Tag Archives: threat

May
17
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Iran building rocket bases in Venezuela

‘Die Welt’: Iran building rocket bases in Venezuela
Jerusalem Post
By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
May 17, 2011

German paper says Iranians paid cash to build mid-range missile launch pads on Paraguana Peninsula; Iranian engineers visited site in Feb.

BERLIN – The Iranian government is moving forward with the construction of rocket launch bases in Venezuela, the German daily Die Welt wrote in its Thursday edition.

Iran is building intermediate- range missile launch pads on the Paraguaná Peninsula, and engineers from a construction firm – Khatam al-Anbia – owned by the Revolutionary Guards visited Paraguaná in February. Amir al-Hadschisadeh, the head of the Guard’s Air Force, participated in the visit, according to the report. Die Welt cited information from “Western security insiders.”

The rocket bases are to include measures to prevent air attacks on Venezuela as well as commando and control stations.

The Iranian military involvement in the project extends to bunker, barracks and watch tower construction. Twenty-meter deep rocket silos are planned. The cost of the Venezuelan military project is being paid for with Iranian oil revenue. The Iranians paid in cash for the preliminary phase of the project and, the total cost is expected to amount to “dozens of millions” of dollars, Die Welt wrote.

The Paraguaná Peninsula is on the coast of Venezuela and is roughly 120 kilometers from America’s main South American partner, Columbia.

According to Die Welt, the clandestine agreement between Venezuela and Iran would mean the Chavez government would fire rocket at Iran’s enemies should the Islamic Republic face military strikes.

Meanwhile the German press agency (DPA) reported on Friday that Germany will not contest the placement of the Hamburg- based European- Iranian Trade Bank (EIH) on the EU sanctions list at the end of the month. The US Treasury Department sanctioned the EIH last year, saying it was one of the most important institutions in Europe for financing Iran’s missile and nuclear proliferation programs. Germany was the subject of criticism from American, French, British and Israeli officials because it refused to shut the EIH.

The EIH plays a crucial role in facilitating financial transactions for midsize German firms that are active in Iran. German- Iranian total trade amounted to over 4 billion euros in 2010, making German Iran’s No. 1 EU trade partner.

 
Sep
16
2010
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The Chavez threat

This article was originally posted by Los Angeles Time

Venezuela’s Sept. 26 national parliamentary elections present a major opportunity for strongman Hugo Chavez to cement his grip on power. Despite a tradition of a free press and competitive politics, a cosmopolitan elite and extensive natural resources, Venezuela is increasingly a case study in how to lose political and economic freedom.

The stakes are especially high in light of evidence consistent with an emerging Venezuelan nuclear weapons program. Ironically, Chavez’s frequently clownish behavior protects him, camouflaging the seriousness of his potential threat to U.S. security and to democratic societies throughout Latin America.

Washington, under Republican and Democratic administrations, has proved unable or unwilling to slow Chavez’s descent into authoritarianism. Unlike coups by prior caudillos in the Americas, the situation in Venezuela today is like a slow-motion train wreck, which makes it all the more frustrating. A lack of international outrage is discouraging pro-democracy Venezuelans across the ideological spectrum. They worry they have been forgotten, especially by an Obama administration that finds foreign policy a distraction.

This month’s elections, therefore, may be a last chance for change before Chavez completes his takeover. He has advanced his agenda since taking office in 1999 by fragmenting his domestic opposition, manipulating election rules, closing down opposition news sources and expropriating the considerable assets of businesses and entrepreneurs. He has materially impaired Venezuela’s prosperous petroleum economy by failing to make prudent investments and improvements, while using substantial oil revenues to consolidate his hold on power.

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Jun
29
2010
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Chávez working to expand ties to terrorism

U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers, the ranking Republican of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, blasted Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez’s comments this weekend, where Chavez called Israel a “genocidal state” that “will be put in its place.”  Chavez’s comments came during a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is on a tour of Latin American countries this week.

Mack said: “For Hugo Chavez, nothing beats a public appearance to draw Venezuela closer to another state sponsor of terrorism, threatening the United States and its ally, Israel. This past Saturday, Hugo Chavez met with Syria’s president, spreading the same anti-freedom and anti-Semitic message that ties Venezuela to Iran. His hateful rhetoric against Israel and his unfair targeting of Venezuela’s Jewish community amounts to state-sponsored anti-Semitism, and it must stop.

“Chavez is also working to expand Venezuela’s ties to Syria, a state sponsor of terrorism. This economic relationship, however, is nothing more than an opportunity to further spread their anti-freedom message throughout the hemisphere. Chavez’s close ties to Syria and Iran give these countries a foothold in Latin America.”

“U.S. law clearly states that a state sponsor of terrorism is one that repeatedly provides support to acts of international terrorism. Hugo Chavez has done so and is a clear threat to our hemisphere. That’s why the United States must add Venezuela to the list of state sponsors of terrorism without delay, and why we must continue to stand with the people of Venezuela as they fight for freedom from Chavez’s iron fist.”

Mack is a sponsor of legislation (H.Res.872) calling on Venezuela to be designated a state sponsor of terrorism. He is also the sponsor of a resolution (H.Con.Res.124) expressing Congress’ support for and solidarity with the Venezuelan Jewish community.

Article originally published by News-Press.com