US reveals links of Venezuela with Iran, FARC, ETA

For the sixth consecutive year, the United States Department of State determined that Venezuela is still not cooperating "fully" with anti-terrorist efforts, underlining its bonds with Iran, Basque terrorist group ETA, the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), and Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN).

"Venezuela maintained its economic, financial and diplomatic cooperation with Iran, as well as limited military related agreements," the annual report on terrorism in the world, presented on Tuesday by the US Department of State, pointed out, Efe quoted.

Washington recounted the sanctions imposed in May 2011 on state-run oil holding Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) for the delivery of cargoes to Iran with the products needed for oil refining, trespassing the ban on Tehran.

It claimed as well that the Inter-American Development Bank, a subsidiary of Iran's Export and Development Bank "continued to operate" in Venezuela despite its designation by the US Department of Treasury ("Blocking property of weapons of mass destruction proliferators and their supporters").

Furthermore, it stressed that Venezuela did not respond to a second request from the Spanish government for the extradition of Arturo Cubillas Fontán, a naturalized Venezuelan citizen and employee of the Venezuelan government for his alleged links between the FARC and ETA.