Great speech by Chavez at the U.N.

[waltky]

What's Chavez gonna do with Russian subs??...

Reports: Venezuela to buy subs from Russia
Fri April 4, 2008 - Russian news media: Venezuela expected to sign deal for at least three submarines; Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reportedly will sign contracts during May visit; Venezuela already has bought some $3 billion worth of arms from Russia

Russia expects to sell at least three submarines to Venezuela in a deal to be inked when President Hugo Chavez visits next month, Russian news media reported Friday. The Interfax news agency and the daily Kommersant cited unnamed military-industrial officials as saying that the subs would be diesel-electric models, of the Varshavyanka class. "As of today, work to prepare the contract has practically been completed. The contract's signing will likely be timed with the visit of ... Chavez to Moscow, which is expected in May," the official was quoted as saying by Interfax.

A spokesman for state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport had no comment; no one answered the phones at the Venezuelan Embassy in Moscow. Meanwhile, the daily Kommersant said Venezuela was seeking four submarines in all at a cost of $1 billion. The newspaper also quoted Deputy Finance Minister Dmitry Pankin as confirming talks on a $800 million loan from Russia for the purchase were also under way. The paper said the deal would be signed when Chavez travels to Moscow for the inauguration of incoming President Dmitry Medvedev. During a visit to Russia last year, Chavez said that his country needs submarines to protect itself against its enemies -- foremost among them the United States.

At that time, a top Rosoboronexport official said discussions centered on as many as five so-called "Project 636" Varshavyanka submarines. The ships, known in NATO terms as Kilo-class, are Russia's most advanced non-nuclear submarine. China, India and Iran, among others, have all purchased the subs in recent years. Caracas already has purchased some $3 billion worth of arms from Russia, including military helicopters, Kalashnikov rifles and Sukhoi fighter jets. Kommersant said Venezuela also was negotiating to buy 12 Il-76 military transport aircraft.

Source

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Intel combin' through FARC laptop...

FARC exposed
04 April 2008 - The Colombian security forces captured an intelligence treasure trove during the cross-border raid that killed one of the country's most senior rebels. Jane's examines the declassified captured information.

In a dramatic 1 March raid against a camp in northern Ecuador, Colombia's security forces killed the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia: FARC), Luis Edgar Devia Silva, better known by his nom-de-guerre, Raul Reyes. The attack was the most spectacular reverse for the FARC in its four-decade insurgency.

Colombia's violation of Ecuadorian sovereignty triggered a serious diplomatic crisis with Ecuador and Venezuela, but as the dust begins to settle, details are emerging of the information held on a laptop computer and several hard drives seized from the camp. These are providing a rich insight into the problems besetting the FARC and the extent of its relations with the governments of Venezuela and Ecuador. While Reyes' death has dealt an important psychological blow to the FARC, the retrieval of computer equipment from the Ecuadorian jungle camp is far more important in terms of useful intelligence.

Assisted by the FBI and Interpol, Colombia's police intelligence unit (Direccion de Inteligencia de la Policia Nacional: Dipol) is recovering and examining the data stored on the hard drives. Colombia's Ministry of Defence believes it will take weeks to analyse all of the several thousand computer files but it has already declassified a sample that reveals the existence of problems inside the FARC. An email sent by Reyes on 13 July 2007 to Angel Gabriel Losada, alias Edgar Tovar, commander of the FARC's 48th Front which was in charge of Reyes' security, indicated that secretariat member Alfonso Cano has been incommunicado. Cano, who is considered a key political figure within the FARC, has been hotly pursued by the military in recent months and the army claimed in February that it was close to capturing him in the province of Tolima.

Another communication reveals that the FARC is feeling the pressure from improved Colombian army counter-insurgency tactics. On 4 August 2007, a FARC commander who identifies himself as Daniel wrote to Joaquin, who is believed to be Milton Toncel, alias Joaquin Gomez, noting the risks posed by government forces. Joaquin, who replaced Reyes after his death, said: "Uribe's troops and their lightning operations are dangerous. If one is not careful, you are down without time to respond."

MORE

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Chavez exposed...

Documents Indicate That Chavez Helped Colombia Rebels
May 11, 2008 - Newly disclosed computer files indicate Chavez sought to arm and finance Colombian insurgents

Documents that Colombia says it recovered from a slain guerrilla leader give the clearest indication yet that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sought to arm and finance insurgents across the border. The documents — more than a dozen internal rebel messages — detail several years of close cooperation between top officials in Venezuela's government and military and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, including the construction of rebel training facilities on Venezuelan soil.

They also suggest Venezuela was preparing to loan the rebels at least US$250 million (euro190 million), provide them with Russian weapons and possibly even help them obtain surface-to-air missiles for use against Colombian military aircraft. Most importantly, they outline a joint strategic project between Venezuela and the Colombian rebels, with Venezuela even seeking rebel training in "asymmetrical warfare" in preparation for a feared U.S. invasion.

The documents were shown to The Associated Press on Friday, days before Interpol is to issue a report that Colombia's conservative government hopes will dispel any doubts about the documents' authenticity. A U.S. intelligence official in Washington vouched for the documents' authenticity, telling the AP that the Bush administration received them in March. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity.

More ABC News: Documents Indicate That Chavez Helped Colombia Rebels

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Chavez to sign 2-billion-dollar military deal in Moscow: Report
12 May 2008, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will buy military equipment worth nearly two billion dollars during a visit to Russia at the end of the month, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on Monday.

"Hugo Chavez will arrive in Moscow at the end of May to sign new Russian-Venezuelan agreements on military and technical cooperation," said the paper. Chavez and new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed in March, during a telephone conversation, to visit each other.

"The accords with Venezuela will obviously be the first big arms contracts signed under the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev," the paper said, adding that his predecessor Vladimir Putin had paid special attention to military and technical cooperation in international relations.

During Putin's eight-year presidency Russian arms exports jumped from 3.68 billion dollars in 2000 to nearly 7.5 billion last year, according to the paper. This year, Venezuela is to buy 10 Russian-made Ilyushin 76MD-90 military cargo aircraft, two Ilyushin-78MK tankers, up to 10 Mi-28NE Night Hunter attack helicopters, as well as four Russian Type 636 attack submarines, said Kommersant .

"The total value of the contracts on military and technical cooperation could therefore reach two billion dollars, it added. Russia has already sold 24 Sukhoi military fighter aircraft, 53 helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles to Venezuela, its top military client in Latin America, for a total value of more than three billion dollars.

Source

[waltky]

Chavez got egg on his face now...

Farc rebel link files 'genuine'
Friday, 16 May 2008 - Colombia did not fake computer files which it alleges connect rebels to Venezuela and Ecuador, Interpol says.

The hard drives were purportedly seized after a raid on a rebel camp in Ecuador at the beginning of March. Although Interpol certified the authenticity of the files, not their contents, correspondents say their tests add credence to Colombian claims. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez vehemently dismissed the allegations.

He said the report was merely a "clown show" that "doesn't deserve serious comment". Both Venezuela and Ecuador say that any contacts with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) were solely made as part of a humanitarian effort to free hostages held by the left-wing guerrillas.

Authenticity confirmed

Colombian forces attacked the Farc camp located just across the border in Ecuador on 1 March. "We are absolutely certain that the computer discs our experts examined came from a FARC terrorist camp" - Ronald Noble, Interpol secretary general

The computers they seized contain files which, according to Bogota, show that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was personally involved in financing and supplying arms to the rebels. They also suggest that Ecuador maintained links with the Farc. The Colombian authorities asked Interpol to check the files after Mr Chavez accused them of faking the documents.

More BBC NEWS | Americas | Farc rebel link files 'genuine'

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Hezbollah's reach into Latin America...

Narco-Terror Concerns in Venezuela, Latin America
June 18, 2008 : Amid New Concerns About a Possible Attack in Latin America, the US Designates Terror-Sponsors in Venezuela.

Amid growing concerns that Hezbollah is planning attacks outside the Middle East, perhaps in Latin America, the United States Treasury Department today accused Venezuela of harboring Hezbollah "facilitators and fundraisers." The Treasury Department designated Ghazi Nasr al Din and Fawzi Kan'an, along with two travel agencies in Caracas owned by Kan'an as supporters of Hezbollah and froze all their assets that are under US jurisdiction. Al Din is a Venezuelan diplomat and runs an Islamic Center. "It is extremely troubling to see the Government of Venezuela employing and providing safe harbor to Hezbollah facilitators and fundraisers," said Adam J. Szubin, Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Both men met with Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon and facilitated their travel to Venezuela, according to Treasury. This designation comes at the same time that intelligence officials tell ABC News they are concerned that Latin America could be a possible target of future Hezbollah attacks. The last major attack by the terror group that occurred outside the Middle East was in Argentina in 1994. Eighty-five people were killed and 300 injured in an attack on a Jewish Center in Buenos Aires.

In March Deputy Director of National Intelligence Don Kerr cited concerns over the nexus between Hezbollah and narcotics trafficking groups in Latin America. "If I had to think of one thing that worries me, I had the opportunity to spend most of the last two weeks in Latin America. Of course there you see the conjunction of narcotics trafficking and terrorism and there may be a nexus forming between them," said Kerr. "They share the need for money laundering. In fact in Latin America you have a real presence of Hezbollah."

More ABC News: Narco-Terror Concerns in Venezuela, Latin America

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Hugo losin' face...

Colombia hostage rescue setback for Chavez
Thu Jul 3, 2008 - For months, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez promised to seek the release of Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt but her liberation in a surprise rescue has turned out to be a setback for the leftist leader.

Just hours after Betancourt was freed by Colombian troops, the one-time presidential candidate urged Chavez not to meddle in Colombian affairs and strongly backed President Alvaro Uribe, a pro-U.S. ideological adversary of the leftist Chavez. Wednesday's bold rescue operation likely will boost political support for Uribe's hard-line stance against the FARC rebels and decrease backing for Chavez's position that only negotiation can end Colombia's four-decade-old civil war.

"Chavez has been accusing Uribe of being a war-monger but when all of a sudden Uribe achieves this rescue without a single shot fired, Chavez is being run over by the facts," said Eduardo Gamarra, director at Newlink Research, a Miami-based polling firm that works in Latin America. Colombia's military tricked rebels into freeing Betancourt and 14 other hostages, including three Americans, from a jungle camp in a bloodless rescue that deals a severe blow to Latin America's oldest left-wing insurgency.

The talkative Chavez, who has commented extensively on the Colombian conflict, was slow to address the rescue of the highest-profile hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). "We are overjoyed at the liberation of those people ... and even happier to learn they were freed without spilling a drop of blood," Chavez said on Thursday, nearly 24 hours after the news was announced.

More Colombia hostage rescue setback for Chavez | Special Coverage | Reuters

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Hugo Chavez's criminal paradise
November 10, 2007 : Under the anti-globalization president, Venezuela has become a haven for global crime.

While President Hugo Chavez has been molding Venezuela into his personal socialist vision, other transformations -- less visible but equally profound -- have taken hold in the country. Venezuela has become a major hub for international crime syndicates. What attracts them is not the local market; what they really love are the excellent conditions Venezuela offers to anyone in charge of managing a global criminal network.

A nation at the crossroads of South America, the Caribbean, North America and Europe, Venezuela's location is ideal. Borders? Long, scantly populated and porous. Financial system? Large and with easy-to-evade governmental controls. Telecommunications, ports and airports? The best that oil money can buy. U.S. influence? Nil. Corrupt politicians, cops, judges and military officers? Absolutely: Transparency International ranked Venezuela a shameful 162 out of 179 counties on its corruption perception index. Chavez's demonstrated interest in confronting criminal networks during his eight years in power? Not much.

While this situation has so far been rather invisible to the rest of the world, it is patently clear to those in charge of fighting transnational crime. Anti-trafficking officials in Europe, the United States, Asia and other Latin American countries are paying unprecedented attention to Venezuela. These officials are not particularly interested in Venezuelan politics or in Chavez's policies. All they care about is that the tentacles of these global criminal networks are spreading from Venezuela into their countries with enormous power and at great speed.

The numbers speak volumes: About 75 tons of cocaine left Venezuela in 2003; it is estimated that 276 tons will leave the country this year. Before, the main destination was the United States; now, Europe is increasingly the target. Italy and Spain are two new important and lucrative end-user markets, and earning in euros is undeniably better than getting paid in dollars these days.

More Hugo Chavez's criminal paradise - Los Angeles Times

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Hugo been doin' too much o' that coca paste...

Chavez Says Venezuela Needs Russia For Protection
Jul. 22, 2008 - Venezuela's Chavez Eyes Arms Deals With Russia, Says His Country Needs Protection Against US

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called on Tuesday for a strategic alliance with Russia to protect the South American country from the United States. Chavez is expected to reach a number of agreements for purchasing military hardware while in Russia, according to Russian news media reports. One newspaper reported that the deals could be worth up to $2 billion. "That way we can guarantee Venezuela's sovereignty, which is now threatened by the United States," Chavez was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying. The U.S. stopped supplying arms to Venezuela in 2006.

While welcoming Chavez at his castle resort in the Moscow region, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Russian-Venezuelan relations "are one of the key factor of security in the (South American) region." Medvedev and Chavez are meeting for the first time since Medvedev became president in May. Chavez also will meet with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Russian military and business leaders, Chavez spokesman Tomas Ramirez said. Russia's daily Kommersant reported Tuesday that Chavez is looking to order up to $2 billion worth of Ilyushin jets, diesel-powered submarines, TOR-M1 air defense systems and possibly tanks.

Rosoboronexport, Russia's state-owned arms trader, declined to comment on potential deals. "We want peace, but we are forced to strengthen our defense," Chavez said when asked about the potential deals. Venezuela, which spent $4 billion on international arms purchases between 2005 and 2007, mostly from Russia and China, has a defense budget of $2.6 billion, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. Chavez also wants to discuss the possibility of creating a joint bank, according to Alexis Navarro, Venezuela's ambassador to Moscow.

In addition, the two sides are expected to discuss three energy deals involving three Russian companies _ Gazprom, Lukoil, and TNK-BP _ and Venezuela's state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, the Kremlin said. Lukoil is already helping Venezuela quantify heavy crude oil deposits in its Orinoco River basin _ one of the world's largest petroleum deposits. Russia's Gazprom has two natural gas exploration and production licenses in Venezuela. Commercial trade between Venezuela and Russia reached $1.1 billion last year, up more than 200 percent from the $517 million in trade during 2006, according to statistics cited by Venezuela's state-run news agency.

Chavez Says Venezuela Needs Russia For Protection, Venezuela's Chavez Eyes Arms Deals With Russia, Says His Country Needs Protection Against US - CBS News