June 23, 2006
Venezuelan Foreign Affairs vice-minister for North America denies Venezuelan arms race

(El Universal) - "Venezuela is not engaged in an arms race, and current efforts to renew the country's military equipment are intended to protect the Venezuela-Colombia border, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs vice-minister for North America María Pilar Hernández told Efe.

Regarding Caracas purchase of 100,000 Russian Kalashnikov rifles, besides a number of military helicopters and warplanes, Hernández explained that Venezuela has 20,000 troops guarding the Venezuela-Colombia border. 'This does not mean we have any problem with Colombia, but we do have serious problems with the situation prevailing there.'

Such problems involve drug traffic, guerrillas, paramilitary, organized crime, 'which penetrate Venezuela to commit crimes and kidnap people,' the diplomat added.

She ensured that the military equipment President Hugo Chávez' Government has purchased 'are not for war, but for defense.'

When asked about plans to open a facility to manufacture Russian Kalashnikov assault rifles, she said in the face of 'a superpower's efforts to stop us from purchasing weaponry, Venezuela has to be sovereign.'

Washington banned arms sales to Venezuela -particularly equipment and spare parts to update 22 US-made F-16 warplanes-, claiming that Venezuela has failed to support anti-drug efforts.

'The United States has launched a brutal campaign to make people believe that Venezuela is developing a sort of arms race, and they have made the ridicule decision to boycott arms sales to our country,' said Hernández, who participated in the first session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva".