Defence ministers from Union of South American Nations (Unasur) member states met yesterday for the release of a report detailing each country’s military spending. Ministers and diplomats from the twelve nation regional bloc also pledged further military integration, proposing the creation of a Citizen Security Council.
The Union of South American Nations (Unasur) is further consolidating its organization and mandate through the creation of new entities focused on regional autonomy in defense and economics.
“None of the private media belonging to the large transnational companies has reported on the large scale damage brought about by NATO,” said TeleSUR journalist Rolando Segura at the Thought Artillery vs Lie Factory conference held this week in Caracas.
Yesterday President Hugo Chavez said that his government “rejects the national transition council installed in Libya, approved of by [some] European countries and by other governments, because it violates the basics of international law.”
An Aporrea TVi exclusive this month interviewed members of the Bolivarian militia who have occupied and begun community projects on the Daktari estate, El Hatillo, which was once used to train Colombian paramilitaries as part of a plan to assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Today Venezuelans have been celebrating 200 years of independence with formal ceremonies and cultural events around the country, as well as a giant civic-military parade in Caracas.
On Wednesday Venezuelan Vice President Elías Jaua strongly rejected claims by a German publication that his government has allowed for an Iranian military presence in Venezuelan territory.
Following the announcement by the U.S. government that its forces had supposedly killed Osama bin Laden, leader of al-Qaeda, in Pakistan, the Venezuelan government released an official statement, rejecting the use of “terror to fight terrorism”.
More accusations by accused drug trafficker, Walid Makled, have led to mainstream media calling Venezuela a “drug state”, amidst a political struggle between the U.S. and Venezuela over Makled’s extradition.
The Uribe administration in 2008 carefully planned the leaking of information from computers of killed FARC commander Raul Reyes to link Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa to the rebel group, diplomatic cables released Wednesday by WikiLeaks....The erroneous handling of these same computers led Colombian courts to reject them as evidence in a number of court cases.
The Venezuelan government is conducting a full investigation into the causes of a massive explosion in the country’s main ammunitions deposit, CAVIM, which occurred early Sunday morning and frightened residents in surrounding areas. President Chavez suspected sabotage of the facility may have been a factor in the dangerous incident
In an official statement released this week, the Venezuelan government accused the United States of provoking the conflict between North Korea and South Korea in order to further U.S. interests in the region.
Comments by Major General Henry Rangel, head of strategic operations of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB), on possible reactions by the people and the army following the 2012 presidential elections have been “distorted” by the international and national media as well as by Organisation of American States (OAS) General Secretary Jose Insulza, president Hugo Chavez said on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Venezuelan National Assembly took up discussion of a reform to the Law on Conscription and Military Service that would eliminate penalties for people who do not register with the military.
