PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- President Barack Obama and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez shared a friendly handshake at the start of the Fifth Summit of the Americas Friday.

The Venezuelan government called the handshake ''historic'' and hinted that it was the first step toward thawing chilly relations between the two nations.

''Before the start of the inaugural session of the Fifth Summit of the Americas, the president of the United States Barack Obama approached the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Hugo Chávez and offered him a greeting,'' according to a statement released by the Venezuelan government.

``Both leaders gave their hands in a historic greeting, after several years of tensions with the Bush administration, when the relations between Washington and Caracas had deteriorated.''

The Venezuelan state news agency released a photo of the friendly casual handshake, with Obama with his hand warmly on Chávez' shoulder.

''With this same hand, I greeted Bush eight years ago,'' Chávez said. ``I want to be your friend.''

Chávez, the government reiterated, has said ``on several occasions that all he expects is for the United States to respect Venezuela and its sovereignty.''

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