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Posted on 05/19/2008 2:10:42 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela wants the U.S. ambassador to explain a violation of its airspace by a U.S. Navy plane, the country's foreign minister said Monday.
The U.S. Navy plane was detected in Venezuelan airspace Saturday night near the Caribbean island of La Orchila, and questioned by the Caracas airport control tower, Defense Minister Gen. Gustavo Rangel Briceno said.
The Navy S-3 Viking, used for counter-narcotics missions, may have accidentally crossed into Venezuela's airspace while experiencing "intermittent navigational problems" on a training mission in international airspace, a U.S. defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the issue's sensitivity.
The Navy crew is based in Curacao and had some language problems during the three-minute radio conversation, the official said.
"They promptly responded and identified themselves as U.S. Navy, on a training mission in international airspace, and that a navigational error had possibly occurred," the official said.
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. respects Venezuelan sovereignty. But Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy will be called in and "we will ask for an explanation" nevertheless.
The incident could aggravate tensions between the U.S. and its fifth largest oil supplier. President Hugo Chavez has repeatedly accused the U.S. of plotting an invasion and trying to destabilize his government, despite U.S. denials.
Maduro also alleged that Colombia's U.S.-allied government, as a "provocation," sent 60 troops about 875 yards (800 meters) across their border on Friday. Colombia's defense minister denied any incursion.
Can Hugo explain how his emanations are allowed to constantly violate USA airspace? Where is the EPA and the UN?
(Ping!)
Tell them to kiss off.
Hugo my friend and hemispherical homey, the plane was spying on you.
Hugo, think lightning.
You won’t see the one that takes you out.
(hopefully sooner rather than later)
How about this explanation:
We’re the USA. You’re Venezuala.
We’re the USA. You’re Venezuala.
We’re the USA. You’re Venezuala.
Clear enough?
Nuts is a nice traditional responsed to the enemy.
South America is OUR airspace if anything we let him use our airspace on occasion.
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Not reported is the pilot being over heard yelling at his crew to "quit laughing.....I'm talking to them!"
Hey Hugo, if we were serious about violating your airspace we wouldn’t be sending an S-3. It would be a flight of B-1s, and the first you would hear about it is when the boom went off on your head.
I’ll never forget the look on our new platoon leader’s face when he “determined” we were about 8km INSIDE Laos....
Apparently - he was the LAST one on the mission to “determine” this fact..
Our charts had no “political boundaries”-INTENTIONALLY.
However - only a fool who couldn’t orient themselves on a map by visual observations of topography and a compass wouldn’t KNOW.
Remember - in the 60’s, NO GPS at our level.
Of course our Government reported there were no Marines or operations being carried out in Laos.....so perhaps our maps and compasses were wrong — and our chopper pilots were also lost....
Yeah, that sounds better.....
Sure, Presidents don’t lie - do they.
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