President Hugo Chávez late Monday warned Spain Venezuela would purchase from any other country the patrol boats it agreed to buy from Spanish shipyards in the event that Madrid respects a US veto on the sale, Efe reported.

"We are going to ask Spain to make a decision on whether they are going to sell them or not. Otherwise, we will buy these patrol boats from Russia, China, Iran, India or even Brazil," Chávez said during an event with local businesspeople.

Venezuela and Spain last year initialed a weaponry sales agreement comprising the patrol boats Chávez mentioned on Monday.

"We have no problem if they do not sell them to us. We wanted to help Spain because President (José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero) told me one day they faced some problems with shipyards," Chávez added.

Under the agreement, Venezuela ordered from Spanish firms Navantia and EADS-CASA the construction of 12 aircrafts, including 10 transportation C-295 planes and two coastal surveillance CL-235 airplanes, as well as eight patrol boats, including four boats for monitoring the exclusive economic zone and four coast guard boats.

Chávez claimed that uncertainty around the operation emerged following the United States move to veto the Spanish sale to Venezuela.

According to the Venezuelan ruler, if Madrid chooses not to comply with the sales agreement, he would be forced to purchase such equipment anywhere else. "Venezuela will have those patrol boats!" Chávez decidedly.

Chávez attributed the US veto to tensions between his government and US President George W. Bush' administration.