Hugo Chavez said Thursday that he is recalling his own ambassador from Washington and expelling the U.S. ambassador from Venezuela. Claiming to be making the moves “in solidarity with Bolivia and the people of Bolivia.” in opposition to a claimed attempted coup d’etat mounted by the United States against Bolivia’s President Evo Morales.
State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid stated “Our embassy in Caracas is looking into these reports.”
Earlier Thursday, Chavez said he has uncovered a U.S. backed plot to remove him from power. “When there’s a new government in the United States, we’ll send an ambassador,” he said. “A government that respects Latin America.” He said the presence of two Russian warplanes on Venezuelan soil for a training exercise “is a warning” to the rest of the world that Venezuela’s allies include Russia and other countries. Chavez added that, should any country in Latin America be overthrown, he would interpret that to be “the green light to undertake military operations of any sort in those countries, and restore power back to the people.”
The two The Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers landed at Venezuela’s Libertador military airfield and “will spend several days carrying out training flights over neutral waters, after which they will return to the base,” the ministry added.
A Pentagon spokesman said such joint exercises between nations are not unusual. “We exercise all around the globe and have joint exercises with countries all over the world. So do many other nations.”
On Monday, Russia announced it might hold joint naval maneuvers with Venezuela in the Caribbean. Russia denied any link between that announcement and the conflict in Georgia, although Russia has criticized U.S. support for Georgia. Russia has also objected to the missile defense system agreement, signed between the United States and Poland and the Czech Republic in August, that places a ground-based ballistic defense facility in the two eastern European nations. Russia has said the deal threatens its security, while the United States has said that the system is to guard against rogue states such as Iran.
This whole situation becomes mix the new Russian regime with the Chaves instabilities and park both of them with in striking distance of the United States borders. Exercises or not. It is an uncomfortable position for us as a nation to be in at this time in history. I am reminded of Cuba and the 1960’s.
Anyone else?
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