text: US Group Seeks to Defuse Venezuela Funding Row &lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - A Washington-basedpro-democracy group said on Thursday it wanted to defuse a rowwith leftist President Hugo Chavez, who has accused the U.S.Congress-funded organization of backing efforts to topple him.&lt;/p&gt;