Venezuela's Chavez pursues arms deals in Russia, Belarus

Jul 25, 2006, 14:23 GMT

Moscow/Minsk - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez arrived in Russia from Belarus Tuesday to meet weapons manufacturers as his country continues a broad militarization programme against alleged US invasion plans.

Chavez began the three-day visit in the southern city of Volgograd before he travels to the military rifle-producing centre of Izhevsk and then to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin.

Cooperation in oil and gas exploration is another key topic. Chavez is due to meet with Russian oil company representatives to discuss construction of the world's longest pipeline running 8,000 kilometres across South America.

Speaking earlier Tuesday in the Belarusian capital Minsk, Chavez said his country had 'to keep a sword handy' to defend itself and would enter into new strategic alliances for the same purpose.

Russia and Venezuela have signed contracts on the supply of more than 100,000 AK-103 rifles, a modification of the AK-47 assault weapon, and on licensed production in Venezuela of the rifles and ammunition. According to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, Caracas will also buy 30 Sukhoi Su-30 fighter-bombers and 30 military helicopters in a deal worth more than one billion US dollars.

The United States has lodged a formal protest with Russia over the cooperation, which it fears could upset the balance of power in South America. Russia rejected the objections as groundless, stressing that the deals with Venezuela do not break international law.

Chavez' socialist government also aims to arm and train up to two million Venezuelans against a potential incursion, while Washington rejects claims of a planned invasion as absurd.

The Venezuelan leader used his three-day visit to Minsk as a backdrop for further vociferous attacks on Washington, using Communist-era phrases now heard rarely in the former Soviet republic.

'The national projects of our countries are aimed at creating a multipolar world and are directed towards the destruction of imperialism, which tries to create a unipolar world,' Chavez said in a speech at a Belarusian military academy.

'Countries like Venezuela and Belarus must keep their hands on their sword,' he added. 'America has tried to close off our countries ... with its hegemony and imperialism.'

The two states, both antagonistic to the West and targets of US diplomatic isolation efforts, have formed a 'strategic alliance,' Chavez declared. Military trade would form a key part of relations between the two states.

Chavez gave no details on a military cooperation agreement reached in Belarus. The deal would begin with sales of spare parts to service Venezuelan military equipment, a Belarusian Foreign Ministry official said on Monday.

From Russia he plans to visit Iran, Mali, Qatar and Vietnam.