Rumsfeld Criticizes Spanish Weapons Sale

From DefenseNews

Rumsfeld Criticizes Spain for Venezuela Weapons Sale

By REUTERS, MIAMI

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld criticized Spain for selling military vessels and planes to Venezuela amid growing U.S. concerns about Venezuela’s intentions in the region, a U.S. newspaper reported April 6.

Rumsfeld told The Miami Herald that Washington was concerned about what Venezuela plans to do with its new military hardware, which in addition to transport planes and patrol boats from Spain includes 100,000 rifles from Russia and Tucano turboprop light attack aircraft from Brazil.

“I personally think that Spain is making a mistake,” Rumsfeld said in the newspaper interview.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero last week signed the deal in Caracas with Chavez.

In Madrid this week, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick expressed concern over possible risk of destabilizing the region represented by the left-wing Chavez and urged Spain to use its influence in Latin America.

U.S. officials have noted the purchase will give Venezuela more weapons than troops, and say they fear they might end up in the hands of the Marxist FARC guerrillas in neighboring Colombia, which Washington accuses Chavez of supporting.

“You have to ask the question, what are they going to do with them?” Rumsfeld said.

Chavez has rejected the charges and says he has evidence that Washington is planning to assassinate him.

The animosity has raised questions about whether the multibillion-dollar energy relationship between Washington and one of its top oil suppliers is at risk. The United States is the main destination for oil from Venezuela, the world’s No. 5 oil exporter.

The Venezuelan government has said the AK-47s are simply meant to replace the military’s old FAL rifles. Venezuelan officials say Washington is upset that Caracas chose to buy new rifles from Russia and not from U.S. defense firms.

“I don’t have any evidence...” that Venezuela will turn over some of the weapons to Colombian rebels, Rumsfeld told the newspaper. “All I said was, I asked the question ... what in the world (is the threat) that Venezuela sees that makes them want to have all those weapons?”