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News from the Caribbean as of
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Venezuela aims to deter US aggression, says defense chief
Thursday, October 5, 2006
BOGOTA, Colombia (AFP): Venezuela's military purchases are strictly to deter US aggression, its Defense Minister Raul Baduel told Colombian radio, after US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Bogota was worried Venezuelan arms would end up in the hands of leftist Colombian rebels.
"All (Venezuela's) purchases are completeley defensive. It would be nice if ... swords were turned into plowshares ... but it also is true if we look at the world scene that there are countries which say they have the right to intervene anywhere in the world, going over the heads of international organizations," Baduel said.
Rumsfeld, who was in Managua for a two-day meeting of defense ministers from around the Americas Tuesday, indicated that Bogota was worried that weapons bought by the government of elected leftist-populist Hugo Chavez would end up in Colombian rebels' hands.
Chavez then demanded that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe say whether he had concerns about Caracas' weapons purchases.
Uribe sidestepped Chavez's request and simply said Colombia wanted to maintain good relations with Venezuela and the United States.
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