Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has emerged as a leading OPEC oil price hawk, said he did not want world oil prices to fall from last year's level, when they averaged their highest in 17 years. Despite complaints from the United States and Europe that high oil prices were damaging economic growth, the South American leader said current prices, about $2.50 per barrel below last year's average, were not high enough. "It is vital for us that the average oil barrel price is maintained around where it was last year, at $26.28 per barrel (for Venezuela's basket)," Chavez told a gathering of public sector workers. "This year the price has been below last year…