Asked for a response to claims of Venezuela's ties to al-Qaida and terrorism, the State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said that as a rule it does not comment on allegations of that kind. Diaz said that Chavez sent the aid to open a direct channel of communication with al-Qaida. "It was a way of telling Osama bin Laden that he had a friend in Hugo Chavez," he said, according to MilitaresDemocraticos.com. The Venezuelan leader had tried unsuccessfully to contact al-Qaida through Libya, Diaz said. The military dissidents note that Chavez disappeared during the 48 hours after the 9-11...