|
|
|
|
|
Hugo Chavez: U.S. Lying About Iran Nuclear Program CARACAS -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez defended Iran's nuclear program Tuesday, saying Washington's firm opposition to Tehran and the invasion of Iraq both resulted from America's insatiable thirst for oil. "You know that one of the most serious problems the world has today is the energy problem, so much so that the North American empire has invaded Iraq just to look for oil and now threatens Iran because of oil," Chávez said in a nationally televised speech, referring to the United States. "It's an excuse by the empire, looking for energy." Chávez, one of the most outspoken critics of U.S. foreign policy, claimed the Bush administration is falsely accusing Iran of trying to build an atomic bomb as a pretext for seizing control of the Middle Eastern nation's vast petroleum reserves. "I'm completely sure that it's absolutely false that the Iranian government is developing an atomic bomb. It's the United States that has atomic bombs," Chávez said. U.S. officials believe Tehran is using its nuclear energy program as a cover for producing an atomic bomb. They have criticized Venezuela's increasingly close ties with Iran that include such projects as a joint $200 million fund. Twenty-seven of the 35 members of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a U.N. nuclear watchdog, voted in January to refer Iran to the Security Council over fears it aims to build an atomic bomb. Venezuela, Cuba and Syria voted against it, and the rest abstained.Chávez said such developed countries as the United States, France and Germany want to maintain a monopoly on nuclear technology by denying it to developing countries like his own. Venezuela - the world's fifth-largest oil exporter - is studying the possibility of using nuclear power to generate electricity. Chávez's comments came on the heels of another speech Monday night in which he warned that if U.S. troops were to invade any Latin American country, "revolutionaries" from across the region would join forces to battle the Americans. Chávez's remark confirmed what many in Venezuela have long presumed: that his government would go to the aid of a close ally like Cuba in the hypothetical scenario of the United States sending troops. Although U.S. officials dismiss his claims as outlandish, Chávez insists his country must be on guard.--------------------------------------------------- Please help our fight against the New World Order by giving a donation. As bandwidth costs increase, the only way we can stay online and expand is with your support. Please consider giving a monthly or one-off donation for whatever you can afford. You can pay securely by either credit card or Paypal. Click here to donate. |
