Posted on 11/19/2007 4:21:46 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster
Chavez, Ahmadinejad to work against US
By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer
53 minutes ago
The presidents of Venezuela and Iran boasted Monday that they will defeat U.S. imperialism together, saying the fall of the dollar is a prelude to the end of Washington's global dominance.
Hugo Chavez's visit to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran followed a failed weekend attempt by the firebrand duo to push the Organization of Petroleum Exporting States away from trading in the slumping greenback.
Their proposal at an OPEC summit was overruled by other cartel members led by Saudi Arabia, a strong U.S. ally. But the cartel agreed to have OPEC finance ministers discuss the idea, and the two allies' move showed their potential for stirring up problems for the U.S.
The alliance between Chavez and Ahmadinejad has blossomed with several exchanged visits — Monday's was Chavez's fourth time in Tehran in two years — a string of technical agreements and a torrent of rhetoric presenting their two countries as an example of how smaller nations can stand up to the superpower.
"Here are two brother countries, united like a single fist," Chavez said upon his arrival in Tehran, according to Venezuela's state-run Bolivarian News Agency.
"God willing, with the fall of the dollar, the deviant U.S. imperialism will fall as soon as possible, too," Chavez said after a two-hour closed meeting with Ahmadinejad, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.
As the dollar weakens, oil prices have soared toward $100 a barrel. Chavez said over the weekend at the OPEC meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that prices would more than double to $200 if the U.S. attacked Iran or Venezuela.
"The U.S. empire is coming down," Chavez told Venezuelan TV, calling the European Union's euro a better option and saying Latin American nations were also considering a common currency.
The leftist Venezuelan is a fierce critic of President Bush, and Iran's Islamic government is in a bitter standoff with Washington over Tehran's nuclear program. The U.S. accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran denies, and Iran has been hit with two rounds of U.N. sanctions for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment.
Ahmadinejad backed his "dear brother" Chavez in their joint fight with the Bush administration.
"We have common viewpoints and we will stand by each other until we capture the high peaks. God is with us and victory is awaiting us," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by IRNA. He said he and Chavez would stick together to defend their "nations and ideals to the end."
During the OPEC meeting, Iran and Venezuela proposed that the cartel begins pricing its oil in a basket of currencies, rather than just the dollar, and wanted the summit to specifically express concern over the dollar's slide in its final statement.
Saudi Arabia blocked those moves. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister cautioned that even talking publicly about the currency's decline could further hurt its value.
Chavez repeated his warnings that attacking Iran would further increase oil prices. "It's very important that they leave us in peace, the major oil-producing countries," he said.
"If it occurs to Bush to invade Iran, I'm sure the Iranians will resist, and they aren't going to allow them to take away their oil, just as we Venezuelans wouldn't allow it," he said.
In Tehran, the two presidents signed four memorandums of understanding Monday to create a joint bank, a fund, an oil industry technical training program and an industrial agreement, Iranian state television said. It said Chavez then left after an official farewell ceremony.
On Chavez's previous visit in July, the two leaders broke ground for construction of a jointly owned petrochemical complex in Iran, with 51 percent of it in Iranian ownership and 49 percent to be owned by Venezuela. The two nations also began construction of a second petrochemical complex in Venezuela, at a total combined cost of $1.4 billion.
Chavez and Ahmadinejad believe their petrochemical partnership will help Iran win markets in Latin America and Venezuela to gain access to Asia's energy market, especially India.
Since 2001, the two countries have signed more than 180 trade agreements, worth more than $20 billion in potential investment, according to official reports.
Iran has partnered with Venezuela on several industrial projects in the South American nation, including the production of cars, tractors and plastic goods.
Venezuela is well on it’s way back to the stone age, we probably don’t need to waste the bombs.
I concur.
I would declare war then do my damnedest to make it the shortest war in the history of the world. How long would it take an ICBM to go from here to there?
How about a few firecrackers from a nearby fleet.
Perfect!
I have said the same Uncle, in fact just a few minutes ago.
Holy Cow!!! What an AMAZING news flash!!!!
(NOT!!)
What’s the name of the island? I can’t read it.
I think it is Mozan (more sand) Island.
Not so odd, they are united by hatred of us. Bombing the marxist is not the answer. For the OPEC folks the real bomb is us saying enough! Drill like hell, refine like hell, oil shale and coal liquefaction, nuke and geothermal power for the heat source, and suddenly OPEC is a thing of the past. And viable electric cars are just around the corner, which will also help. So, if they knew we were serious, I bet oil prices would drop about 50% immediately. All it takes is will.
As for Iran, they will have to glass someone before anything will be done about them. By then things will be desperate and billions will die. I am 55 and I believe I will see it before I die. JMHO
As an aside, all that extra volume will combat the rising sea levels that are killing polar bears.
We build a couple huge mirrors and place them in orbit over Iran and Venezuela. Then we hook magnifiers to the mirror and we point it straight our enemy. It will work like a little kids magnifying glass on an ant. And may I add, this is a well tested theory. We have an endless supply of ammo and we burn the bastards beyond the stone ages forever.
Old flat face and monkey boy playing with themselves again. A couple of 7.62’s would solve this problem.
It’s time these two monkeys just ‘disappeared’...shame we don’t have the will to make that happen. Our special forces would be lining up in droves to do the job.
What about the Mossad, where are our elite Delta Forces and why do we allow these petty meadow muffins to still be breathing?
Sounds like two 2 bit loud mouthed dictators need a cruise up the keester.
Use PMCs and Venezuelan ex-pats. Plausible deniability. Worked in West Africa.
I think the rest of the civilised world is going to get sick and tired of paying high prices for crude and will come to us pleading to do something about these two nuts. It was all fun and games when the US was the only one taking it on the chin but these oil prices are going to hurt everyone. I don’t think Europe wants a global recession but they don’t have the means to stop Nutjob and the SA commie. So the world will turn to us again to fix the worlds’ problems.
I also think that Pres. Bush had intended to devalue the dollar some after 9/11. It had been very strong which hurt our exports and enriched China, but I think China figured out what was up or decided to conduct a little economic warfare with Nutjob and Chavez leading the way and China staying quiet in the background.
JMO,
Time to readjust my tin foil.
NO2
I thought it said Mound Island
One of us needs glasses...
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