Chavez says Venezuela buying more Russian arms

CARACAS, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday his government will buy dozens of Russian tanks because Venezuela feels threatened by a pending deal for the U.S. military to increase its presence in neighboring Colombia.

Chavez announced the plan while condemning Colombia’s negotiations on an agreement to let U.S. forces use at least seven of its military bases.

“We’re going to buy several battalions of Russian tanks,” Chavez said at a news conference, saying the deal is among accords he hopes to conclude during a visit to Russia in September.

Chavez’s government has already bought more than $4 billion worth of Russian arms since 2005, including helicopters, fighter jets and Kalashnikov assault rifles.

The socialist leader called Colombia’s plan to host more U.S. soldiers a “hostile act” and a “true threat” to Venezuela and its leftist allies. He warned that a possible U.S. buildup could lead to the “start of a war in South America,” but gave no indication that Venezuela’s military is mobilizing in preparation for any conflict.

Chavez is seeking to pressure Colombia to turn back on its base plan. He threatened to cut back on imports from Colombia, an important source of goods from milk to chicken, and replace them with purchases from Argentina and Brazil.

Trade between Venezuela and Colombia reached $7.2 billion last year. Chavez noted there had been plans to import 10,000 automobiles from Colombia, but said that due to the impasse that figure will become “zero.”

With tensions heightening over Colombia’s plan to bring in more American troops to help with his fight against drug trafficking, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe set out on a regional tour this week to defend his plans.

“How many lies would he be telling today?” Chavez gibed as Uribe visited Chile. He called the Colombian leader a “puppet” of the United States.