The former Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations Diego
Arria claims that "it is absurd to imagine that in a scenario
of modern warfare any serious military officer could argue
that they could defend their territory with these rifles (Russian-made
Kalashnikov assault rifles Venezuela purchased from Moscow)"
but warned that "attention should be paid to the final destination
of the weapons, as well as of those to be replaced (old FAL)."
Meanwhile, Javier Corrales, an Associate Professor of Political
Science at Amherst College, shares Arria's concern and wonders:
"What will happen to the replaced and extra rifles? Venezuela
is purchasing as many as 100,000 new rifles. But it only has
40,000 troops."
"The Venezuelan case brings to light a problem in the Inter-American
security system: the lack of an acceptable protocol for handling
weapons modernization," Corrales added.
The discussion came in a forum conducted by Latin American
Advisor, an electronic public of Inter-American Dialogue,
as disclosed in a press release of the group.
The forum was intended to discuss whether Venezuela's military
purchases threaten stability in the region, as Washington
claims, or are they part of Hugo Chávez' Government efforts
to modernize its military.
Another guest was Venezuelan ambassador to the United States
Bernardo Alvarez, who stressed that Chávez' Government
only intends to modernize the National Armed Force (FAN).
"This plan does not threaten regional stability, as the (US
President George W.) Bush administration has facetiously claimed.
If anything, it seeks to promote stability along the Venezuelan-Colombian
border and in the country's coastal waters by preventing traffickers
and criminals from operating in and around Venezuela."
Oil Scenario
HYDROCARBONS Rafael Ramírez, Venezuela's Minister of Petroleum and Mining and president of state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) specified that oil exports to China would be equal to current shipments of Venezuelan oil to the United States.
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