.

"I cannot believe a government is willing to put its oil supplies at stake," he said.

As the world's fifth largest oil exporter, Venezuela provides about 1.5 million barrels each day to the United States, which accounts for nearly 15 percent of U.S. oil imports. Chavez has recently threatened to cut off Venezuela's oil exports to the United States if his country is invaded.

Meanwhile, OPEC President Purnomo Yusgiantoro told reporters in Jakarta recently the group would not go back on its February decision to cut official production April 1 to 23.5 million barrels per day from 24.5 million barrels per day.

"That is already policy," he said. "The current high price is not based on the fundamentals.”

William Ramsay, the International Energy Agency’s deputy executive director, told Reuters the IEA wants to see a buildup in commercial stocks to pull down crude oil prices.

He said oil companies had been discouraged from boosting inventories because the OPEC had artificially inflated prices.