Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Venezuela, Iran Vs. U.S.

He also believes in the possible existence of the Israeli report.

I would be very careful if an Israeli report is involved by
Israel’s own admission they delivered an erroneous assessment of pre-war Iraq’s weapons.


Parliamentary investigators have determined that Israel's intelligence services delivered an erroneous assessment of pre-war Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, an Israeli newspaper reported Thursday.

The Haaretz daily said the 80-page report had criticized all Israeli intelligence branches for providing erroneous assessments of Iraq's non-conventional weapons.

Last December, a former Israeli intelligence officer charged that Israel produced a flawed picture of Iraqi weapons capabilities and substantially contributed to mistakes made in U.S. and British prewar assessments on Iraq.
#msg-2682946

If this is true Tehran must feel that sneaking in uranium is safer than mining their own?

-Am

Venezuela, Iran Vs. U.S.

Thu, 04 6 2006, 19:53 Djokhar Time



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.

Last month, Chavez said that "it's absolutely false that the Iranian government is developing an atomic bomb." He also criticized the U.S. for being hypocritical for maintaining its nuclear weapons and those of friendly countries while demanding that others "paralyze their programs for peaceful uses of nuclear energy."

Venezuela insists, like Iran, that it seeks atomic technology strictly for civilian purposes. Chavez recently attempted to purchase his own nuclear technology from Argentina. But Argentina marked its distance from the idea of its wealthy neighbor. Iran, on the other hand, hinted that it will help Venezuela in developing nuclear energy for peaceful uses and always within the norms of the IAEA.

In February, Caracas and Tehran announced that they reached several agreements during a visit to Venezuela by the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel. One of those deals, perhaps the most important, could lead to the mining of Venezuelan uranium for Iranian use, prompting U.S. opposition figures to warn that Chavez’s government could be planning to provide Tehran with uranium for its nuclear program, according to The Washington Times.

Tehran and Caracas also agreed to set up a joint U.S. 0 million development fund aimed at promoting bilateral trade and consolidate a relation in which there already existed an old accord meant to oppose Washington’s imperialism. Both countries also signed bilateral agreements to build homes and factories in the South American country.

Allying himself with states that share his opposition to the U.S. is nothing new for the oil-rich Chavez, but any deal towards a joint nuclear effort with Iran is alarming for Washington.

The U.S. fears that Venezuela may be sharing uranium with Iran, and that Iran may be giving secret nuclear advice to Venezuela in order to avail itself of nuclear fuel. Both countries fear that the Bush administration may find an excuse for invading them.

According to Venezuela’s former Defense Minister Raul Salazar, Chavez’ support for Iran’s nuclear program was pushing relations with Washington past "the point of no return." Caracas’ support for Tehran has so far been purely political, he said, but "that is not to say [uranium transfers to Tehran] couldn't happen in the future."

But Chavez dismissed the reports of the Venezuelan-Iranian uranium deal as being part of an "imperialist plan" propagated by international news media. “Now they say I am sending uranium to make atomic bombs from here, from the Venezuelan Amazon to send directly to the Persian Gulf," he said last week. "This shows they have no limit in their capacity to invent lies."

Venezuelan Foreign Commerce and Integration Minister Gustavo Marquez also denied sending uranium shipments to the Middle East. "There is no sort of exploitation of that,” he said.

And Venezuela’s former representative to the IAEA, Leancy Clemente Lobo, said: “I do not believe that uranium is being taken out of Venezuela sent to Iran, because they have more of it there that we do here. Iran does not need Venezuela in the nuclear sector; quite to the contrary. But one must be careful to recognize and accept the rules of the game. There has always been this hullabaloo because it is a kind of neuralgia; it happened to Pakistan with respect to India, Korea lives it now, Brazil and Argentina expressed it in their time. And this is Venezuela’s moment.”



Sources: AlJazeera

2006-04-06 10:23:43


http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2006/04/06/4580.shtml



Iranian pact with Venezuela stokes fears of uranium sales
Mon. 13 Mar 2006
The Washington Times

By Kelly Hearn

BUENOS AIRES -- A recent deal between Iran and Venezuela provides for the exploitation of Venezuela's strategic minerals, prompting opposition figures to warn that President Hugo Chavez's government could be planning to provide Tehran with uranium for its nuclear program.

The deal was part of a package of agreements, most of which were announced during a visit last month to Caracas and Cuba by Iranian parliament Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel. The two countries also established a joint $200 million development fund and signed bilateral deals to build homes and factories, and exploit petroleum.

Public details are vague, but Venezuelan opposition figures and press reports have said the deal on minerals could involve the production and transfer to Iran have said the deal on minerals could involve the production and transfer to Iran of Venezuelan uranium taken from known deposits located in the dense jungle states of Amazonas and Bolivar.

Mr. Chavez last week ridiculed such speculation as being part of an "imperialist plan" propagated by international news media.

"Now they say I am sending uranium to make atomic bombs from here, from the Venezuelan Amazon to send directly to the Persian Gulf," Mr. Chavez said during a meeting at a military club on Tuesday. "This shows they have no limit in their capacity to invent lies."

The speculation comes at a time of rising tension between the world community and Iran, which yesterday declared it had ruled out a proposed compromise under which it would process uranium for a peaceful nuclear program in Russia.

The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France -- are to meet this week to discuss a draft statement aimed at increasing the pressure on Iran to abandon its nuclear plans.

Retired Venezuelan Vice Adm. Jose Rafael Huizi-Clavier said the mining arrangements negotiated last month with Iran are broad and unspecific and could easily include uranium.

Other critics of Mr. Chavez point out that Venezuela recently voted against reporting Tehran to the U.N. Security Council for its uranium-enrichment program and that Mr. Chavez in recent months has attempted to purchase his own civilian-use nuclear technology from Argentina. Adm. Huizi-Clavier, who heads the Venezuela-based Institutional Military Front, a group of ex-military officials opposed to Mr. Chavez, said his group is "alarmed by a confluence of facts." He cited construction work at a small military base and the widening of a military airstrip near the Brazilian border, where uranium deposits are said to exist.

He also noted that Mr. Chavez expelled U.S. missionaries from areas known to have uranium in February. At the time, Mr. Chavez accused New Tribes Mission, a Florida-based group, of working for the CIA and foreign mining interests.

A Florida-based spokesman for the group said none of the missionaries knew anything about uranium-mining activities.

Venezuelan Minister of Science and Technology Yadira Cordova said on Thursday that the airfield belonged to the New Tribes Mission. She also denied uranium was being mined or processed in the area, saying such technologically demanding processes "would be detected easily."

In Washington, a 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."

Adm. Huizi-Clavier said Mr. Chavez was playing a "dangerous game" by backing Iran at the United Nations in defiance of overwhelming world opinion.

Former Venezuelan Defense Minister Raul Salazar said the country's support of Iran's nuclear program was pushing relations with Washington past "the point of no return."

Mr. Chavez's support for Iran's nuclear plan has thus far been purely political, he said, but "that is not to say [uranium transfers to Tehran] couldn't happen in the future."




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