Posted on 06/08/2008 7:29:17 PM PDT by neverdem
On the same day Colombia said it had captured a Venezuelan national guard officer carrying 40,000 AK-47 assault rifle cartridges believed to be intended for leftist guerrillas, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela said Saturday he would withdraw a decree overhauling intelligence policies that he had made earlier that week.
The rare reversal by Mr. Chávez came amid intensifying criticism in Venezuela from human rights groups.
The capture of the Venezuelan officer in eastern Colombia could reignite tensions between the neighboring countries over Venezuela’s support for the rebel group FARC.
Colombia’s attorney general, Mario Iguarán, said Saturday that security forces had captured the national guard officer carrying cartridges that the Colombian authorities believe were intended for the FARC.
While Mr. Chávez’s government did not immediately comment on the arrest of the Venezuelan officer, who was identified as Manuel Teobaldo Agudo Escalona, the episode suggests that pressure could mount in Washington to add Venezuela to the list of countries that are state sponsors of terrorism.
Colombian officials have recently said that Venezuela tried to provide arms and financing for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, basing their claims on references to such dealings in archives from computers obtained in an April raid on the rebels. The United States and the European Union classify the FARC as terrorists.
Venezuela, which expresses ideological solidarity with the Marxist-inspired FARC, has said that no further proof of such assistance has emerged. But that was before Colombia announced the arrest of the Venezuelan officer, captured in Puerto Nariño in eastern Colombia with another Venezuelan citizen and two Colombians.
The type of cartridges in the possession of the four men are used in assault rifles commonly employed by the FARC, which has been active in Colombia for more than four decades. Colombia, one of the largest...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Chávez Decree Tightens Hold on Intelligence
Recently, Venezuela has claimed it was subject to military intimidation from the United States, pointing to a recent violation of Venezuelan airspace by an American fighter jet and Washington’s recent reactivation of its Fourth Fleet to patrol Latin American and Caribbean waters.
An SSOT listing for Venezuela is interesting to discuss but it will never happen. We can expect that in the near future many in the Chavez government will loose their U. S. Visas and have their stateside bank accounts frozen.
Screw you Sluggo!
Why didn’t Hugo just send the ammo UPS?
That’s how I get mine.
hugo is like the john kerry of south america. flip flop.
How embarrassing this must be for you Hugo...
IF that officer really was carrying those 40,000 AK-47’s, that must have been Paul Bunyan’s big brother.
8# X 40,000 = 320,000#. Not to mention the magazines and ammo.
Or, just perhaps, it was merely another case of ‘presstitute typo’ syndrome.
;-)
> IF that officer really was carrying those 40,000 AK-47’s,
> that must have been Paul Bunyan’s big brother.
The article was referring to ammo.
Nevertheless, still a hefty amount of stuff to be travelling with.
It’s 40,000 rounds of 7.62 x 39 mm. 1,000 rounds weighs 17.4 kilograms = 38.35 lbs, therefore 40,000 rounds = 1535 lbs. One good pickup truck could haul it.
...
I Rest My Case: America Has No Moral Compass P.S. All the nostrums and bromides of liberal BS drove a stake in its heart.
Are Conservatives Dead or Resting?
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One round = 17.4 grams, that’s less than 2/3 of one ounce.
Probably another lie from El Loco, but I hope this one is true and I hope it's spectacularly successful!
And now the SOB chavez has done an about face telling the Farc terrorists to end the “struggle” — beyond the capture of the intelligence officer I wonder what other moves pushed Chazez to make this statement?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7443080.stm
Pathetic - I bought 1,000 rounds just for one SKS-M. It was an inexpensive plinking gun.
At that rate, they intercepted only enough ammo to arm 40 plinkers.
Some army.
Thanks for the ping!
Here’s hoping he suffers a .45 caliber setback very soon.
the episode suggests that pressure could mount in Washington to add Venezuela to the list of countries that are state sponsors of terrorism... The United States and the European Union classify the FARC as terrorists. Venezuela, which expresses ideological solidarity with the Marxist-inspired FARC, has said that no further proof of such assistance has emerged. But that was before Colombia announced the arrest of the Venezuelan officer, captured in Puerto Narino in eastern Colombia with another Venezuelan citizen and two Colombians.
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