Chavez wants to work with next US leader

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez said Saturday he wants to work together with the next U.S. president and that Venezuela and the United States should cooperate to resolve problems including world hunger, energy shortages and climate change.

But Chavez also warned that George W. Bush "will be much more dangerous during the last months that he has left" in the White House, and accused the outgoing U.S. president of attempting to orchestrate his assassination or spur a military rebellion in Venezuela.

"Whoever is the next president of the United States, I'd like start preparing the way to start working together," said Venezuela's socialist leader.

By cooperating, both countries could "help save the world from the food crisis, energy crisis and climate crisis," he added.

Since taking office in 1999, Chavez has emerged as Latin America's most outspoken critic of the United States while forging strong ties with Washington's adversaries, including Syria, Iran and Cuba.

Washington has long seen Chavez as a threat to democracy in Latin America, but some U.S. officials are aiming for a pragmatic approach to diplomacy with Venezuela that would acknowledge political differences while allowing progress in areas like counter-drug cooperation.

Chavez, a former paratroop commander, warned his supporters that U.S. officials and anti-government groups in Venezuela "are trying to create discontent in the military ranks, using retired military officers to make contacts in the barracks to bring about a coup."

The socialist leader has repeatedly accused Washington of trying to overthrow him.

An opposition supporter holds a poster depicting Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez as a ventriloquist in control of a puppet, represented by anti-corruption official Clodovaldo Russian, during a protest in Caracas June 7, 2008. The protest was organized after Clodovaldo Russian unveiled a blacklist that could bar key opposition candidates from running in upcoming elections. In the poster, the puppet asks, "What about the Constitution" and Chavez says, "Keep talking. " REUTERS/Edwin Montilva (VENEZUELA)

"Chavez pledged that his country would 'stay by Iran at any time and under any condition,' state television reported. Ahmadinejad said he saw in Chavez a kindred spirit." "'We do not have any limitation in cooperation,' Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying. 'Iran and Venezuela are next to each other and supporters of each other. Chavez is a source of a progressive and revolutionary current in South America and his stance in restricting imperialism is tangible.'":
http://www.worldthreats.com/latin_america/Iran-Chavez%20Alliance.htm

From National Public Radio (NPR):
"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been visiting countries such as China, Iran and Russia as part of an effort to build a 'strategic alliance' of interests not beholden to the United States. He considers the United States his arch enemy.":
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5729764

From the Russian News and Information Agency:
"'I am determined to expand relations with Russia,' Chavez, known as an outspoken critic of what he calls the United States' unilateralism, told the Russian leader, adding that his determination stemmed from their shared vision of the global order.":
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060727/51913498.html

From the Sino-Russian Joint Statement of April 23, 1997:
"The two sides [China and Russia] shall, in the spirit of partnership, strive to promote the multipolarization of the world and the establishment of a new international order."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HI29Ag01.html

OPINION: Hugo Chavez sounds very, very worried. What does he have to be so concerned about? Is he hiding something that we don't know about yet? What's he been up to lately?

Let's check ON THE INTERNET:

TREAS.gov - THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY - HP-966: Washington - "TREASURY TARGETS FARC MONEY EXCHANGE HOUSE" (May 7, 2008)

TREAS.gov - THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY - HP-938: Washington - "TREASURY TARGETS FARC NETWORK IN COLOMBIA" (April 22, 2008)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "VIKTOR BOUT IS APPARENTLY WORTH QUITE A BIT TO THE RUSSIANS" by Douglas Farah (June 3, 2008)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "ABOUT BOUT & THE DEA" by Aaron Mannes (BLOG ENTRY SNIPPET: "The recently unsealed indictment of arms-trafficker extraordinaire Victor Bout is an interesting read. Perhaps the most notable line is on page 10, when Bout told the DEA operatives (who he believed represented the FARC) that America was also his enemy and their fight was his fight. Another international arms dealer, Monzar al-Kasser, who was arrested in a DEA sting, promised the informants to raise an army for the FARC in order to fight the Americans.") (May 9, 2008, 05:05 pm)

Link

US DOJ.gov/opa - Press Release: New York - "U.S. ANNOUNCES INDICTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL ARMS DEALER FOR CONSPIRACY TO KILL AMERICANS AND RELATED TERRORISM CHARGES" (May 6, 2008)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "VIKTOR BOUT INDICTED FOR CONSPIRACY TO KILL AMERICANS & RELATED TERRORISM CHARGES" (May 6, 2008)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "RUSSIA APPEALING TO STATE DEPARTMENT TO FREE BOUT" by Douglas Farah (March 14, 2008)

WASHINGTON TIMES.com: "DEA AIDS ARMS ARREST" by Jerry Seper (March 7, 2008)

US DOJ.gov - DEA - Press Release: "INTERNATIONAL ARMS DEALER ARRESTED ON TERRORISM CHARGES IN BANGKOK DEA Investigation Nabs Victor Bout for Conspiracy to Provide SMAs to a Foreign Terrorist Organization" (March 6, 2008)

US DOJ.gov/opa - Press Release: "INTERNATIONAL ARMS DEALER CHARGED IN U.S. WITH CONSPIRACY TO PROVIDE SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES AND OTHER WEAPONS TO A FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION" (March 6, 2008)

Complaint (pdf)

FOX NEWS.com (AP): Bangkok, Thailand - "RUSSIAN ARMS DEALER ACCUSED OF BREAKING U.N. EMBARGOES ARRESTED IN THAILAND" (March 6, 2008)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "WHY WAS VIKTOR BOUT IN THAILAND WHEN HE WAS ARRESTED?" by Zachary Abuza (March 6, 2008)

Link

YNET NEWS.com (REUTERS): "COLOMBIA: 4 PEOPLE WITH AMMO FOR FARC ARRESTED" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Colombia arrested a Venezuelan National Guard officer who authorities said was carrying 40,000 AK-47 assault rifle cartridges to Marxist rebels, a charge that could increase already high tensions between the countries.") (Published June 7, 2008, 18:28)

TERROR WONK - blog: "FARC EATS ITS OWN" (May 16, 2008)

WASHINGTON TIMES.com: "CHAVEZ AGREED TO ARM REBELS, FILES INDICATE" by Sara A. Carter and Carment Gentile (May 10, 2008)

IBD EDITORIALS.com: "OILY CHAVEZ OOZES BEYOND VENEZUELA" (May 9, 2008, 4:20 pm PT)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "COLOMBIAN NEWSPAPER REPORTS INTERPOL FOUND NO TAMPERING WITH FARC COMPUTERS" by Jonathan Winer (May 7, 2008, 04:40 pm)

Link

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG: "VENEZUELA BEGINS MEDIA COUNTEROFFENSIVE IN WASHINGTON AGAINST TERRORISM CHARGES" by Andrew Cochran (April 1, 2008)

BBC NEWS: "'FARC REBELS' ARRESTED IN ECUADOR" (Last updated March 7, 2008, 07:43 GMT)

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com: "CHAVEZ FARCs COLOMBIA" by Alan W. Dowd (March 7, 2008)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "FIGHTING FARC: ON STRATEGY AND STAELLITE PHONES" by Aaron Mannes (March 6, 2008)

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com (THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION): "CHAVEZ, THE FARC, AND THREATS OF WAR" by Ray Walser (March 6, 2008)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "FARC FALLOUT: ASSESSING DIRTY BOMB CLAIMS" by Aaron Mannes (March 5, 2008)

Link

FreeRepublic.com - Discussion Forum (AP via BRIEBART): "SEIZED LAPTOP SHOWS CHAVEZ-REBEL TIES" (March 5, 2008)

IBD EDITORIALS: "OIL FOR TERROR" by Investor's Business Daily (Posted March 4, 2008, 4:20 pm PT)

YNET NEWS.com (REUTERS): "COLOMBIA SAYS FARC WANTED TO MAKE RADIOACTIVE BOMB" (Pbulished March 4, 2008, 13:52)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "GROWING INTERNATIONAL FREE-FOR-ALL, AS CHARGES MOUNT ON CHAVEZ LAUNDERING AND TERRORIST TIES" by Johnathan Winer (March 4, 2008)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "HUGO's OVERWROUGHT REACTION TO REYES' KILLING" by Aaron Mannes (March 4, 2008)

Link

US DOJ.gov/opa - Press Release: Washington - "FOREIGN NATIONAL PLEADS GUILTY TO CONSPIRING TO ACT AS AN ILLEGAL AGENT OF THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT" (March 3, 2008)

"Chavez said Saturday he wants to work together with the next U.S. president and that Venezuela and the United States should cooperate to resolve problems including world hunger, energy shortages and climate change."

Hugo Chavez on "climate change":

"The environment is suffering damage that could be irreversible — global warming, the greenhouse effect, the melting of the polar ice caps, the rising sea level, hurricanes — with terrible social occurrences that will shake life on this planet."

"I believe this idea has a strong connection with reality. I don't think we have much time. Fidel Castro said in one of his speeches I read not so long ago, 'tomorrow could be too late, let's do now what we need to do'."

"I believe it is time that we take up with courage and clarity a political, social, collective and ideological offensive across the world — a real offensive that permits us to move progressively, over the next years, the next decades, leaving behind the perverse, destructive, destroyer, capitalist model and go forward in constructing the socialist model to avoid barbarism and beyond that the annihilation of life on this planet."

--Hugo Chavez, at the 16th World Festival of Youth and Students, held in Caracas on August 8-15, 2005
http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2005/640/640p16.htm

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