Dengan jumlah penduduk hanya sekitar 25 juta jiwa, maka Venezuela yang menggantungkan hidupnya dari minyak mulai unjuk gigi. Terlepas dari usaha obok-obok para agen AS, Hugo Chavez masih tetap dapat berkuasa dan tidak mau diintimidasi oleh AS. Gebrakan berikut akan membuat AS geram. Selama kita punya duit dan fihak lain (dalam hal ini AS) melanggar kontrak, maka tentunya kita juga bebas dari ikatan konrak tersebut. Waktu yang akan membuktikan apakah pesawat-pesawat tempur AS bakalan dilego ke RRC atau Kuba. Atau sebaliknya fihak AS yang mengalah.
--------------------------- By Patrick Markey in Caracas November 3, 2005 The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, said his government may give its US-made F-16 fighter jets to Cuba or China and replace them with Chinese or Russian aircraft after he accused Washington of blocking purchases of US military parts. Any exchange of military hardware to those countries would break an agreement with the US Government on the transfer of technology without Washington's permission and further strain fraying ties between Venezuela and the US. A fierce critic of the Bush Administration, Mr Chavez has rattled Washington by strengthening ties with anti-US states like Cuba and promoting his self-described socialist revolution as a counterweight to US regional influence. "If they don't comply with the contract we can do whatever we want with these aircraft, whatever the hell we want. Maybe we'll give 10 planes to Cuba or to China so they can study the technology," Mr Chavez said. "We could give them away and buy aircraft from China or from Russia We don't need any US imperialism." A US military official said there had been no communications with Venezuela about any sale of F-16s to other countries, but noted that US laws on foreign arms sales were "quite strict" regarding third-party transfers. The US does not trade with Cuba and keeps a tight rein on technology transfers to China. Israeli media reported last month that Washington had blocked a sale of technology to Venezuela to upgrade its F-16 fighters, which are made by Lockheed Martin. US officials have not confirmed the reports. Mr Chavez, a former army officer, made his statement during a ceremony to sign a contract with China to build a Venezuelan communications satellite and train Venezuelan specialists in China to manage the technology. Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter and a key supplier to the US market, was a traditional military ally of the US. But relations have deteriorated since Mr Chavez was elected in 1998. http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/us-and-venezuela-in-aircraft-dogfight\ /2005/11/02/1130823281427.html ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
