Chavez says may give US F-16 jets to Cuba, China By Patrick
Markey
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday his government may
give its U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to Cuba or China and replace
them with Chinese or Russian aircraft after accusing Washington of
blocking purchases of U.S. military parts.
Any exchange of military hardware to those countries would break an
agreement with the U.S. government on the transfer of technology
without Washington's permission and further strain fraying ties
between Venezuela and the United States.
A fierce critic of the Bush administration, Chavez has rattled
Washington by strengthening ties with anti-U.S. states like Cuba
and promoting his self-described socialist revolution as a
counterweight to U.S. regional influence.
"If they don't comply with the contract ... we can do whatever we
want with these aircraft, whatever the hell we want. Maybe we'll
give 10 planes to Cuba or to China so they can study the
technology," Chavez said.
"We could give them away and buy aircraft from China or from
Russia. ... We don't need any U.S. imperialism," he said.
A U.S. defense official said there had been no communications with
Venezuela's government about any sale of F-16s to other countries,
but he noted that U.S. laws on foreign arms sales were "quite
strict" regarding third-party transfers.
The United States does not trade with Cuba and keeps a tight rein
on any technology transfers to China.
Israeli media reported last month that Washington had blocked a
sale of technology to Venezuela to upgrade its F-16 fighters, which
are made by Lockheed Martin Corp. and powered by engines made by
General Electric Co. or Pratt and Whitney, a unit of United
Technologies Corp.
U.S. officials have not confirmed the reports.
Chavez, a former army officer, made his statement during a ceremony
to sign a contract with China to build a Venezuelan communications
satellite and train Venezuelan specialists in China to manage the
technology.
Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter and a key supplier to the
U.S. market, was a traditional military ally to the United States.
But relations deteriorated steadily after Chavez was elected in
1998.
Washington sold Venezuela 24 F-16 fighter aircraft in the 1980s
when Caracas was seen as an ally against communist Cuba. It was
unclear how many of the jets are operational now.
In constant tit-for-tat sniping, Chavez often accuses Washington of
planning his assassination, while U.S. officials counter he has
become a regional menace by using his oil revenues to finance
anti-democratic groups in South America.
Venezuela still sells most of its crude oil to the U.S. market, but
Chavez has moved to diversify economic partners by strengthening
ties with countries like Russia, China, Iran and his South American
neighbors.
In a sign of deteriorating relations, Chavez last year downgraded
military ties with the United States by asking Washington to close
down liaison offices at Venezuelan military bases.
Venezuela recently announced the purchase of automatic rifles and
attack helicopters from Russia, naval vessels from Spain and
military aircraft from Brazil in an effort to revamp its armed
forces.
