Venezuela's Maduro attacks 'devil' Barack Obama

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has taken a swipe at Barack Obama, calling him the "grand chief of devils" after the US president declined to recognise his contested re-election.

"Coming out of Central America, Obama let loose with a bunch of impertinent remarks, insolent stuff … He is giving an order, and his blessing, for the fascist right wing to attack Venezuela's democracy," Maduro said in a speech on Saturday.

"[But] we are here defending our institutions, peace, democracy, the people of Venezuela... and we can sit down with anyone, even the grand chief of devils: Obama," Maduro said.

The socialist's harsh attack recalled diatribes from his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, aimed at former US president George W. Bush, whom he also called a devil, among other insults.

During a visit to Costa Rica on Friday, Obama would not say whether the US recognises Maduro as the winner of last month's presidential election.

Obama told US Spanish-language network Univision that the entire region "has been watching the violence, the protests, the crackdowns on the opposition" following the April 14 poll.

Maduro, 50, officially defeated opposition leader Henrique Capriles, 40, by a razor-thin margin in the election to replace the late leftist leader Hugo Chavez.