Monday 08 September
2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Panama's Ruling Party
Begins To Elect
Presidential Candidate
Panama Marks Torrijos-Carter
Treaty
Venezuela Postpones
Jointly Military
Exercise With Russia
Venezuela To Send More
Humanitarian Aid To
Haiti
Lula for
Integration, MERCOSUR
|
Venezuela Postpones
Jointly Military
Exercise With Russia
CARACAS - Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez
announced Sunday that a
series of joint military
exercises with Russia,
originally scheduled for
mid-November, will be
postponed.
"We are still at the
preparatory phase, (and)
we are not ready yet for
these operations to take
place in November,"
Chavez said during his
weekly TV and radio
program "Hello,
President."
Noting the exercises
could be held "at the
end of November or
December," Chavez said
the Venezuelan Armed
Forces will be better
prepared by then rather
than at the originally
scheduled time, as a
joint anti-drug patrol
operation with Brazil
was slated for Nov.2-14.
"We do everything in a
transparent form, and we
emphasize that Venezuela
is a strategic ally of
Moscow ... Venezuela is
free (to make its own
decisions)," said Chavez
in reaction to
opposition criticisms
that the maneuvers will
bring Russian bases,
nuclear submarines and
atomic bombs to
Venezuelan territory.
"Russia's naval fleet is
welcome here," he said.
Venezuela has launched
joint military
operations with various
nations.
The upcoming
Venezuela-Russia
operation will be the
first of its kind in the
Americas.
The Venezuelan Navy and
Air Force will work with
four Russian warships
with some 1,000 soldiers
aboard in the exercises
in the Venezuelan
territorial waters,
according to earlier
reports citing senior
officials of the
Venezuelan military.
Since Chavez took
office, Venezuela has
boosted its military
cooperation with Russia. |
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