Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Report: Russia, Venezuela Sign Gun Deal

By Associated Press

May 18, 2005, 4:09 AM EDT


MOSCOW -- Russia and Venezuela signed a contract for 100,000 Russian assault rifles to be provided to the Latin American nation, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

The contract, signed on Tuesday by Venezuelan Defense Minister Jorge Garcia and Sergei Ladygin, the regional chief of Russia's state arms agency Rosoboronexport, provides for the AK-103 guns to be delivered between October and March, ITAR-Tass said.


President Hugo Chavez's plan to buy the new assault rifles from Russia has drawn sharp criticism from the U.S. government, which has suggested the guns could fall into the hands of other groups, such as leftist Colombian rebels.


http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-russia-venezuela-guns,0,4921449.story?coll...