Rumsfeld criticizes Venezuela buildup

The recent military buildup in Venezuela by U.S. nemesis President Hugo Chavez has other countries in the region worried that the weapons could end up in the hands of terrorists, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Monday.

“I can understand neighbors being concerned,” said Rumsfeld, who is attending a meeting of Western Hemisphere military leaders here this week.

Asked whether he believes Venezuelan officials’ contention that the weapon buys are strictly for defense and not a threat to the region, Rumsfeld said, “I don’t know of anyone threatening Venezuela – anyone in this hemisphere.”

MEXICO CITY

Mexico letter calls fence damaging

Mexico sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. government on Monday saying a plan to build hundreds of miles of fencing on their common border would damage relations.

In the letter sent to the U.S. State Department, Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department said only comprehensive reform could stem the tide of illegal immigrants heading north in search of work.

“The diplomatic note explains that the construction of this barrier will hurt the relations between the two countries and that it is not the solution to strengthen security on the border,” the Foreign Relations Department said.

UNITED NATIONS

Council gives nod to South Korean

South Korea’s foreign minister cemented his position as the near-certain successor to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday, the only one of six candidates to escape a veto in an informal Security Council ballot.

The Security Council was expected to hold a formal vote to pick the eighth secretary-general in the United Nations’ 60-year history on Monday, making Ban Ki-Moon’s appointment almost assured. The 192-nation General Assembly must approve the council’s recommendation, and traditionally does so without protest.

TBILISI, Georgia

Sanctions intact despite release

Georgia released four Russian officers whose arrest on spying charges has angered its giant northern neighbor, but a vengeful Russia pushed ahead Monday with punitive sanctions and said early today it had suspended all transport and postal links with Georgia.

The tension reflected Moscow’s difficult relations with Georgia, which has defied President Vladimir Putin with a pro-Western stance, hosts unwanted Russian troops on its soil and is facing two Russian-backed separatist movements.

Georgia’s agreement to release the men – even as it reaffirmed the spying allegations – appeared to be a capitulation that underscored its vulnerability.

Compiled from news wires