Securing Venezuela's Arsenals

The recent discovery of Swedish AT-4 anti-tank rockets sold to Venezuela in a Colombian rebel arms cache raises serious questions about Venezuela’s ability to safeguard its arsenal of modern weaponry, including dozens of advanced SA-24 shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles. Given the potential threat posed by these missiles and other weapons in Venezuela’s rapidly growing arsenal, the international community should take immediate steps to identify and close the gaps in Venezuela’s stockpile security and to ensure that the end-use monitoring conducted by states that export weapons to Venezuela is sufficiently robust.

According to Colombian authorities, Swedish anti-tank rocket launchers were found in October 2008 in an arms cache allegedly linked to the FARC.[1] On July 27th, Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos asserted that “[i]n several operations in which we have recovered weapons from the FARC, we have found powerful munitions and powerful equipment, including anti-tank weapons, from a European country that sold them to Venezuela and that turned up in the hands of the FARC.”[2] Thomas Samuelsson of the Swedish firm Saab Bofors Dynamics confirmed that the AT-4 rockets were manufactured and sold to Venezuela by his firm.[3] The Venezuelan government responded harshly to Colombia’s revelation, calling it “laughable” and recalling the Venezuelan ambassador to Colombia.[4]

This is not the first time that Colombian authorities have discovered Venezuelan weapons in rebel arms caches. In 2006...

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2318629/posts

[Venezuela’s] Chávez [continues] to seek Russian assistance
NotiUno.com (Spanish-language article) ^ | August 17, 2009 | News Desk
Posted on August 18, 2009 6:46:33 AM PDT by rrstar96

(English-language translation)

A Venezuelan delegation led by Vice President Ramón Carrizales met in Moscow with Russian authorities to forge new energy and military cooperation agreements. President Hugo Chávez confirmed that he will travel to this country to seek new alliances.

Following meetings with the Venezuelan mission, Russian Vice Premier Igor Sechin said that his country is willing to strengthen its relationship with Chávez.

“The President of Venezuela is one of the main players in international politics. He has a strong personality and is a great friend of Russia,” he assured.

Chávez himself assured that he will travel to Russia in a month to promote bilateral cooperation. He also said that he will visit Libya and Belarus shortly.

As the President said during a meeting, it is now more important than ever for Venezuela to strengthen its relationship with countries such as Russia in order to prevent its Bolivarian revolution from suffering attacks from foreign powers.

“Now,” when Venezuela finds itself “in the empire’s sights,” “there are more weighty reasons to expedite cooperation plans with allied countries in the strategic area,” Chávez said.

For some analysts, this attempt to strengthen links between both countries may allow Venezuela to send a message: it is willing to grant Russia a greater military presence in Latin America.

This rapproachment is taking place at a time in which Colombia is preparing to allow the United States to use some of its military bases.

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2309393/posts

Venezuela to buy Russian arms, tanks: Chavez
AFP via Breitbart ^ | Aug 06, 2009 | N/A
Posted on August 5, 2009 10:24:00 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar

President Hugo Chavez said Venezuela would purchase dozens of Russian tanks, in a move signaling growing military ties between the two countries that have frequently clashed with Washington.

“It will be a major arms agreement to increase our defense capability,” the Venezuelan leader told reporters, noting that he hoped to ink other agreements on agriculture, oil and mining during his visit to Moscow in mid-September.

Between 2005 and 2007, Moscow and Caracas signed 12 arms deals worth a total 4.4 billion dollars. Venezuela has acquired 24 Sukhoi fighter planes, 50 combat helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles. In 2008, it secured a one-billion-dollar loan for the purchase of new weaponry.

Under the new deal, Venezuela would buy a modern battalion of “30 to 40” Russian-made BMP-3, T-72 and MPR tanks, Chavez said following a telephone conversation with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

“Our army will continue to grow,” vowed Chavez, who is leading a leftist surge in Latin America and repeatedly lambasts the United States for perceived “imperialist” policies in the region.

Chavez denounced Colombia’s plans to open seven bases on its soil to the US military to boost Washington’s counternarcotics operations in the region, calling them “a threat.”

“I do not want to spend a penny on arms, and that is what I did in the early years of the government... But the (US) empire wanted to disarm us and if not for Russia, we would be virtually unarmed,” he said.

Bogota’s plans have been met with fierce opposition in South America, prompting Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, a close US ally, to undertake a regional tour this week to tamp down the criticism.

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...

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