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Venezuela, Iran Vs. U.S.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is known for his anti-Americanism and public support for regimes that oppose the United States. But there is growing concern that Chavez’s government may have taken serious steps to go beyond mere rhetorical support with a deal that some experts say could allow Iran access to uranium deposits in Venezuela.
Public details of the Venezuelan-Iranian uranium deal are not clear, but an article on The Washington Post speculates that the agreement could involve the production and transfer of Venezuelan uranium to Iran. Media reports also talked of an alleged Israeli intelligence report that gave an account of the exact locations of uranium deposits in Venezuela and spoke of “extraction” already taking place in the State of Bolivar.
In addition to the Israeli report, Josй V. Mйndez, a Venezuelan expert in nuclear matters talked of the establishment of a “subcommittee of the U.S. Senate“ to probe the alleged Iranian-Venezuelan deal. “If the matter of the subcommittee is true, I must say that that is precisely like what happened before the Iraq invasion,” he said.
A U.S. State Department official said: "We are aware of reports of possible Iranian exploitation of Venezuelan uranium, but we see no commercial uranium activities in Venezuela."
But a Venezuelan diplomat, Julio Cйsar Pineda, said that uranium reserves in Venezuela “were estimated to be approximately 50,000 tons.” He also believes in the possible existence of the Israeli report. “Israel is on the alert as to what is happening because there is that Iranian threat of wiping it off the map. Europe is also on the alert and even the Arabic world…”
The speculations come at a critical time between Iran and the West, after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a non-binding statement giving Iran 30 days to halt uranium enrichment activities.
In January, members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted for sending Iran’s nuclear case to the UN Security Council. Only Venezuela, Cuba and Syria voted against it.
“The nuclear matter is very sensitive and the world powers are very perceptive of that. It is significant that China, who receives 15% of its oil from Iran, and Russia, who provided it with nuclear technology, have not voted in favor of Iran at the UN. And yet Venezuela did. They have already entered us in the game of nuclear chess,“ said Cйsar Pineda.
More
http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2006/04/06/4580.shtml
In addition to the Israeli report, Josй V. Mйndez, a Venezuelan expert in nuclear matters talked of the establishment of a “subcommittee of the U.S. Senate“ to probe the alleged Iranian-Venezuelan deal. “If the matter of the subcommittee is true, I must say that that is precisely like what happened before the Iraq invasion,” he said.
A U.S. State Department official said: "We are aware of reports of possible Iranian exploitation of Venezuelan uranium, but we see no commercial uranium activities in Venezuela."
But a Venezuelan diplomat, Julio Cйsar Pineda, said that uranium reserves in Venezuela “were estimated to be approximately 50,000 tons.” He also believes in the possible existence of the Israeli report. “Israel is on the alert as to what is happening because there is that Iranian threat of wiping it off the map. Europe is also on the alert and even the Arabic world…”
The speculations come at a critical time between Iran and the West, after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a non-binding statement giving Iran 30 days to halt uranium enrichment activities.
In January, members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted for sending Iran’s nuclear case to the UN Security Council. Only Venezuela, Cuba and Syria voted against it.
“The nuclear matter is very sensitive and the world powers are very perceptive of that. It is significant that China, who receives 15% of its oil from Iran, and Russia, who provided it with nuclear technology, have not voted in favor of Iran at the UN. And yet Venezuela did. They have already entered us in the game of nuclear chess,“ said Cйsar Pineda.
More
http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2006/04/06/4580.shtml
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