CNSNews.com November 7, 2007
Venezuela's Planned Arms Purchases Leave Neighbors Unsettled
By Leandro Prada
Buenos Aires (CNSNews.com) - Venezuela is planning to extend its weapons purchases from Russia, adding to the $4 billion Chavez already has spent over the past two years.
Sergei Ladigin, a representative of the Russian state weapon exporting company Rosoboronexport, told the Venezuelan newspaper El Universal that there are plans to double or triple those figures.
The Russian official said the two countries were shaping supply agreements for ships, aircraft and combat helicopters, and that there were plans to build three Russian military factories, including one that would manufacture assault rifles in the South American country.
Leftist anti-U.S. President Hugo Chavez previously has signed deals to buy weaponry from Russia, including 24 fighter jets and 30 transport and attack helicopters, and rifles. Venezuela wants the Russian fighter jets to replace American-made F-16s acquired in the 1980s. Venezuela cannot get spare parts for the planes because of a U.S. arms embargo.
Of a package of 100,000 Russian-made Kalashnikov assault rifles, nearly half have been delivered.
At the time the rifle deal was reported in 2005, then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said that neighboring nations were worried about the possibility of the Russian arms ending up in the hands of leftwing guerrillas.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month his country would not be told what to do regarding its exports "based on unilateral and politicized assessments."
The RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as saying deliveries of Russian weapons were aimed exclusively at increasing and maintaining the defense capability of the purchasing countries.
GlobalSecurity.org, a website that analyzes military issues, says Venezuela is the region's largest buyer and has moved ahead of other big arms buyers such as Pakistan and Iran.
It quoted Gen. Muller Rojas, military advisor to Chavez, as saying that Venezuela also plans to buy nine diesel-powered submarines, worth a total of $3 billion.
According to Prof. Raul Zibechi of the Americas Program at the Center for International Policy, if Chavez decides to buy the submarines it may indicate that Venezuela is preparing for a possible future sea blockade -- presumably by the U.S. -- that could disrupt its petroleum exports.
Zibechi sees a blockade as a remote possibility, however. "Venezuela depends as much on petroleum exports as the United Status depends on imports from Venezuela," he said. "Venezuela is already the third largest exporter of petroleum to the United States, having displaced Saudi Arabia from that position."
Writing for the Power and Interest News Report, an organization that provides conflict analysis, W. Alejandro Sanchez said the proposed purchase of submarines would not threaten the U.S. military, but "runs counter to U.S. interests when it comes to the military (and economic) strengthening of a country in the Western Hemisphere over which the U.S. has little influence."
Venezuela's military developments are being watched carefully elsewhere in the region.
Jose Sarney, a Brazilian senator and supporter of President Luiz Inacio "Lula" Da Silva, told lawmakers last week in reference to Venezuela's recent acquisitions that "it is a [great] danger for Brazil and all of Latin America to have a military power in our continent."
Sarney in a speech rejected the idea of entering an arms race, saying that doing so "would force us to divert funds from our budgets from social aid into weapons, just to maintain the [region's] military balance ... and this is unacceptable."
Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said in a statement that his country would not enter into an arms race with neighboring Venezuela. Whether that country was buying arms or not was its affair, he said.
At the same time, however, in next year's budget the Da Silva administration plans to increase defense expenditure from this year's figure of $1.1 billion to $2.5 billion.
© Copyright 2007, Cybercast News Service
