U.S. Sanctions on Russian Arms Because of Venezuelan Arms Deal, Say Russians

Caracas Venezuela, August 10, 2006—Russia's Defense Ministry said new U.S. sanctions against two Russian state-owned companies were linked to their recent defense contracts with Venezuela.

The U.S. State Department announced last Friday that Russian state arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport and jet maker Sukhoi were subject to sanctions for providing Iran with equipment that could be used to develop missile systems or weapons of mass destruction.

The sanctions, which will remain in place for at least two years, were also imposed on two Indian companies, a Cuban entity, and two North Korean firms. Under the 2000 Iran Non-proliferation Act, U.S. firms are prevented from working with affected companies.

Nine days earlier, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was in Russia where he met with his Russian counterpart, Vladmir Putin, and sealed a billion dollar defense contract.

"Obviously, this decision is a reaction to recent successes of our companies in concluding beneficial contracts on arms supplies to Venezuela," Russian news agencies quoted a ministry official as saying.

The Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated Russian companies act in strict compliance with the rules of international law, including Russia's obligations on nuclear nonproliferation. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov called the move politics, "these sanctions don't have the slightest relation to non-proliferation," Interfax reported.

In July, Russia negotiated contracts to supply Venezuela with 24 Su-30 fighter jets and 30 military helicopters. Later that same month, Venezuelan President Chavez spent three days in Russia meeting with officials, and touring the country’s energy and defense industries. Less than two weeks after President Chavez departed Moscow the sanctions were announced in Washington.

"The sanctions should be seen as nothing other than an unfriendly act against the Russian state and an attempt to destabilize its defense co-operation with foreign countries… Such deliveries of arms and military technology to Iran are made by many foreign companies, including by partner countries of the United States in NATO,” Rosoboronexport stated.

Nikolai Zlobin, Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Washington-based Center for Defense Information, spoke to RFE/RL's Russian Service regarding the sanctions, saying, “Venezuela plays a role – the Russian-Venezuelan military contracts have alarmed the Americans… It is a fact that possible future Russian-Venezuelan military cooperation -- not so much what is happening now, but what could happen in the future -- played a role.”

Reuters has reported that Russia signed a contract last year to sell Tehran ground-to-air missile systems, and to modernize Iran's Russian fighters and military helicopters. However, last week, Sukhoi's chairman Alexander Klementiev told the Russian radio station, Moscow Echo, that his company had delivered nothing to Iran for at least six years.

Venezuela Captures Suspected Drug Lord

Caracas Venezuela, August 10, 2006—Venezuelan authorities said Tuesday they had captured the alleged head of an international drug trafficking network. This announcement follows last week’s arrest of a Colombian paramilitary leader wanted on drug charges in the U.S. and Colombia.

Elias Verde Peña, believed to be the leader of a drug ring in Venezuela and Europe, was detained Monday in western Caracas, Venezuela’s Office of the Attorney General said in a statement. Verde is being investigated for multiple homicides and alleged links to 22 Venezuelans who were detained March 21 at a Paris airport. Nearly 45 pounds of cocaine was discovered in the stomachs of those arrested in France.

Following the Paris scandal, the Judicial Police Chief of Venezuela’s Simon Bolivar International Airport and 14 other security officials were dismissed.

Venezuelan authorities last week detained Libardo Parra Gonzalez, a suspected Colombian drug trafficker and paramilitary leader. Gonzalez, who is wanted in Colombia and the United States for alleged crimes including drug trafficking, kidnapping and extortion, was deported to Colombia to face charges.

In 2005, Venezuela signed multilateral agreements with both France and Colombia to collaborate more effectively on counter-narcotic efforts. On Monday, Venezuelan Vice President José Vicente Rangel was in Bogotá where he used the opportunity to highlight the neighboring nations’ growing cooperation in the fight against drugs.

Venezuela is not a major producer or consumer of illegal narcotics, but it remains a key transit point for drugs being smuggled out of Colombia headed for the United States and Europe. According to the Venezuelan government sources , 58 .5 tons of cocaine , 18.3 tons of marijuana , and 869 pounds of heroine were intercepted in 2005.

Israel Withdraws its Ambassador for Venezuela

Caracas, Venezuela, Agosto 8, 2006—Israel withdrew its ambassador from Caracas yesterday in response to an identical move made by Venezuela towards Israel last week. On the same day, Venezuela sent a Boeing 707 jet full of aid to Lebanon to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis caused by the Israeli bombing.

The withdrawal of Israel’s ambassador was inevitable, “As an act of protest against the one-sided policy of the president of Venezuela and in light of his wild slurs against the state of Israel and in response to the recall of the Venezuelan charge d'affaires to his country, Foreign Minister Tsipi Livni decided to bring our ambassador in Venezuala back temporarily for consultations,” said Israeli Foreign Ministry Mark Regev.

With regards the one-sided policy Regev pointed to Venezuelan-Iranian relations. Regev said, "We have a problem with the leadership in Caracas that hugs the Iranian president who calls for the annihilation of Israel," he said.

All this came after Chávez continued his blunt criticism of Israeli actions in Lebanon and Palestine on his weekly television show Aló Presidente. Again comparing their actions against Lebanon with Hitler's war tactics, he said that, “Israel has gone mad”.

Today, in response to Israel's announcement, Chavez said that Venezuela and Israel would probably break diplomatic relations over Israel's bombardment of Lebanon. "I have no interest in maintaining diplomatic relations ... with a state like Israel, which every day increases its offensive and says they will not stop," said Chavez.

Kofi Annan yesterday, while not going quite so far as Chávez, did make a statement which, if confirmed as true, would make many see Venezuela’s decision to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel as justified. He said that the recent assault on Qana in southern Lebanon, where 28 civilians died should be seen, "in the broader context of what could be, based on preliminary information available to the United Nations ... a pattern of violations of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law committed during the course of the current hostilities".

This is an all time low for Israel-Venezuela relations which have always been cordial despite Venezuela’s close links to the Arab world through OPEC. Recently, Venezuela and Israel were in negotiations for an arms deal where the Middle East country was to sell weaponry to Venezuela. It reportedly failed only after considerable US pressure on Israel.

The humanitarian aid sent by Venezuela to Lebanon will not only be food, drinking water and medicines but also doctors and paramedics. This is on top of a fund of private Venezuelan donors set up at the start of the conflict. The aid left in the same jet that has been bringing Latin American refugees that have fled Beirut.

National Assembly Delegation Visits Syria

In a separate development a delegation from the Venezuelan National Assembly visited the Syrian capital Damascus yesterday to meet with Palestinian groups in order to, “ support and identify as parliament members with the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples.”

The delegation was headed by Second Vice President of the Assembly Desiree Santos Amaral. In all they spoke with ten different Palestinian factions. Amaral condemned Israeli aggression and supported the Palestinian peoples “right to resist” the occupation of their land. She also expressed support for the withdrawal of Israel from the Syrian Golan Heights, which they have occupied illegally since 1967.

Venezuela Recuperates Largest Landed Estate in Country

Caracas, Venezuela, August 7, 2006 —This Sunday, from the Venezuelan state of Bolivar, President Hugo Chavez announced the recuperation of the “largest latifundio” (plantation) in the country, and the creation of the Socialist Production Unit "Manuel Piar."

The announcements were made on Chavez’ 259th transmission of his weekly television program, “Alo Presidente,” broadcasted from the recently recuperated “La Vergareña” latifundio, which, at 187,238 hectares (468,095 acres), was considered to be the largest in the country.

According to the Venezuelan Ministry of Communication, La Vergareña, is twice the size of the Margarita Island and within its borders are a forest reserve that “has been indiscriminately disrespected for a long time,” six campesino land occupations, and various indigenous communities.

According to the press release, the Socialist Production Unit “Manuel Carlos Piar”, was created after the recuperation of the estate, with the objective of “diversifying the region’s production… and proposing to improve the living conditions of the families located in the area, through the organization and participation of the community,” said Chavez.

Chavez announced that they would be moving forward to launch the “ambitious project” to build the former estate in to “a pole of economic, social and human development.” “This is land that is precisely being recuperated for the indigenous, agricultural production, and everything that is necessary to live a better life,” he said.

Among the projects for the region, Chavez announced the creation of the “Great City of Wood” and called for the development of infrastructure in order to interconnect the area with the rest of the country.

Latifundios and violence

During the program, Chavez called for an end to all latifundios throughout the country, and announced that no latifundio is “untouchable.”

“The Revolution will continue and will continue to recuperate territory. The day will arrive, sooner than later, that there won’t be one latifundio in Venezuela. Zero latifundio!”

According to Prensa Latina, the 1950 Venezuelan agricultural census reported that almost 200,000 families owned 900,000 productive hectares and 5,286 families had 18,600,000 hectares (much of which were unproductive).

The 1998 census reported that 376,868 campesino families had 1,600,000 hectares, while 10,000 families owned 18,000,0000, demonstrating that the agrarian structure has remained in place.

The Venezuelan president also condemned the continued violence against campesino leaders, including the recent assassination attempt against National Assembly representative, Braulio Alvarez.

“The violence from assasins continues to hurt the campesinos,” he said. “The impunity is terrible and this is a reflection that should push us to efficient action.”

“If someone who I have put in charge doesn’t feel up this struggle… resign, but we can not let them massacre campesino leaders without anyone being held responsible.” Chavez said, calling on the Ministry of Justice and the Venezuelan Intelligence Agency (DISIP) for increased action and investigation.

The assassination of campesino leaders in Venezuela is a growing problem where over 150 Venezuelan campesino leaders have been assassinated since the passage of the land reform law in 2001.

See Also:

• Venezuelan National Assembly Representative Survives Assassination Attempt
• Venezuela to Compensate Campesino Families for Assassinations

Súmate Investigated For Receiving More Foreign Funding

Caracas, Venezuela, August 7, 2006 —According to José Albornoz, National Assembly Representative with the Patria Para Todos (PPT) party and president of the commission currently investigating financing for the opposition primaries, Súmate has received over $400,000 in undeclared deposits from foreign banks since 2003. This does not include contributions made to Súmate by the US Congress funded National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the German- Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Canadian Embassy, deposits of less than $10,000, or the approximately $1 million that the Superintendent of Banks and Other Financial Institutions (SUBEDAN) verifies that the organization has been managing.

The largest of the undeclared deposits in Súmate accounts over the past three years were made public this past week, including a deposit of $300,000 from a Bank of America account, on November 18, 2005. This transaction in particular has raised attention, because of the large sum and the fact that the deposit was made just ten days before the opposition withdrew from last December’s congressional elections.

According to Albornoz, the funds were never declared to the Commission of Currency Administration (CADIVI), which manages currency transactions, and Súmate is not registered in the national agency.

“Any citizen or legal entity that receives more than $10,000 should be registered with CADIVI,” said Albornoz in late July. “The aforementioned organization [ Súmate ] received $240,000 last year, but nevertheless, this organization is not registered. That is a crime in violation of the laws and the Constitution.”

Súmate co-director, Alejandro Plaz, rejected the accusations this week, stating that Súmate never had to register the funds because the banks automatically transfer the donations from Dollars into Bolivares, and they arrive in their accounts in the Venezuelan currency.

“Mr. Albornoz knows this and if he doesn’t know it, he should get more informed,” said Plaz, according to the daily El Nacional. “The exchange of Dollars to Bolivares is made by the responsible banks,” added Plaz.

Súmate’s accountant, Félix Sánchez, has been summoned to appear before the National Assembly next Tuesday in order to respond to questions regarding the organization’s books. Súmate’s directors criticized this move because they say that Sánchez is a volunteer and cannot represent the organization.

SUBEDAN Investigation

The bank regulatory agency SUBEDAN began an investigation into the Súmate accounts last week at the request of the National Assembly. Last Wednesday, in an effort to carry out the “exhaustive” study, SUBEDAN director Trino Alcides Díaz called on the financial institutions of the country to deliver all available information to his office within three days about the movements in accounts pertaining to Súmate and its directors.

“We are opening up the investigation and we have asked the banks to send all of the information regarding any deposit, for any sum. With this we will be able to, by next week, indicate the exact total that they have received,” said Díaz

According to the daily El Universal, as of Friday, SUDEBAN had detected no illegalities in the financial transactions carried out by Súmate in six Venezuelan banks. Díaz verified that they are investigating the origins of these funds to see if there are any irregularities.

Injunction to Halt Primaries

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Supreme Court (the Supreme Tribunal of Justice- TSJ) received a petition from a lawyer, Juan José Abreu Araujo, calling for an injunction to halt the opposition primaries, organized by Súmate, and planned for August 13, 2006.

According to Abreu, regarding the Presidential elections set for December 3, 2006, since Súmate does not recognize the “right of the National Electoral Council (CNE), as the constitutional power established under legal Venezuelan order,” to organize internal party elections in Venezuela. “This should be seen, not just a usurpation of power, but also a political coup d’etat to the rule of law and social justice, enforced in Venezuela at the roots of the new Bolivarian Constitution,” said Abreu.

In his written petition, Abreu asks that a legal injunction be issued to “expressly prohibit the NGO Súmate from carrying out the primary elections foreseen for August 13, 2006 in order to choose an opposition candidate.”

According to Union Radio, Abreu also “formally” asked that the TSJ issue an order for Súmate to “carry out elections through the CNE, all in conformity with… Number 6 of Article 293 of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”

In support of the Venezuelan organization, the Secretary General of the political party, Solidaridad (Solidarity), José Luis Farías criticized this week what he called the “irrational, barbaric and absurd [persecution] of the civil organization, Súmate.”

Súmate is the Venezuelan organization that led the recall referendum against Venezuelan President Chavez in 2004 and is currently organizing opposition primaries in advance of the December 3rd Venezuelan presidential elections. In 2003, Súmate received a controversial $31,000 from the US Congress funded NED, for which its directors are currently on trial for “conspiracy against the republican form of the nation.” Since 2003, Súmate has been accused of accepting hundreds of thousands more from various other international sources.