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Russia lends Venezuela $2.2 bln to buy weapons (Times are hard for Hugo and Venezuela)
Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 9/13/09 | Frank Jack Daniel and Patricia Rondon

Posted on 09/13/2009 5:21:47 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

CARACAS (Reuters) – Russia has agreed to lend Venezuela over $2 billion to finance the purchase of weapons including tanks and advanced anti-aircraft missiles, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday.

Chavez said the purchases agreed on a trip to Moscow last week included 92 tanks and the S-300 missile system, which is capable of shooting down fighter jets and cruise missiles.

"We have to thank the Russian government, which approved a $2.2 billion loan for arms spending," Chavez said on his weekly television show. He did not say how much the new weapons cost.

A major oil exporter, Venezuela's finances have suffered this year because of lower crude prices. Chavez said Venezuela needed to borrow the money for defense spending to avoid cuts in education and health.

In recent years, Venezuela has bought over $4 billion of weapons from Russia including 24 Sukhoi fighter jets. Critics say Venezuela is fueling an arms race in Latin America, but Chavez says he is modernizing the military for defensive purposes.

Venezuela is embroiled in a diplomatic crisis with Colombia over a deal to allow U.S. troops access to more bases in the neighboring country to fight drug traffickers and left-wing guerrillas.

Chavez, a fierce critic of U.S. foreign policy, says the Colombian bases plan could be used to launch an attack on Venezuela and increases the risk of war in South America.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections; Russia
KEYWORDS: ahmedsabatgold; armsdeals; bombbombbombbombiran; hugochavez; iranvenezuelaaxis; russia; unclehugo; venezuela; weapons
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1 posted on 09/13/2009 5:21:47 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

92 tanks! sounds like an invasion is planned


2 posted on 09/13/2009 5:22:44 PM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: driftdiver

ya don’t drop leaflets out of fighters jets either.


3 posted on 09/13/2009 5:23:26 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard)
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Opposition mayor shot dead in western Venezuela
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090913/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_venezuela_opposition_mayor_slain

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela’s federal police are investigating the shooting death of a mayor who was a member of the opposition to President Hugo Chavez.

Police Chief Wilmer Flores Trossel says Mayor Lluvane Alvarez was shot by unidentified assailants as he entered his home Saturday.


4 posted on 09/13/2009 5:24:48 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard)
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To: NormsRevenge

Then how would Venezuela be able to repay the $2.2 billion debt it has spent on Russian military hardware?
Oh, oil revenues from Citgo and PDVSA would do the trick.


5 posted on 09/13/2009 5:25:01 PM PDT by myknowledge (F-22 Raptor: World's Largest Distributor of Sukhoi parts!)
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To: NormsRevenge

Wow, that’s a relief. Now ossama obama won’t have to do it.


6 posted on 09/13/2009 5:25:27 PM PDT by taillightchaser (When a democrat says "The American people" you know the next words out of his mouth will be lies.)
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To: driftdiver

What will he invade?


7 posted on 09/13/2009 5:26:48 PM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo...Sum Pro Vita. (Modified DeCartes))
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To: SumProVita

“What will he invade?”

Columbia and Honduras for starters.


8 posted on 09/13/2009 5:29:33 PM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: driftdiver

Nope...The Colombians will NOT allow it.


9 posted on 09/13/2009 5:33:16 PM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo...Sum Pro Vita. (Modified DeCartes))
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To: SumProVita

92 tanks


10 posted on 09/13/2009 5:34:08 PM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: NormsRevenge

They are at it again, thusiness policies that bankrupt the failed be USSR.

Shortly after the end of the USSR, I participated in a Trade mission to Moscow. I didn’t go but my rep brought home lots of requests for all kinds of stuff. More than one wanted to pay with what amounted to Soviet bank promissory notes from customers or banks in say Iraq. The Soviet banks used these notes as collteral for loans to say a weapons manufacturer. The foreign customer or bank would not honor the note in $$$ but would pay in kind. (stuff)

The stacks keep smoking and workers work and get paid. That is happening again now with Chavez and probably Iran.They are going to relearn the hard lesson all over again when goods are given away for worthless promises to pay.
They geninuely thought the paper was good. The


11 posted on 09/13/2009 5:34:44 PM PDT by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . Quotes of the century: 2001 "Lets Roll"..... 2009 "You Lie")
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To: driftdiver

You don’t understand Colombians....or their geography. ;-)


12 posted on 09/13/2009 5:35:11 PM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo...Sum Pro Vita. (Modified DeCartes))
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To: NormsRevenge

Who are they going to invade? Colombia??

Venezuela is about to see a drastic economic collapse. Where did they think socialism would take them?


13 posted on 09/13/2009 5:39:43 PM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com ............. http://tyrannysentinel.blogspot.com)
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To: NormsRevenge

Does Colombia have any tanks??


14 posted on 09/13/2009 5:40:12 PM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com ............. http://tyrannysentinel.blogspot.com)
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To: myknowledge

PDVSA isn’t doing as well as people think


15 posted on 09/13/2009 5:41:07 PM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com ............. http://tyrannysentinel.blogspot.com)
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To: NormsRevenge
No leaflets from this Venezuelan AMV Su-30MK2 Flanker. Venezuelan pilots better be scared when they see the Raptor
16 posted on 09/13/2009 5:41:26 PM PDT by myknowledge (F-22 Raptor: World's Largest Distributor of Sukhoi parts!)
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To: driftdiver

17 posted on 09/13/2009 5:45:42 PM PDT by myknowledge (F-22 Raptor: World's Largest Distributor of Sukhoi parts!)
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To: driftdiver

Chavez is kind of a squirrel?!!

There aren’t many geographical plains to utilize tanks to an offensive attack into Colombia.

I would have to think it’s for his own safety against a growing domestic dissatifaction.


18 posted on 09/13/2009 5:48:43 PM PDT by Puckster
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To: NormsRevenge

Depends on what exactly the weirdo is getting, but I would venture the opinon that it won’t amount to much if he is fighting anybody outside the town square in Caracas, and maybe not there, either. Tanks are good, but not so good in the cities and not so good in the jungles. If the scarfaced one plans to invade the U.S. then his 92 tanks would be a good start (if he could get them here) on the 9200 or more he would need to amount to anything more than a fart in a whirlwind. As to the big missiles, well, he obviously has missed a generation or two of development if he thinks they are going to be useful. For a dollar a day plus room and board I could tell anybody how to take them out of play from the first day. It is good, though, that the scarfaced one is spending a lot of his country’s money on useless toys. That means that when he catches the high grade bird poop in his scarred face that he so richly deserves, and a sane person replaces him, there will be a little more money in the treasury after his toy purchases are payed for to be spent on legitimate and useful expenditures, such as enormous balloons labeled “scarfaced dumbo is gone.”


19 posted on 09/13/2009 5:53:03 PM PDT by mathurine (qu)
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To: NormsRevenge
Chavez continues to destroy Venezuela. He's spending money he doesn't have on military equipment for what?

This guy is a thug, plain and simple. He knows nothing about economics and will bring Venezuela down from a 2 World Country to a 3 World Country. He will try to destabilize other South American regimes. This cannot be permitted.

Instead of the Venezuela model, South American countries should look to the Chilean model. I understand Chile has the third highest standard of living in the Western Hemisphere (behind US & Canada). They have reduced their poverty rate from 50% to 15%. They are the gem of South America. I'll bet Chavez has his sights on them.

Somehow, someway, Chavez must go.
20 posted on 09/13/2009 5:53:55 PM PDT by truthguy (Good intentions are not enough!)
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