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Venezuela defies US, seeks UN council seat, Kalashnikovs
AFP
CARACAS
Petroleumworld.com 06 12 06President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that he will defy US opposition to a seat for Venezuela on the UN Security Council, as well as a US bid to deny him weaponry.
"Venezuela is a candidate and will not withdraw as candidate for a seat on the UN Security Council. With any weapon at hand, like David against Goliath, we don't care if the empire bares its claws and pressures other governments," he said on his Sunday television and radio talk show, "Hello, Mr. President," referring to the United States as "the empire."
"We are confronting imperialism in a brutal way," Chavez said. "The empire has already begun to oppose it," he said of Caracas' candidacy, through "psychological warfare," "pressure" and "blackmail" of other nations.
Chavez also said he would ignore US pressures to deny him weapons, and that Venezuela will make its own assault rifles.
"In Moscow, we are going to sign another group of technical and military cooperation agreements between Russia and Venezuela. One of them is an agreement to build a Kalashnikov rifle factory" he said, mentioning an upcoming visit to Russia. He did not give a date.
The United States opposes what it calls Venezuela's arms buildup and its interference in other Latin American countries' affairs to the detriment of democracy.
Last week a shipment of 30,000 Russian rifles arrived in Venezuela, of the 100,000 Kalashnikovs Venezuela has bought from Russia. Caracas also has bought 33 armored helicopters from Moscow of which 12 will arrive in Venezuela in coming months.
Chavez also says the United States has denied Venezuela needed spare parts for its fleet of F-16s, and announced last month that he would buy Russian fighters and sell the F-16s to Iran.
AFP 12 0330 GMT 06 06
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