Venezuela deprecates US concern about arms purchase
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez deprecated the US concern about Venezuela's purchase of Russian arms and expressed his worry about the US arms race and the military presence in Colombia, local press said on Saturday.

In response to the remarks of US President George W. Bush who on Thursday expressed his concern that the arms purchased by Venezuela may fall into the hands of Colombian guerrillas, Chavez said the 100,000 Kalashnikov assault-rifles are defensive arms.

He said that US military personnel were involved in illegal activities and did not rule out that they supplied weapons to armed groups in Colombia.

He said the United States used the confrontations as the perfect excuse to keep a military presence in Colombia and justify Plan Colombia.

"We do have reasons to be concerned about the endless arms raceand military expenditure" there, he also said.

Venezuela and the United States have been quarreling since Chavez took office six years ago.

However, trade between the two countries remains normal, and the US exports manufactured goods and high-tech products and buys from Venezuela 1.6 million barrels of oil per day, which account for 15 percent of its total oil imports.