Venezuela to Prepare for War

[vector7]

More saber rattling or is a string getting pulled?

Chavez Says Venezuela to Prepare for War as Deterrent (Update2)

By Daniel Cancel

Nov. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told the military and civil militias today to prepare for war as a deterrent to a U.S.-led attack after American troops gained access to military bases in neighboring Colombia.

Chavez said a recently signed agreement that gives American troops access to seven Colombian bases is a direct threat to his oil-exporting country. Colombia has handed over its sovereignty to the U.S. with the deal, he said.

“Generals of the armed forces, the best way to avoid a war is to prepare for one,” Chavez said in comments on state television during his weekly “Alo Presidente” program. “Colombia handed over their country and is now another state of the union. Don’t make the mistake of attacking: Venezuela is willing to do anything.”

The U.S. agreement with Colombia is part of an effort to “strengthen and increase ties with countries in the region,” Robin Holzhauer, spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, said by telephone. “We’ve done that with governments who want to have partnerships with us.” Colombia has said the agreement would help combat drug trafficking.

Ties between Venezuela and Colombia have deteriorated this year after Colombian President Alvaro Uribe accused Chavez of financing leftist Colombian rebels. Chavez, a self-proclaimed socialist revolutionary, said he would stop importing goods from Colombia due to the U.S. military pact. The two countries are each other’s second-largest trading partners after the U.S.

Colombian Exports

Colombian exports to Venezuela plunged 45.7 percent in August from a year earlier, according to data from the Colombian statistics institute.

Chavez ordered an increase of troops along the more than 2,000-kilometer border between Venezuela and Colombia last week and said he may declare a state of emergency after two officials from the National Guard were shot and killed by supposed Colombian rebels.

In March 2008, Chavez sent 10 tank battalions to the border with Colombia after the Colombian military attacked leftist rebels in Ecuadorian territory, killing Raul Reyes, a leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Chavez later called the tanks back from the border and helped dissipate tensions between Uribe and Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa.

Weapons Purchases

Venezuela has purchased billions of dollars of weapons, tanks, fighter jets and helicopters from Russia since 2003. Chavez says the purchases are necessary to modernize the Armed Forces and to protect the country’s natural resources from a possible invasion from the U.S.

Venezuelan Interior and Justice Minister Tarek El-Aissami said last month officers from Colombia’s domestic intelligence agency are operating clandestinely in his country to destabilize the government.

Venezuela is also holding three Colombian citizens accused of spying as agents of the Colombian intelligence agency, known as DAS. Colombia says two of the individuals don’t belong to the agency, Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad, and that the other was on vacation in Venezuela when arrested.

Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez said that the military deal with the U.S. will help “end drug-trafficking and terrorism in Colombia” during the signing ceremony in Bogota on Oct. 30.

Colombia is the source of 80 percent of the cocaine sold in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

‘Foreign Intervention’

Former Cuban president Fidel Castro expressed concern similar to Chavez’s on Nov. 6, saying the U.S. might send Colombian troops to crush Venezuela’s government.

“The empire hopes to send them to fight against their Venezuelan and Ecuadorean brothers and other Bolivarian and Alba peoples to crush the Venezuelan revolution, just as they tried to do with the Cuban revolution in April 1961,” Castro wrote in a “reflection” published on the Cubadebate.cu Web site. The Alba bloc is a nine-member group of Latin American countries led by Chavez.

The presence of U.S. troops in Colombia is a “shameless foreign intervention in their internal affairs,” Castro said. The agreement amounts to the U.S.’s “annexation” of the South American country, he said.

A military attack on Venezuela would spread to other countries in the region because Venezuela has “friends” from Mexico to Argentina, Chavez said during the program.

“If the Yankee empire tries to use Colombia to attack Venezuela, the war of 100 years would begin,” he said. “The war would extend to other countries in the continent, from Mexico to Argentina. No one believes that a war against Venezuela would only be in Venezuela.”

The U.S. may try to help Colombia invade Venezuela, as the U.S supported Iraq’s invasion of Iran in the 1980s, Chavez said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Cancel in Caracas at dcancel@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: November 8, 2009 16:36 EST

[vector7]

Fidel Castro slams U.S.-Colombian military base deal


© Vladimir Rodionov

MOSCOW, November 5 (RIA Novosti) - Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro has condemned the recent military cooperation agreement between the U.S. and Colombia which allows Washington to deploy troops at Colombian military bases.

The 10-year deal signed last Friday during a brief closed-door ceremony in Bogota envisions the deployment of some 800 U.S. military personnel and 600 civilian contractors at seven military bases in Colombia.

"The official signing of the agreement, which allows the United States to deploy seven military bases in the heart of our America... threatens not only Venezuela, but all the peoples in the center and the south of our hemisphere," Castro wrote in his latest article published on Cubadebate website.

Castro, 83, whose younger brother Raul is the current Cuban president, said the U.S. administration led by President Barack Obama had violated all legal, constitutional and ethical norms by imposing the deal on Colombia.

"A country like Cuba is well aware that after the United States imposes its military bases, it leaves only when it desires to do so...," Castro said.

Both Washington and Bogota insist that the agreement concerns "practical aid" in measures against drug trafficking and domestic insurgents, primarily the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a leftist guerilla movement.

However, Venezuela continues to see the deal as a threat to its national security, while Ecuador and Bolivia have earlier claimed that the planned U.S. military deployment was "suspiciously large for its stated purpose."

[vector7]

Venezuela blasts US-Colombian military base deal

MOSCOW: A new military cooperation agreement between Colombia and the United States is "a shame for the history of our continent," Spain's news agency EFE quoted the Venezuelan foreign minister as saying.

The 10-year deal signed last Friday during a brief closed-door ceremony in Bogota envisions the deployment of some 800 U.S. military personnel and 600 civilian contractors at seven military bases in Colombia.

According to EFE, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said on Monday during a news conference that the presence of U.S. troops in Colombia "poses a serious threat to stability in the region."

"There is no guarantee that the Colombian territory could not be used against other countries in the region," Maduro said, adding that the deal was signed under a shroud of secrecy.

Both Washington and Bogota insist that the agreement concerns "practical aid" in measures against drug trafficking and domestic insurgents, primarily the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a leftist guerilla movement, but Venezuela continues to see the deal as a threat to its national security.

Ecuador and Bolivia have earlier claimed that the planned U.S. military deployment was "suspiciously large for its stated purpose."

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has promised to disclose the details of the deal with Washington later this week.

[vector7]

Been preparing the population for years
Venezuelans train for civilian militias
Monday, April 03, 2006

CHARALLAVE, Venezuela (AP) - The women, some trembling, grasped the assault rifles handed to them and awkwardly lowered themselves spread-eagled into sniper positions as they took aim and fired at white targets in the distance.

These women - jeans-and-sneaker clad housewives and students - are the unlikely heart of a new civilian militia being trained as President Hugo Chavez warns his country must be ready for a "war of resistance" against the United States.

"Those who come here have never fired a shot in their lives," said Lt Col Rafael Angel Faria Villalobos, who led training for the Territorial Guard volunteers Saturday in Charallave, just west of Caracas.

The volunteers included construction workers, social workers and many unemployed. Faria said 20 consecutive Saturdays of training through June will turn them into resistance fighters prepared to defend their communities in the event of a conflict.

The US government dismisses Chavez's claims of a possible invasion as ridiculous, but he insists Venezuelans must be prepared for anything, citing a short-lived 2002 coup that briefly unseated him.

Faria led more than 900 volunteers who began their first day of bootcamp after finishing classroom training. He said 3,000 people have volunteered for his training camp, while 42 other camps are holding similar weekend drills nationwide.

Ten at a time, the volunteers lined up as officers coached them to fire the military's standard-issue Belgian FAL assault rifles from standing, kneeling and prone positions at numbered targets in an open field.

"It was exciting, too good," gushed Yomaira Alas, a 28-year-old housewife, after firing for the first time. The Territorial Guard won't be issued weapons; commanders said guns would be made available only in emergency situations, at designated neighbourhood locations.

The volunteers receive a 16,000 bolivar (US$7.45; euro6.11) stipend for every training session, but most said that barely covered transportation and a meal.

"I'm here voluntarily and because I adore my president," said Marasierra Diaz, 40, who helps promote neighbourhood social programmes.

Officials say the force will be capable of defending communities, protecting hospitals and schools, keeping order and preventing looting. Some Chavez opponents express concern the force could be used to quell internal dissent.

But soldiers who led Saturday's drills made clear US troops were the hypothetical enemy as men and women swarmed across an obstacle course of barbed wire, burning tyres and concrete fortifications.

"Kill the gringo! That gringo is taking away your women," yelled a soldier as he tossed a man a rifle to butt a target - a military uniform stuffed with straw - swaying in the wind. A siren wailed while the acrid smell of smoke hung in the air.

In addition to the Territorial Guard, Chavez also has called for an army reserve of one million fighters and has sealed arms deals to supply regular soldiers with 100,000 new Kalashnikov assault rifles and helicopters from Russia.

Despite Chavez's warnings of a possible US invasion, many trainees said they feel that is a remote possibility. There were light moments during the drills as some snapped photos, stumbled on the obstacle course amid laughter, and talked excitedly after target practice.

"I feel good, great. I'm having a great time," said Sujeidy Pereira, 25, through smiles.

"Fatherland or death," she giggled as an afterthought.

[vector7]

Colombia turns to UN, OAS after Venezuela war talk
Sun Nov 8, 2009 10:18pm EST

By Hugh Bronstein

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia said on Sunday it will appeal to the U.N. Security Council and the OAS after Hugo Chavez, the fiery leftist president of neighboring Venezuela, ordered his army to prepare for war in order to assure peace.

For months Chavez has said that a military cooperation pact signed last month between Bogota and Washington could set the stage for a U.S. invasion of Venezuela from Colombian territory.

The United States and Colombia dismiss that idea, saying cooperation is aimed strictly at fighting drug traffickers and Marxist insurgents within Colombia.

During a Sunday television address, Chavez ordered his military to prepare for war as the best way to preserve peace in the region. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe shot back with a statement rejecting Chavez's remarks.

"Considering the threats of war enunciated by the government of Venezuela, the government of Colombia proposes going to the Organization of American States and the Security Council of the United Nations," the statement said.

Colombia also called for "frank dialogue" with Venezuela over their long-simmering diplomatic spat.

Venezuela has spent more than $3 billion on arms, prompting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to warn against an arms race in the region.

Colombia recently asked the World Trade Organization to intercede after Chavez blocked the import of some Colombian goods in protest of the U.S. military pact.

After the United States, the neighboring Andean countries are each other's second biggest trade partners. Commerce last year between Colombia and Venezuela was more than $7 billion.

Colombia says the blocking of imports has exacerbated the country's recession and hurt an export sector already clobbered by low global demand brought by the world financial crisis.

Washington sees Uribe as a buffer against Chavez and other socialists in the region such as Rafael Correa of Ecuador, a country that also shares a border with Colombia.

The three leaders have all moved to extend their time in power through Constitutional changes allowing for re-election.

(Editing by Philip Barbara)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

[Malsua]

Hugo is such a clown.

He can't project power. If the US wanted to attack Venezuela they'd just nuke 'em from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. I'm just stealing the line, we'd just plink at him from a safe distance, nukes aren't even a consideration. Nor is war with them either.

[American Patriot]

I have a concern about this...

It's that we will let them linger long enough to make gasping sounds.

Actually, he is supported by Iran, Russia and China..... so, I'm thinking this isn't all it's cracked up to be, should he start a shooting war.

I don't think he has the balls though. He's bluster.

Besides. Who'd fight him? Us? We're run by Libs

[vector7]

Venezuelan army destroyed two bridges in Colombia: Ombudsman

Thursday, 19 November 2009 13:13 Ashley Hamer

Colombia's Ombudsman reported Thursday that Venezuelan soldiers allegedly destroyed two bridges in Colombia's Norte de Santander department.

Authorities in Rangonvalia, the town nearest to the attack site, have delivered preliminary information to the Ombudsman, Volmar Perez, claiming that a group of 40 Venezuelan soldiers arrived in the area and detonated explosives against two bridges crossing the river Tachira.
Perez has signaled that he intends to send a delegation to the region as apparently, a third bridge has been destroyed in the Norte de Santander town of Herrnan, reported news station Caracol Thursday.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Venezuelan army blows up two bridges in Colombia

Thursday, 19 November 2009 13:13
Ashley Hamer

Venezuelan soldiers blew up two pedestrian bridges Thursday in Colombia's Norte de Santander frontier department, reported the Colombian government.

Colombia's Defense Minister, Gabriel Silva, claimed that a troop of Venezuelan guards arrived at the scene, near the town of Rangonvalia and proceeded to detonate explosives, destroying the two bridges connecting Colombia to Venezuelan territory over the river Tachira.

Colombia's Vice Foreign Minister, Clemencia Forero, has announced that the event will be presented before the OAS and the UN as a serious violation of humanitarian law on the part of Venezuela and an assault against the civil population of the region, reported newspaper El Espectador Thursday.

Authorities in Rangonvalia have delivered preliminary information to Colombia's Ombudsman, Volmar Perez, who has signaled that as a result of the events, an official delegation will be sent to the region to collect information and testimonies and a high level meeting will be held Friday to re-address the concerning security situation along the Venezuelan border.

According to Silva the events "are being considered as a threat that require the adoption of contingency plans." Silva further noted that Friday's meeting will be attended by police and military commanders as well as civil authorities from the border region, reported news station Caracol.

Silva allegedly concluded by saying that "Colombia is disposed to achieving understanding and peace with her neighboring countries, but this is sensitive information that greatly disturbs the Government."

http://en.trend.az/regions/world/oco...s/1584247.html

[vector7]

Chavez: Venezuela acquires thousands of missiles

Dec 7 08:13 PM US/Eastern

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez said Monday that Venezuela has received thousands of Russian-made missiles and rocket launchers as part of his government's military preparations for a possible armed conflict with neighboring Colombia. "They are preparing a war against us," Chavez said during a televised address, repeating a charge he has been making for months. "Preparing is one of the best ways to neutralize it."

Both Colombia and Washington deny having any plans to attack Venezuela, but Chavez argues they are plotting together a military offensive against Venezuela. Chavez says his government is acquiring more weapons as a precaution.

"Thousands of missiles are arriving," Chavez said. The former paratrooper-turned-president did not specify what type of missiles, but said Venezuela's growing arsenal includes Russian-made Igla-1S surface-to-air missiles and rocket-propelled grenades.

Chavez, who has been feuding with Colombia for months, claims an agreement between Bogota and Washington allowing the U.S. military to increase its presence at seven Colombian military bases poses a threat to his country. Colombia says the deal is only to help it fight the war on drugs and insurgents inside its territory.

Chavez also said Monday that Russian tanks, including T-72s, will be arriving "to strengthen our armored divisions."

Venezuela has bought more than $4 billion worth of Russian arms since 2005, including 24 Sukhoi fighter jets, dozens of attack helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles. In September, Russia opened a $2.2 billion line of credit for Venezuela to purchase more weapons.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[vector7]

Page last updated at 04:26 GMT, Sunday, 20 December 2009
Colombia beefs up forces on border with Venezuela


Colombia has a fleet of 120 helicopters

The Colombian government has announced it is building a new military base on its border with Venezuela and has activated six new airborne battalions.

Relations between the two nations are at a historic low with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez already telling his generals to prepare for war.

He moved 15,000 more troops up to the border, accusing Colombia and its ally, the US, of planning an attack.

A BBC correspondent says the potential for conflict is heightened.

Colombian Defence Minister Gabriel Silva announced the formation of a new base in La Guajira in the north, near the Venezuelan border.

At the same time, the Colombian army activated the new airborne battalions, which are equipped with US helicopters.

The helicopter fleet, made up mainly of Blackhawks, now numbers 120, making the Colombian Army Air Corps the best equipped and most experienced in Latin America, the BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Colombia says.

Preparing for war

President Chavez has criticised a pact announced last month allowing US troops to use several bases in Colombia.

Mr Silva said that the new base would have up to 1,000 soldiers.

It would, he added, also have a care facility for indigenous Wayuu people who live in the area.

Since Venezuelans were told by Mr Chavez to prepare for war and the Venezuelan army starting blowing up bridges that link the two nations, Colombia has been overhauling its defence strategy.

Until now this strategy has been geared almost exclusively to fighting the country's 45-year Marxist insurgency.

With the increasing build-up of military on both sides of the border, the potential for conflict is heightened, particularly when one considers 2,000 rebels in the border region prepared for a fight between the two nations, our correspondent says.

[Ryan Ruck]

Chavez Announces Russian Missile Purchase

Amid rising tensions with neighboring Colombia, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced late Friday that his country would soon take delivery of Russian-made missiles with a range of 300 kilometers (185 miles).

"We have signed some agreements with Russia. Soon we will begin receiving some missiles," Chavez said during a meeting with supporters in front of the presidential palace.

He underscored the reliability of the Russian weaponry, but stressed that his country had "no plans to attack anybody."

But the announcement came amid rising tension between Caracas and Bogota over Colombia's decision to allow the United States access to several military bases on its territory.

Chavez said he was determined to defend his country "of any threat" and assured that the new missiles were purely "defensive."

He did not specify how many missiles would be delivered or whether the contract to buy them was signed during his recent visit to Russia.

But Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday that Russia would sell weapons to its "friend" Venezuela.

"These sorts of contracts are never signed in public," he told reporters after meeting Chavez at a Russian presidential residence outside Moscow.

"We will supply Venezuela the weapons that Venezuela asks for. In accordance with all international law, of course," Medvedev added.

Responding to reports that Russia would sell tanks to the Latin American country, Medvedev said: "Why not tanks? Without question, we have good tanks. If our friends want our tanks, we will deliver them."

Chavez, a firebrand leftist who has repeatedly criticized the United States, said Venezuela was building up its military with Moscow's help but insisted that this was not directed against any other country.

Following the Medvedev-Chavez talks, the Russian and Venezuelan defense ministries signed an agreement, details of which were not released.

Separately, a consortium of Russian oil companies and Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA signed an agreement establishing a joint venture to develop the Junin 6 oil field along Venezuela's Orinoco River.

Russian media reports ahead of Chavez's visit said Venezuela was seeking to buy T-72 and T-90 tanks, Kilo-class diesel-powered submarines, BMP-3 armoured vehicles, Mi-28 helicopters and land-based anti-ship missiles.

In recent years Venezuela has signed over four billion dollars' worth of arms contracts with Russia, and last November its navy held joint exercises with Russian warships in the Caribbean, traditionally seen as a US domain.

Recent Russian arms sales to Venezuela also included 24 fighter jets Sukhoi-30, 50 combat helicopters and 100,000 Kalshnikov assault rifles. Moscow has also granted Venezuela a one-billion dollar credit to finance the acquisition of its weapons.

In addition to Russia, Chavez visited Iran, Libya, Syria, Algeria, Turkmenistan, Belarus and Spain. He returned home on Friday.

[Ryan Ruck]

Putin Announces Sale Of 35 Tanks To Venezuela's Government

Although Putin would not elaborate, experts believe that the sale involves T-72 and T-90 tanks, which would replace the French MX-30 tanks and which have already been purchased by some 30 countries, including Iran and Syria

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced that he will soon provide 35 tanks to Venezuela, after his meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, to whom he vowed to sell other weapons.

"Russia fully complies with the bilateral agreements in the field of military-technical cooperation. Shortly, Russia plans to provide a new batch of weapons. They are 35 tanks," said Putin at a joint press conference with Chávez at his residence Novo-Ogoriovo, outside Moscow.

Although Putin would not elaborate, experts believe that the sale involves T-72 and T-90 tanks, which would replace the French MX-30 tanks and which have already been purchased by some 30 countries, including Iran and Syria.

"We are willing to supply tanks and, with respect to other types of weapons, we will do it broadly. Russian companies have started to work according to their orders," he said.

For his part, Chávez emphasized that "the issue of military cooperation, for which we are under attack, is going very well."

"Now, we do have an armed force," said Chávez, who mentioned some of the purchases of Russian weapons by Caracas in recent years, including tanks, Sukhoi fighters, which he described as "the best aircraft in the world," and Kalashnikov rifles.

Earlier on Friday, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said that Moscow will not reduce military-technical cooperation with Caracas, after his meeting with Chávez at the Kremlin.

"In this field, we have not slowed down, not even now," Medvedev said at a joint press conference with Chávez in the Malachite Room of the Kremlin.

On Chávez's previous visit to Russia, in September 2009, Medvedev promised that Moscow would supply the weapons Venezuela needed, including tanks and armored cars.

Last April, during his visit to Venezuela, Putin said that Venezuela planned to buy Russian arms worth over USD 5 billion.

That figure includes a USD 2-billion loan Moscow will grant to Caracas for the acquisition of heavy weapons.

Venezuela, which according to Venezuelan sources has bought Russian weapons worth USD 4.4 billion since 2005, has emerged as a major Latin American customer of the Russian military industry, which has ignited concerns in the US and Colombia.

The Russian press has reported that Venezuela is interested in diesel-electric submarines of the class "Varshavianka" (Kilo, according to the NATO classification).

Military experts quoted by the RIA-Novosti news agency said on Friday that Caracas would receive the S-300 antiaircraft missile system that Moscow decided not to supply to Iran because of the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council.

According to these sources, Russia has provided to Venezuela a dozen Tor-M1 air defense systems, the same ones Tehran acquired in late 2005.

Chavez's visit to Russia is part of a foreign tour for almost two weeks that will also take him on October 16 to Belarus, and then to Ukraine, Iran, Syria, Libya, Algeria and Portugal.

[American Patriot]

Ok... so Russia is selling weapons to Chavez.... so?

I'll tell you so.... here, see the rest of the stuff I've been posting today.

This is all falling into place folks. Russia, China, a little cozy spot in the South American continent, Panama owned by the Chinese, missile launches off the Coast of Cali. Russia is building large, underground facilities to house people. China is building whole cities in which to import displaced citizens (that don't die from nuclear radiation).

Colombia is a hell hole, always has been probably always will be except along the coast line - but Chavez - and the Russians and Chinese need it. Anyone know why?

it's feed through from South America into the Panama Canal and Columbia is allied with the United States, Mexico with the US on the northern side of central America.

It's a major choke point that we can hold and prevent the influx of South American armies (Russian, Chinese and Korean) from flooding up through that area... unless of course the Colombians lose their land mass to the take over of Hugo Chavez, which is precisely what I see happening right NOW.

My God... I hope the CIA is reading this and understanding what the hell is going on.

I said it before, I'll say it again. This is Risk on a REAL LARGE SCALE.

Strategically positioning for a future war. That's what Russia and China are counting on right now. Might not be Chavez leading the players either later. Might be Putin or some other military commander from Russia a bit later on.

We're looking at the big setup for Red Dawn people.

This is it, and it's coming to a small town near you, real soon now.....

[American Patriot]

This is Colombia.....

[American Patriot]

This is Venezuela....

[American Patriot]

This is Venezuela....

[American Patriot]

Strategically speaking... Venezuela has a lot of coast line, several port cities there south of the Caribbean Sea. All along the region are bugs and jungle, but in roads to Colombia. There are literally a couple of hundred rivers running to the deltas along the northern coast, some of which are navigable by Vietnam era type gun boats.




Chavez has invested a vast amount of money into the railway system which sucked a few years back (in the 1980s) and have been trying to expand it from main towns to each other, and outward. I would not be surprised if those railways don't extend all the way to near the borders of Colombia by now.


And he is buddy-buddy with this guy....




The combined military strength of Venezuela is about 1 million fighting personnel, which includes the "Armed Reserve". That's roughly 600,000 fighters who aren't part of the regular army and air force and would be used as the ground fodder in any incident.

The rest of their military is about 350,000 strong and includes the Army, Navy and the Air Forces.

The worst part about all of this, is these bastardos play Soccer.... a sissy game of Europeans (Sorry to all the present Europeans present /wink)

[American Patriot]

Something is up here...

Venezuelans blocked from taking flights out

Peter Wilson, Special for USA TODAY 11:23 a.m. EST January 10, 2014

(Photo: MIGUEL GUTIERREZ EPA)

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelans are finding out that their money is no good with one airline and others may also cut off the country from flights abroad.


Air Europa, a Spanish discount airline, has suspended sales of tickets in bolivars, the Venezuelan currency, because Venezuela has not been exchanging the bolivars for U.S. dollars as is customary.


The suspension, which Europa said Friday is "indefinite," caught some Venezuelans by surprise.


Javier Martinez tried to book a flight this week to Madrid on Air Europa in Caracas, but even though there were plenty of seats available Air Europa refused to accept his Venezuelan bolivars.


''The reservation people told me that I could buy the ticket in dollars or euros, but not bolivars,'' says Martinez. "I'm Venezuelan and what other money do I have?"


Under Venezuela's foreign exchange controls, access to dollars is tightly restricted. International airlines serving the country are currently owed up to $2.6 billion in dollars for bolivars that they have turned in to Venezuela's Cadivi foreign exchange agency.


Air Europa is owed upwards of $160 million, it said. A company director is flying to Caracas on Monday to meet with the country's foreign exchange agency to discuss the problem, the airline said Friday. The company operates its Madrid-Caracas-Madrid route six times a week.


Most other international airlines are taking other steps to limit their exposure to Venezuelan bolivars, which aren't convertible outside the country.


"Many airlines are reducing the amount of seats they're offering to local flyers,'' said says Mildred Amaro, who runs Barquero Tours in the central industrial city of La Victoria. "On many routes, it's difficult to find a seat. Inventory is limited."


American Airlines, which has nearly 50 weekly flights to Venezuela, continues to sell tickets in local currency, spokeswoman Martha Pantin said. However, the airline's website says that most flights are fully booked for the foreseeable future.


Local newspapers reported earlier that Venezuela had offered to settle its debt with international carriers by giving them free jet fuel in lieu of dollars. But carriers have refused, noting that the offer is far less than owed.


Filling up a Boeing 767 would amount to about $8,000 in fuel compared to the millions carriers are owed.


The official exchange rate of bolivars for dollars is considered off-base because the rate set by Caracas overvalues the bolivar's worth. The official rate is one U.S. dollar for 6.3 bolivars. But unofficial exchanges on the black market will trade dollars for bolivars at a rate 11 times higher.
Analysts say that the bolivar is overvalued by at least 50%.


Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been reluctant to devalue the country's currency to align it with the market value. A devaluation done in February 2013 hit his popularity hard because it caused prices on almost everything to rise as vendors were forced to demand more bolivars for their products.


Any devaluation would reduce the amount of dollars owed to the airlines and to any firm that holds bolivars. Many airlines saw significant losses in their Venezuelan operations when the government devalued the bolivar in February 2013 after saying it wouldn't.


The reduction in flight availability coincides with an upswing in passenger traffic as Venezuelans try to take advantage of a loophole in the foreign exchange regulations that allow them to buy dollars abroad with their bolivars.


The dollars are credited to travelers' credit cards and when abroad, the travelers withdraw the money via a cash advance. With the cash U.S. dollars in hand, travelers return to Venezuela where they sell the dollars on the black market for more than 65 bolivars to the dollar, a much higher rate they what they paid for the dollars before they left.


So, a Venezuelan who gets $3,000 for his 18,900 bolivars can sell the U.S. currency for 95,000 bolivars, a more than ten-fold return on investment in a country where the monthly minimum wage is about 3,300 bolivars.


Martinez hopes that Air Europa will change its policy.


"I still plan to go to Madrid in May but it's difficult to find a seat at a fair price,'' he says. "It's embarrassing that no one wants to accept the bolivar."

[American Patriot]

Venezuela About To Run Out Of Food Despite Fresh All Time High In Its Stock Market

By wkchild on January 24, 2014 • ( )
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/22/2014 – 10:28
Venezuela can be proud: while the US stock market has gone exactly nowhere in 2014, the Caracas stock exchange of the socialist paradise has continued kicking ass and taking names, just today printing a fresh all time high. However, as everyone knows, there are trade offs to soaring stock markets in all socialist countries, be they paradises or not. By now everyone knows that Venezuela has had a rather systemic issue when it comes to procuring toilet paper, and from what we understand, the local population is still forced at times to wipe with stock certificates. Alas, things are about to get worse. As a result of Maduro’s recent policies which have Lenin, Stalin and Engels positive beaming from the grave, the country may soon add another shortage to its growing list of daily product in short, or no, supply. Food.
Read More Here: zerohedge.com


Venezuela About To Run Out Of Food Despite Fresh All Time High In Its Stock Market


Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/22/2014 10:28 -0500






Venezuela can be proud: while the US stock market has gone exactly nowhere in 2014, the Caracas stock exchange of the socialist paradise has continued kicking ass and taking names, just today printing a fresh all time high.

.. And the performance over the past year has been nothing short of breathtaking.


However, as everyone knows, there are trade offs to soaring stock markets in all socialist countries, be they paradises or not. By now everyone knows that Venezuela has had a rather systemic issue when it comes to procuring toilet paper, and from what we understand, the local population is still forced at times to wipe with stock certificates.
Alas, things are about to get worse. As a result of Maduro's recent policies which have Lenin, Stalin and Engels positive beaming from the grave, the country may soon add another shortage to its growing list of daily product in short, or no, supply. Food.
Bloomberg reports that Empresas Polar SA, Venezuela’s largest privately-held company, said in an e-mailed statement that foreign suppliers of food, packaging, and equipment have closed credit lines because of the government’s delays in giving the company dollars at official rate. Empresas added that dollar delays are now the longest since the introduction of currency controls in Feb. 2003.
In other words, with the country doing everything in its power to allocate dollars "fairly" (while making sure nobody has profit margins higher than 30%), very soon the biggest distributors of staples are about to run empty.
Oh well, at least they have their stock market and the "wealth effect"...

And now, in praise of socialist paradises everywhere, let's all sing along:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...s-stock-market

[vector7]

FLASHBACK:

Friday, November 12, 2010
EXCLUSIVE: IRAN, VENEZUELA SUSPECTED OF CONSPIRING WITH MEXICANS TO ATTACK US




CHINA CONFIDENTIAL EXCLUSIVE


Many intelligence experts believe that Iran and Venezuela--avowed enemies of the United States that have announced a "strategic alliance" aimed at overthrowing the U.S.-led world order--are conspiring with criminal and neo-fascist elements in Mexico to use the country as a base for launching potentially crippling terrorist attacks on the U.S., including ballistic missile strikes, Mumbai-style, swarming assaults, and biological warfare attacks.

"It's the Zimmermann telegram all over again," one analyst asserts, referring to the German Empire's secret proposal to the Mexican government to jointly make war on the U.S. The coded telegram, which Germany's Foreign Secretary, Arthur Zimmermann, sent to his country's ambassador in Washington, D.C. in 1917, at the height of World War I, was forwarded, at Zimmermann's request, to the German ambassador in Mexico. The telegram, which was intercepted and decoded by British cryptographers, proposed German support for a Mexican invasion of the U.S. to re-conquer the "lost" Mexican territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Although Mexico rejected the proposal, its revelation in the American press enraged public opinion to a degree that contributed to the United States' declaration of war against Germany and its allies.

Iran and Venezuela are reportedly proposing similar territorial rewards for Mexico--as part of a new, post-American world order.

Related: Venezuela, Iran Ink Dual-Use Nano Deal

Posted by Confidential Reporter at 1:49 AM