November 10

Ex Colombian President worried by Venezuelan-Russian naval exercises
Former Colombian President Andrés Pastrana (1998-2002) is concerned by the unprecedented joint naval exercises between Russia and Venezuela which will take place in the Caribbean Sea in late November, according to a statement issued on Sunday, November 09 by local newspapers.

"There are some difficult issues as the deployment of a Russian fleet in the region. I read in Newsweek that the nuclear arsenal aboard the coming Russian vessels almost doubles the amount that provoked the missile crisis in Cuba," Pastrana told Colombian newspaper El Tiempo.

Pastrana urged Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermúdez to clarify some questions: "Where is going to operate the Russian fleet? Are they going to perform exercises in claimed waters? What will be Colombia's reaction?"

Colombia dismisses "tensions" with Venezuela for naval exercises in the Caribbean
Foreign Minister of Colombia Jaime Bermúdez denied that there will be diplomatic tensions with Venezuela due to the military maneuvers in the Caribbean between the South American country and Russia. Bermúdez said that, if necessary, the issue could be discussed by the South American Council of Defense, according to statements released on Monday, November 10.

"We have spoken with Russian and Venezuelan officials on the issue and both have made clear that such maneuvers will not take place in waters bordering Colombia. The situation is clear and definite. If it were any regional concerns on the issue, the matter would be brought to the South American Council of Defense," Bermúdez told Colombian newspaper "El Tiempo," DPA reported.

Previously, Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos had said that his country was "not indifferent" to the naval exercises.

A fleet of Russian vessels set sail in September from Severomorsk naval base for the Caribbean to take part in the exercises ending November.

The fleet is composed of the main warship, nuclear-powered missile cruiser "Peter the Great;" a submarine destroyer and two escort ships, as part of the first naval deployment of such an extent in Western waters ever seen since the Cold War.

Russian fatality contradicts role of military super power
The death of 20 people inside a Russian nuclear-powered submarine due to an accident is, according to experts, an inconvenience for Moscow, as it would like to uphold its military strength and its role of world super power.

The accident -due to the release of noxious gases for the sudden triggering of the fire-fighting system in the submarine during some testing- was untimely. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev will attend ending November together with his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez, naval exercises in front of Venezuelan coasts, AFP reported.

After the Kursk tragedy in 2002, resulting in 118 casualties, and subsequent multiple untoward events, the latest episode is "a sharp blow to the Russian military industry," said Pavel Felgenhauer, an expert in defense issues.

November 11

Venezuela engages in air exercises with Brazil and other countries
A group of Venezuelan aircrafts carried out on Monday, November 10 some training flights which are part of the activities performed in Natal airbase, located in northern Brazil, during the Fourth Southern Cross (Cruzex IV) joint military exercises.

In a press release, the Venezuelan Air Force reported that its Dragon aircrafts achieved their first seven hours of flight, as expected, "showing that they are fully operational."

From Saturday, November 1 to Sunday, November 16, a delegation of 166 Venezuelan Air Force pilots; 6 F-16 aircrafts and two Hercules C-130, commanded by Brigadier General Alfonso Javier Ortiz; is in Brazil to participate in war games together with delegations from five other countries.