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Chavez angry with US over jet row
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has accused the United States of blocking a purchase of training jets from Brazil.
Mr Chavez said Washington stopped the deal with the Brazilian aviation company, Embraer, because the planes contained protected US technology.
The president also repeated accusations that Washington was blocking the supply of spare parts for Venezuela's aging F-16 fighter fleet.
He threatened to buy new ones from Russia or China.
'New MiGs'
"The United States did not authorize Embraer to make the planes for Venezuela because Embraer uses US technology, just like they tried to stop the Spanish making boats for us," Mr Chavez told military officers.
"We've sent a commission to Moscow and if we have to replace the F-16 fleet with a fleet of new MiGs, then we will," he said.
Venezuela says it has the right to modernize its armed forces for peaceful purposes, but the US is concerned that the purchases could destabilise South America.
In November, Mr Chavez threatened to sell Venezuela's F-16s - a type that is a mainstay of US and allied air forces - to China or America's Caribbean nemesis Cuba.
More
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4600808.stm
The president also repeated accusations that Washington was blocking the supply of spare parts for Venezuela's aging F-16 fighter fleet.
He threatened to buy new ones from Russia or China.
'New MiGs'
"The United States did not authorize Embraer to make the planes for Venezuela because Embraer uses US technology, just like they tried to stop the Spanish making boats for us," Mr Chavez told military officers.
"We've sent a commission to Moscow and if we have to replace the F-16 fleet with a fleet of new MiGs, then we will," he said.
Venezuela says it has the right to modernize its armed forces for peaceful purposes, but the US is concerned that the purchases could destabilise South America.
In November, Mr Chavez threatened to sell Venezuela's F-16s - a type that is a mainstay of US and allied air forces - to China or America's Caribbean nemesis Cuba.
More
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4600808.stm
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