Amidst a cheering audience at Teresa Carreño Theater composed of congresspersons, local governors, high-ranking military officers, troops, reservists, Bolivarian students, community council representatives and Argentinean soccer star Diego Armando Maradona, who claimed to be a Chávez follower, President Hugo Chávez not only confirmed the procurement of "some thousand" Russian sniper rifles, but clarified that they would not have a conventional military use.

"They will be used for guerrilla warfare, from the mountains, from the hills," in retaliation for a potential armed attack by the US government. In this context, the head of state talked about the establishment of "jungle, indigenous, mountain battalions."

While most of the edition No. 290 of the TV and radio show "Aló Presidente" was used to explain the proposed changes to the Constitution, President Chávez acknowledged negotiation of Dragunov sniper rifles. "Yes sir, yes, sir," he said while reading an press release from The New York Times on the Venezuelan government purchase of Russian arms.

They are Russian rifles. I am not telling you about their range. And also we are inventing something here to extend their range.  I am not telling you about it either. They have telescopic sight. Any gringo who intends to enter through a little ravine up there, boom! And we are to buy hundred thousand night-time sight equipments. Yes, sir, I am going to see you in the light too," said a smiling head of state, and then wondered -"How do you feel about it?"

Earlier, President Chávez made reference to a proposal to turn the National Guard (GN) into territorial guard. He urged them to "get ready to transfer tasks, including guard in prisons, to a good, new national police." "There is need to speed up the national police law," he told Vice-President Jorge Rodríguez and Minister of the Interior and Justice Pedro Carreño.