Oscar winner Sean Penn's anti-war stance has been praised by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. during the actor's visit to the South American country. Penn is on a fact-finding tour of the nation, visiting poverty-stricken areas of the capital Caracas, and he spoke with Chavez on the phone. The president publicized the visit by making a televised speech to the nation. He said, "Welcome to Venezuela, Mr Penn. What drives him is consciousness, the search for new paths. He's one of the greatest opponents of the Iraq invasion." He also read a letter Penn wrote to President George W. Bush, condemning the war and calling for him to be impeached. Chavez also confessed to being a fan of Penn's work, insisting "he's made great films", and revealing he recently watched Mystic River, the 2003 film that won Penn his Academy Award.