ABOUT THE REPORT
_________________
The Americas Report is the
continuation of the work of Dr.
Constantine C. Menges’ original
Americas Report. For almost two
years that report chronicled the efforts
of the Castro – Chavez axis and their
allies in their efforts to undermine the
new spirit of democracy and freedom
in Latin America, in favor of autocratic
forms of regimes throughout the
Western Hemisphere. The report also
monitors events in the area as they
affect regional and US security in this
era characterized by the emergence of
terrorist groups of global reach seeking
international influence. The current
Americas Report and the Menges
Hemispheric Security Project of which
it is a part will continue to support
genuine democracy, free trade and the
fostering of strong inter – American
relationships as well as exposing
growing tyrannies in the area.
Nancy Menges
Editor-in-Chief
Nicole Ferrand
Editor
MAY 7, 2009 - Vol. Nº 5 – Issue 23
FEATURE
Visit our blog at: http://themengesproject.blogspot.com/
and leave us your comments!
Banking 101 with Hugo Chavez and
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
By Nicholas Hanlon*
The leaders of Iran and Venezuela have created an
impressive network of trade and international influence with
which they openly oppose the United States. Whether the
funding goes to Iran’s nuclear weapons program,
Hezbollah, the purchase of Latin American politicians,
or the further consolidation of Chavez’s power at home,
this mobilization of strategic advantage has reached a
global status in international finance. The anti-free-trade
bloc, known as ALBA, and the new oil consortiums with Russia
and Iran are symptomatic of a rising alternative economic system
where there are no checks on tyranny. Now, in the same month
when the U.S. Treasury named six New York based Iranian front
companies who move money for the proliferation of sanctioned
weapons technology to Iran’s nuclear program, Venezuela and
Iran have inaugurated a joint bank to fund development projects.
These projects benefit Iran and Venezuela as they jockey petrol
dollars and, if needed, subsidize them with profits from organized
crime, cocaine traffic, and other forms of illicit trade all while
oppressing civil liberties. Hugo Chavez hopes to create similar
joint development banks with Syria and Qatar.
The Americas Report has chronicled how these unchecked advances will lead to the
ability of foreign powers to leverage U.S. foreign policy in ways never imagined. This past
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month, and even this past year, has demonstrated that our ability to slow or handicap
Iran’s circumvention of sanctions is instructive but insufficient. Hence, funding
for the Iranian-Venezuelan agenda will become increasingly autonomous from
the international finance system. This means that despite the drop in oil consumption
and declining prices, the overt intentions of both the Islamic Revolution and the Bolivarian
Revolution are now more inter-connected. Counter terrorism analysts and U.S. foreign policy
makers must use the rhetoric of these revolutions as context for the formation of their own
strategies.
On April 3rd, Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated ‘The
Iran-Venezuela Joint Bank.” Each country has put up their own half of an initial
capital base of 200 million dollars, which they plan to raise to 1.2 billion. The
new bank is the offspring of The Export Development Bank of Iran. Known in
Venezuela as the Banco Internacional de Desarrollo, this Iranian institution is under
sanctions from both the U.S. Treasury and the international community for its alleged
involvement in Iran’s nuclear program. Chavez and Ahmadinejad must find new ways to
finance Iran’s nuclear program among other suspect programs because sanctions are having
some effect. Ultimately, they prefer a completely new and alternative way to fund their
endeavors. The joint bank marks another historical step in the geo-strategic repositioning of
the United States’ enemies in their alliance against the West. With each bit of influence that
Chavez buys in Central and South America with Venezuelan petrodollars, Iran either takes a
cut in terms of assets, influence, or increased operational capabilities. The joint bank will add
to the perception of legitimacy in Chavez’s financial transactions.
On April 7, 2009 the U.S. Department of the Treasury named a “Chinese individual and
six Iranian entities under Executive Order 13382 for their connection to Iran's missile
proliferation network. Additionally, Treasury identified eight aliases used by E.O. 13382
designee LIMMT Economic and Trade Company, Ltd. ("LIMMT") to circumvent sanctions.
E.O. 13382 is an authority aimed at freezing the assets of weapons of mass destruction
proliferators and those who support them.”1 The Under Secretary for Terrorism and
Financial Intelligence, Stuart Levey, appealed to the authority of the Security
Council and international obligations to stop the fake companies from procuring
“centrifuge and missile technology for Iran.”i The New York County District Attorney's
Office filed a criminal indictment against the procurement network on the same day. In
March, the Treasury designated companies associated with Iran’s Bank Melli for the banks part
in Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The U.S., the E.U., and Australia had already
named Bank Melli as a proliferator. The bank maintained accounts and provided letters of
credit and financial services for Iranian front companies who were moving materials for and
giving support to sanctioned activities.
All of this occurred in the last several months. Yet, these are almost arbitrary headlines
of a thirty-year-old all out overt asymmetrical war against the U.S. and its allies that began in
1979 for Iran and dates back even further for the leftists in Central and South America. What
is new here are the exponential strategic leaps forward that Iran has gained from
its alliance with Hugo Chavez. Douglas Farah summed up the relationship on his blog last
year like this;
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“So, Iran sponsors Hezbollah and allies with Chavez. Chavez sponsors the FARC and
allies with Iran. The FARC has the dope; Hezbollah has the international
distribution network, having been involved in heroin traffic and organized criminal
activities for years.
What is alarming to me is that, despite Hezbollah’s stated intention to attack the
United States and Iran’s evident interest in having the ability to strike at the United
States, this alliance (and the Chavez-Iran alliance) attracts very little attention at
senior policy levels.”ii
That lack of attention Farah mentions has continued in the present Administration. It
begs the question; would the leader of the free world have been duped into such
photo ops in Trinidad had he been properly briefed on Chavez’s willful
facilitation of the FARC and Hezbollah, let alone his dictatorial behavior inside
Venezuela? Such choice propaganda material will undoubtedly reinforce the propaganda
machines that power oppressive leftist regimes in Cuba and their aspiring counterparts like
Ortega in Nicaragua, the FMLN in El Salvador, and Zelaya in Honduras. This goes especially
for Iran. One specific example of the benefits of the Iran-Venezuela-Hezbollah network
surfaced last June when the Treasury department named a Venezuelan diplomat in Damascus
as a Hezbollah fundraiser. Ghazi Nasr al Din, former Charge d' Affaires at the
Venezuelan Embassy in Damascus, gave Hezbollah donors information on bank
accounts where the deposits would go directly to Hezbollah. Adam J. Szubin,
Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), had this to say;
"It is extremely troubling to see the Government of Venezuela
employing and providing safe harbor to Hezbollah facilitators and
fundraisers. We will continue to expose the global nature of Hezbollah’s
terrorist support network, and we call on responsible governments worldwide to
disrupt and dismantle this activity,"iii
Several analysts have suggested that any threat posed by Chavez will decrease with the
price of oil but it appears that he has found ways around this. Keep in mind that Chavez
consolidated power in the electorate with the promise of poverty reduction programs, known
as “misiones”, at a time when oil revenue was abundant. So, when Chavez creates a new
development bank with Iran it is good to take a step back and get a snap shot of each countries
development projects, accounting, and expenditures.
In the 2008, March/ April edition of Foreign Affairs, the former chief economist of the
Venezuelan National Assembly from 2000 to 2004 analyzed Chavez’s poverty program and
presented evidence that there was a negative impact of the “Revolution” that actually hurt the
poor of Venezuela the most. According to Francisco Rodriguez;
“Neither official statistics nor independent estimates show any
evidence that Chávez has reoriented state priorities to benefit the
poor. Most health and human development indicators have shown no significant
improvement beyond that which is normal in the midst of an oil boom. Indeed,
some have deteriorated worryingly, and official estimates indicate that income
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inequality has increased. The "Chávez is good for the poor" hypothesis is
inconsistent with the facts.”iv
Rodriguez further explains how Chavez has been able to maintain the perception of
success through political maneuvering. The real lack of success is partly due to corruption and
mismanagement, which Rodriguez attributes to the assertion that Chavez’s “Empty
Revolution” is no different in practice from his Washington Consensus predecessors. Yet,
where does all that oil money go? A popular view among regional analysts is that Chavez has
staved off dissention in the military ranks by buying toys for his generals. That is
certainly not the only factor that stands between Venezuelan military elites and Chavez’s grasp
on power. However, the price tag on Chavez’s military expenditures explains a lot.
Jane’s Defense Weekly reported last November that Venezuela’s Defense Ministry
increased its defense spending by 25% for the 2009 budget. In the years, prior Chavez had
amassed a military that defies conventional necessity. In monetary terms, Ben Miller
sums it up in a previous Americas Report as follows;
“According to the National Budget Office, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has
tripled his country’s defense budget since 2000 to a whopping $3.3 billion in
2008. Chavez's biggest purchases from Russia came in 2006 when, in that year
alone, he signed deals for over $3 billion in weapons.[1] Between 2004 and 2005,
Venezuela doubled the value of the major conventional weapons it imported
from$13million to $27million.
This number then sky-rocketed to $406 million over the next 12 months, causing
Venezuela to surpass other nations such as Argentina, France, Syria, Iraq, Sudan,
and Afghanistan in the index.[1] The large majority of the weapons it received
came directly from Russia.”v
In terms of hardware this amount of spending on unneeded military
expenditures would be scandalous were there true freedom of the press in
Venezuela. Among the hardware are Russian T-72 tanks which military analysts find hard to
imagine a use for in the jungle with no outside threat. Combined with the 50 helicopters in
Venezuela’s last order from Russia they do have the hardware to oppress a resistance
movement, arm revolutionary terrorists, and to become the dominant military power in the
region. In the end, Chavez’s bills are piling up, he is successfully consolidating his power, and
new revenue sources are opening to reinforce an increasingly oppressive regime.
The official statement of the Financial Action Task Force, the primary international
body for countering terrorist financing and money laundering, is “that the Islamic Republic of
Iran’s lack of comprehensive anti-money laundering / combating the financing of terrorism
(AML/CFT) regime represents a significant vulnerability within the international financial
system.”vi Many consider this an understatement and cite the common pet name for Iran
in the international finance community as the “central banker of terror.” There is
no place for “anti-money laundering” and “combating the financing of terrorism” when those
are the primary means of advancing Iran’s foreign policy. Iran’s overt government policy to
support terrorist organizations is completely consistent with the agenda of the Islamic
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Revolution and Ahmadinejad’s statements about the new Iran-Venezuela Joint Bank.
Ahmadinejad said of the inauguration, "What happened today represents a strong will to build
a new world.” These words may seem typical for the christening of a grand endeavor were they
not spoken by a head of state known for envisioning a world without America and the
annihilation of Israel.
Hugo Chavez has made many statements outlining his intentions to create an alternative
international finance system. In fact, the new communist trade bloc in the Americas bares the
title, "The Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas" (ALBA). Of ALBA, Chavez said, "A new
political, economic, and geopolitical map can be perceived in Latin America and the
Caribbean." Like the joint bank with Iran, an aversion to liberal democracy and
dictatorial tendencies seem to be the common requirement for membership.
ALBA includes Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia, Honduras, Dominica, and Nicaragua. Therefore, as the
revolutionary vision progresses in Latin America and the Caribbean, Hugo Chavez has turned
to the Middle East to globalize this anti-capitalist alternative. He said at the bank inauguration
“This is part of a strategy to form a new financial architecture between us”. Chavez rarely
misses an opportunity to denounce capitalism and ridicule the International Monetary Fund.
He described the recent G20 pledge of $1 trillion to the IMF as, “entrusting beef to vultures.”
The assumption being that he and his anti-western counterparts are a trustworthy alternative.
Panama Elections 2009 – Lonely Capitalist Stops
Leftist Tide.
By Nicholas Hanlon.*
This past Sunday, on May 3rd, Panama held its 11th Presidential election since 1940. Opposition
candidate and businessman, Ricardo Martinelli, of the Democratic Change party, defeated his
primary opponent, Balbina Herrera, of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), with 67% of
the vote. Before the election Martinelli’s party only held 3 seats in a 78-seat parliament while the PRD
held 47 seats. As of this morning, Martinelli’s right coalition, which includes the Panamenistas and two
smaller parties, have won 37 seats of the 71-seat parliament. The PRD’s left coalition has 23 seats with
several left to be decided.
Martinelli’s victory has regional significance and is important to the United States. Like several
other Central American countries, Panama has a healthy and pragmatic swing vote in its electorate. In
the past few years, Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez has been able to exploit this by pumping oil
money into the campaigns of leftist parties. They in turn win by narrow margins and try to replicate
Chavista manipulation of democracy into more presidential powers through parliamentary tactics.
Late last year the PRD held a plurality in the parliament and Balbina Herrera enjoyed a strong
lead in the polls while having considerable Venezuelan financing. Like Nicaragua and El Salvador,
Panama has a strong business community and strong economic ties to the U.S. Leftists in each of
these countries followed a now predictable campaign strategy of giving lip service to assuage the free
market business community while continuing promises of Socialist reform to the poor. Herrera was
unable to convince the electorate that she had the experience or skill of Martinelli on economic issues.
Most analysts attribute the world economic slow down and Martinelli’s rags to riches success story to
his victory. Balbina Herrera’s affiliations with the incumbent president’s father and former dictator
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Omar Torrijos, Manuel Noriega, and Hugo Chavez were probably indicative of a preference to align
against the United States, had she won.
*Nicholas Hanlon is a foreign affairs writer and researcher at the Center for Security Policy
in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of Georgia State University and has a BA in Political
Science with a concentration in International Affairs and a Minor in French.
NEWS STORIES
BOLIVIA:
Standoff between Evo Morales, Bolivian media outlets escalates – The Miami Herald.
With some newspapers and broadcast outlets relentlessly exposing the government's
shortcomings, President Evo Morales and his supporters say the privately-owned media have
sided with his opponents. The government has filed criminal charges against a major La Paz
newspaper over corruption-related headlines, created a new state-controlled television
network and newspaper and some allege is intimidating those who print or broadcast news the
government deems unpleasant. Since January, Morales has refused to speak with the local
media. Attendance at press conferences is limited to the international press corps, and when a
formal government announcement is made, it is issued via the government news agency. The
president, vice president and top cabinet members make no effort to hide their disdain for the
independent media, or their belief that newspaper; TV and radio reporters and their editors are
controlled by private-sector interests ideologically opposed to the administration's socialist
agenda. ''Some media owners manipulate the press, a public service, for their own personal
interests. They aren't always run capably or with impartiality,'' Vice President Alvaro Garcia
Linera said last month after the government brought criminal charges against La Paz's La
Prensa newspaper. The La Prensa case caused a storm of protest from the country's media.
Even before the charges were filed, the president had angrily berated a La Prensa reporter
during a presidential news conference over a headline in that day's newspaper that read, 'Evo
negotiated `green light' with smugglers.'' He demanded to know the source of the story. ''It was
frightening. It was an affront,'' said La Prensa's editor, Carlos Morales (no relation). Shortly
afterwards, the president said Bolivia's press wasn't ''free'' but ''libertine,'' and that it harms
people without giving them a chance to respond. La Prensa is part of the largest private chain
of newspapers in Bolivia, Grupo Lider. Owned by two well-known families, the group publishes
La Prensa in La Paz, Los Tiempos in Cochabamba, El Deber in Santa Cruz and others. Together
they make up the nation's top independent dailies. MORALES' BAD PRESS La Prensa and
other newspapers have been filled in recent months with stories about alleged government
corruption, tainting an administration that came to power three years ago promising to end
public corruption. In recent week, Morales, the editor, his family and other La Prensa reporters
have received telephoned death threats telling them to stop publishing such stories. “It is
without precedent in our democracy.'' Bolivia has a long history of autocratic regimes,
including harsh military dictatorships. That ended when the military returned to their barracks
in 1982. Press controls have been part of many past regimes' governing strategy, but the media
had been largely free during the past 27 years to report the news as they see it. ATTACKS ON
REPORTERS In the past year, however, reporters and editors have been attacked by mobs
loyal to both the Morales government and, in the lowlands department of Santa Cruz, the
government's opponents. Some have had their equipment destroyed or damaged, and several
have been injured. In at least one case, according to witnesses, police stood by while the attack
occurred. ''The situation is very bad,'' said Juan Javier Zevallos, a former correspondent for the
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Reuters news agency in Latin America and Europe, and now executive director of Bolivia's
National Press Association, which has defended the media's right to operate freely in Bolivia.
The government has 'accused us of being `the enemy,' '' said Zevallos. Part of the government's
strategy is to control the flow of information, said Zevallos. The state-run television and Patria
Nueva radio network have repeaters throughout the country. And in January, the government
launched a new newspaper, Cambio. Bolivian journalists, meanwhile, are reaching outside the
country for help. At the Inter-American Press Association annual meeting in Paraguay in
February, the Bolivian National Press Association reported 46 cases of physical attacks,
harassment and verbal assaults on its members and warned that the free press was under
assault in Bolivia.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/1034167.html
BRAZIL:
NEWS ALERT:
Ahmadinejad postpones trip to Brazil – The Jerusalem Post.
Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on Monday canceled his visit to Brazil, without giving
an explanation, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA. The visit, which was to include a
delegation of over a hundred officials, was meant to focus on expanding trade between the two
countries. Senior Brazilian official Roberto Jaguaribe told reporters that the visit would be
rescheduled for after the June 12 presidential elections in Iran, though there was speculation
that the trip was canceled due to recent protests in Latin America. An AFP report quoted
officials as saying that Iranian Ambassador to Brazil Mohsen Shaterzadeh had given Brazilian
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a letter from Ahmadinejad, which requested that he "accept
the postponement of the official visit until... after the presidential election." On Sunday,
thousands of Brazilian Jews and non-Jews demonstrated in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
against the Iranian president's visit to their country, which was scheduled for Wednesday. In
Sao Paulo, some 1,000 people including secular and Orthodox Jews, as well as Evangelical
Christians, homosexuals and Gypsies, gathered in a major square to protest. In Rio, another
1,000 demonstrators walked along Ipanema beach carrying signs and shouting messages
against terrorism, homophobia and racism. Ahmadinejad had planned to visit Brazil,
Venezuela and Ecuador, according to the Iranian Embassy in Brasilia. The Brazilian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs had declared that da Silva would express his discontent with Ahmadinejad's
description of Israel as a "cruel and racist" entity.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710868208&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Former Us President Jimmy Carter Honored In Sao Paulo – MercoPress.
Former US president and Nobel Peace Prize Jimmy Carter was honored Sunday by the
governor of Brazil’s powerhouse state Sao Paulo for his contributions to the development of the
state. The honor, the Great Cross of “The Order of Ipiranga” was awarded by Governor Jose
Serra, the main leader of the opposition and a strong presidential hopeful in Brazil’s next year’s
elections. The ceremony took place at Sao Paulo’s government house and among the
personalities present was former president Henrique Fernando Cardoso. Governor Serra
underlined Carter’s contribution in making human rights one of the main issues of US foreign
policy when he occupied the White House, 1977/1981, which coincided with the democratic
opening period of Brazil. “Your human rights option had a profound and lasting impact in the
evolution of international relations and played a leading role in helping to restore democracy in
Latin America”, said Serra. Carter thanked the acknowledgement and also admitted that the
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US in the last few years, under the administration of president George W. Bush had lost
positions in foreign policy because of the reiterated violations of was prisoners’ human rights.
The former US leader who now heads the Carter foundation which is dedicated to promoting
human rights and democracy is scheduled to meet President Lula da Silva on Monday when he
will request a commitment for a greater access to government information, something on
which the Brazilian bureaucracy has proved reluctant. Before Brazil, Carter visited Peru,
Bolivia and Chile where he proposed the three countries agree on granting a Pacific Ocean
outlet for Bolivia. “I’m hopeful Bolivia, Chile and Peru will jointly find a way to provide Bolivia
with direct access to the sea”, said Carter during his recent tour.
http://en.mercopress.com/2009/05/04/former-us-president-jimmy-carter-honoured-in-sao-paulo
Brazil, Argentina Consolidate Dominance Of Mercosur – MercoPress.
Mercosur representatives reached this week in Asuncion, Paraguay a political agreement,
which opens the way for the creation of a Supranational Justice Tribunal and “contained”
proportional representation in the Mercosur parliament. The demand for a supranational
Justice Tribunal has been a long-standing demand from Mercosur junior members mainly
Paraguay, and Uruguay, while proportional representation has been Brazil and Argentina’s
target to ensure the regional parliament is clearly under their control. Although the agreement
was hailed as “historic” by Paraguayan lawmakers who sponsored the deal, analysts believe it
only confirms the Argentina-Brazil “strategic alliance” dominance of the regional trade block.
Furthermore the supranational tribunal will demand a constitutional review since the Brazilian
constitution does not recognize the concept of “supranational”. If this finally occurs it’s hard to
see Brazil or Argentina abiding by a regional tribunal that is expected to rule country actions.
The other part of the political deal “for the consolidation of Mercosur” means the regional
parliament will apply the proportional representation criteria, such as envisaged in the
Mercosur Parliament Protocol, although gradually and with less members than those wished
by Brazil. Proportional representation is based on the population of each country; Brazil has a
population of 180 million; Argentina, 40 million; Paraguay, 7 million and Uruguay 3.5 million.
Apparently at the beginning of negotiations Brazil’s target was 140 benches in Parlasur, which
was rejected point blank by the rest of Mercosur country members. Finally it was agreed that
Brazil would have 75 elected members, to be incorporated gradually. The agreement should
become effective in 2010 with 75 for Brazil and 43 for Argentina, while Uruguay and Paraguay
would keep the original 18 assigned to each of the four country members when the parliament
was first launched. However in this first stage the numbers agreed were 36 for Brazil, 26 for
Argentina and 18 and 18. Brazilian senator Aloizio Mercadante from the ruling Workers Party
of President Lula da Silva said that the decision to reduce the number of benches representing
Brazil and Argentina “was voluntary and a homage to the integration of Mercosur peoples”.
http://en.mercopress.com/2009/04/30/brazil-argentina-consolidate-dominance-of-mercosur
China Becomes Main Destination Of Brazilian Exports Ahead Of US – MercoPress.
China has become the main purchaser of Brazilian exports during the first quarter of this year
displacing United States which held the position undisputed for decades, according to reports
in the Sao Paulo press based on the latest statistics. According to the Foundation Centre for
Foreign Trade Studies, Funcex, China leads the list of importers of Brazilian goods having
increased 62.67% in value and 41.175 over the same period a year ago. This displaced the US as
the main destination of Brazilian exports. “In the worst of worlds, we’re a little better” said
Miguel Daoud, chief economist from Global Financial Advisor, which specializes in Chinese
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trade. Beijing recently announced a 600 billion US dollars stimulus plan to prop the economy
and domestic demand. In the first quarter of this year China imported 3.395 billion US dollars
of Brazilian goods, according to the Development, Industry and Foreign Trade ministry. China
concentrated 47% of all Brazilian exports to Asia and overtook Latin America as the block
which most buys in Brazil. Welber Barral, Foreign Trade Secretary said, “Exports to Asia are
increasing in spite of the crisis. Except for Japan the Asian block has a huge trade potential to
be exploited”. Sectors most benefited with exports to China are commodities such as soybeans,
cellulose, iron ore and oil, which together they account for 76% of all Brazilian exports. The
Chinese advance happens when Brazil suffered a 19% drop in exports during the first quarter
compared to 2008, and a 21.6% fall in imports, although the trade balance advanced 9% to
approximately 3 billion US dollars.
http://en.mercopress.com/2009/05/04/china-becomes-main-destination-of-brazilian-exports-ahead-of-us
CHILE:
Head Of British Army On Three-Day Official Visit To Chile – MercoPress.
British Armed Forces Chief of the General Staff General Sir Richard Dannatt begun on Monday
an official three-day visit to Chile invited by the Chilean Army. A full agenda has been prepared
for the head of the British Army including a “Victory Cross” medal honor, which is awarded to
those who contribute to establish close links and cooperation with the Chilean Army. General
Dannatt is scheduled to meet with Defense minister Francisco Vidal Salinas, Commander in
Chief of the Army General Oscar Izurieta Ferrer and will be giving a conference to graduates at
the Chilean Army War Academy. The British general will be visiting several Chilean academic
and field units such as the Institutes and Doctrine Command, Special Operations Brigade, both
in the area of Santiago de Chile, and the Second Armored Brigade and the Armored Combat
Training Centre in Iquique, north of Chile, according to the official release from the Chilean
Army. Chilean and British Armed Forces have a close relation going back almost two centuries
when the Crown helped the Chileans fight for independence from the Spanish empire. The
Chilean Navy and Air Force have for decades used British equipment.
http://en.mercopress.com/2009/05/05/head-of-british-army-on-three-day-official-visit-to-chile
COLOMBIA:
President insists that Chávez must capture FARC members – El Universal.
Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe invoked on Sunday the brotherhood and friendship to
request his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez to capture the members of the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who may have taken refuge in Venezuela and have been
accused of having killed eight Colombian soldiers. Chávez warned last week that he would not
allow illegal armed groups to violate the sovereignty of Venezuela and slip across the frontier.
However, the Venezuelan President said that he would not meddle in the internal affairs of
Colombia. "We are not asking for help. We ask on behalf of a respectable democracy that the
killers of the soldiers must not go unpunished in any territory," Uribe said to a group of
reporters after a security council in the city of Valledupar, the capital of the department of
Cesar. "We respectfully invoke the international law and the friendship of our peoples, to
request the capture of these murderers of our soldiers, these narco-terrorist members of the
FARC and its leaders, wherever they are," Uribe said.
http://english.eluniversal.com/2009/05/04/en_pol_esp_colombian-president_04A2315817.shtml
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Colombia’s President Uribe To Seek Third Term – El Espectador.
Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe will seek a third consecutive term after the country's
Congress approves a referendum to change constitution to allow him to stay in power after
2010, Hernan Andrade, the Congress' President, told daily newspaper El Espectador. Senators
will approve the referendum between May 13 and May 14, Andrade told the paper. There is no
doubt Uribe will try to seek a re-election, he added. A group of allies of Uribe gathered five
million signatures asking to hold a referendum to change the constitution to allow a third
presidential term. After the Congress vote, the Constitutional Court will have to approve the
referendum and this will happen in the second half of the year, Andrade added. Uribe, who was
first elected in 2002, had the constitution already changed in 2005 to enable him to seek a
second four-year term in 2006. Uribe was reelected that year with 62% of the vote.
http://www.elespectador.com/impreso/politica/
CUBA:
Reacts To Us Blacklisting Calls Washington “International Criminal” – MercoPress.
Cuba reacted strongly on Thursday calling the US government an “international criminal” after
Washington said it was keeping Cuba on a list of countries that allegedly support terrorism.
The US State Department released a report lumping Cuba with Iran, Syria and Sudan on a
blacklist as sponsors of terrorism. “The author (of the report) is an international criminal” said
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez. “We do not recognize any political or moral
authorities from the government of the United States to create any list, on any subject, nor to
certify good or bad behaviors” Mr. Rodriguez said at a press conference. “In matters of
terrorism, the government of the United States has had a long record of state-sponsored acts of
terrorism, not only against Cuba” said Mr. Rodriguez. Among other things, Havana accuses
Washington of “giving refuge” to Luis Posada Carriles, a one-time CIA operative that Cuba and
Venezuela want in connection with the bombing of a Cuban passenger plane in 1976 that killed
73 people. Rodriguez also mentioned that the administration of former president George W.
Bush “was certified by the world public opinion” as being “aggressive and warmonger” having
violated international law and carried out torture. However the US report, despite keeping
Cuba on the blacklist, highlighted positive steps taken by the government in Havana. “The
Cuban government continued to provide safe haven to several terrorists," even if it "no longer
actively supports" armed struggle beyond its shores. It said members of the Basque separatist
ETA, the Colombian rebel group FARC and the Colombian group ELN remained in Cuba last
year after some arrived to help conduct peace negotiations with the governments of Spain and
Colombia. It also said that the government of President Raul Castro "continued to publicly
defend the FARC" the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. But it noted that on July 6 last
year former president Fidel Castro urged the FARC to release the hostages they were holding
without preconditions. And Castro "has also condemned the FARC mistreatment of captives
and of their abduction of civilian politicians who had no role in the armed conflict," it added.
http://en.mercopress.com/2009/05/01/cuba-reacts-to-us-blacklisting-calls-washington-international-criminal
MEXICO:
Gov. Announces Reopening Schools, Gradually Returns To Normality – MercoPress.
Mexican officials lowered the influenza A (H1N1) virus alert level in the capital on Monday and
said they will allow universities, cafes, museums and libraries to reopen this week, even as the
number of confirmed cases topped 1,200 worldwide. Mexican officials declared the epidemic to
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be waning at its epicenter, announcing that Wednesday will conclude a five-day closure of
nonessential businesses they credit for reducing the spread of the new virus. President Felipe
Calderon said that higher education classes would resume Thursday and all other schools and
government-run day care centers would reopen by May 11. Global health officials urged
countries to remain vigilant because the outbreak's spread around the world remains in its
early stages, but there were no imminent plans to raise the pandemic alert level. Raising the
alert level to 6, the highest, would mean that a global outbreak of A H1N1 flu is under way. The
World Health Organization uses the term pandemic to refer to geographic spread rather than
severity. "We do not know how long we will have until we move to Phase 6," said Margaret
Chan, head of the WHO. "We are not there yet. The criteria will be met when we see in another
region outside North America, showing very clear evidence of community-level transmission."
"Let me make a strong plea to countries to refrain from introducing measures that are
economically and socially disruptive, yet have no scientific justification and bring no clear
public health benefits," Chan said. "Rational responses are always best — they are all the more
important at a time of economic downturn."
http://en.mercopress.com/2009/05/05/mexico-announces-reopening-of-schools-gradually-returns-to-normality
PARAGUAY:
Dictatorship-era official reappears in Paraguay – AP.
A former dictatorship-era official considered a brutal torturer by human rights groups has
made a surprise return to Paraguay, where he faces six pending trials for the disappearance
and killings of government opponents in the 1970s and 1980s. Minister Sabino Montanaro,
who served as interior minister under ex-dictator Alfredo Stroessner, arrived in Asuncion early
Friday after nearly two decades of self-imposed exile in Honduras, his lawyer said. Attorney
Luis Troche did not explain why Montanaro decided to return but painted a picture of an
ailing, aged man coming back to his native land. Montanaro, 86, suffers from a fractured hip,
Parkinson's disease, a form of pneumonia and arteriosclerosis, Troche said Monday. Officials
said Montanaro was being treated in a police hospital, but it was not clear whether he had been
taken into custody. Montanaro was interior minister for two decades under Stroessner. Human
rights groups say the dictatorship was part of a regional network of right-wing military
governments that abducted, tortured and "disappeared" thousands of suspected leftist
dissidents during the so-called Dirty War. Paraguayan human rights activist Luis Alfonso
Resck called Montanaro a "a brutal torturer." When a military coup toppled the dictatorship in
1989, Montanaro sought refuge in the Honduran consulate in Asuncion. Days later he arrived
in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, where he lived until last week. His unexpected return
could give Paraguay the chance to move forward with the pending prosecutions. Judge Arnaldo
Fleitas said Monday he had "ordered a psychiatric exam to determine (Montanaro's) mental
state — whether he is in condition to appear before the court in the six pending trials against
him for the torture, disappearance and death of dissidents." The Paraguayan government also
expressed irritation at Honduras for not alerting them to Montanaro's travel plans, and said it
was considering lodging a formal protest. "Montanaro should not have been able to leave
Honduras so easily holding a diplomatic passport that expired in 1997," Foreign Minister
Hector Lacognata told reporters Monday. Paraguay sought for years to question Stroessner
about "disappearances" during the dictatorship, but he died in exile in Brazil in 2006 at the age
of 93 without facing trial.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ilRGi7HJg5ehfudhEOLrw--2I2iQD97VNV2O0
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PERU:
Peru concerned about Chile's purchase of eighteen F-16s – Living in Peru.
As Peru legislators debate a bill to grant the Armed Forces five percent of mining investments,
military chiefs along with former Armed Forces commanders are demanding that more funds
be released for the purchase of weaponry. This increased concern came after it was known that
Chile had purchased yet another batch of F-16 fighter jets in Holland. Amidst a maritime
dispute at The Hague and a rough relationship with its neighbor, news arrived to Peru that
Chile had purchased eighteen F-16s. "Peru has to arm itself, but not according to what Chile
buys, we don't need to use Chile as a mirror," said nationalist leader Ollanta Humala, stating
Peru needed to define its national defense plan. Furthermore, he assured Alan Garcia's
administration needed to work on improving the country's military capacity. The news that the
country would be replacing a fleet of F5Es with eighteen F-16s came from Chile's Defense
Minister Francisco Vidal several days ago. "If a country starts buying weapons it creates an
unbalance and there are other countries that will want to compensate, then we go into what is
known as a weapons race," said Peru's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Garcia Belaunde.
http://www.livinginperu.com/news-8975-peru-peru-concerned-about-chiles-purchase-eighteen-f-16s
China, Peru Sign Trade Agreement – LAHT.
China and Peru signed a free trade agreement on Tuesday aimed at promoting investment by
the Asian giant in the South American country, as well as bilateral trade. This is the second
trade deal signed by Beijing with a Latin American country, following the agreement inked with
Chile. Peruvian Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Mercedes Araoz and Chinese Deputy
Trade Minister Yi Xiaozhun signed the trade agreement in the Great Hall of the People at a
ceremony attended by the vice presidents of both countries. The presence of Peruvian Vice
President Luis Giampietri and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping at the ceremony showed the
importance that Peru’s head of state, Alan Garcia, and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao,
have given to negotiating the “most complete and far-reaching” trade agreement that China has
signed, Peruvian Ambassador to China Jesus Wu said. Giampietri and Araoz met with Xi, who
is considered the likely successor to President Hu, before the signing ceremony. “Half a year
after Presidents Hu and Garcia met in Lima (during the Asia-Pacific summit), you have come
on a working visit that will bolster the strategic partnership between our two countries,” Xi told
Giampietri. The Peruvian vice president noted in his remarks that the two countries shared “a
long friendship started 148 years ago, when the first Chinese arrived in Peru.” Garcia wants to
increase Chinese investment in Peru from the $7.3 billion registered last year to $15 billion by
2015, while Chinese giants, such as Chinalco, Shougang and Zijin, study expanding their
mining investments in the Andean nation. The trade pact will open the way for investment in
mining and power generation, wind power, oil, gas and the basic infrastructure needed for
mining projects, as well as in the fishing industry, which counts China as its top customer for
fishmeal. Cooperation agreements focusing on customs and anti-poverty efforts complement
the trade deal. China is the No. 2 destination for Peru’s exports, trailing only the United States.
Peru’s exports to China reached $3.74 billion in 2008, or 12 percent of the total, while imports
came in at $3.57 billion, the Peruvian government said.
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=333202&CategoryId=14095
VENEZUELA:
Spain advocates relations with Venezuela – El Universal.
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Juan Pablo de Laiglesia, Spain's Secretary of State for Ibero-America, defended on Tuesday the
relations of "equality and respect" that Spain has with all the Latin American countries. De
Laiglesia said that "dialogue is not tantamount to giving in," referring to the political stance
regarding Cuba or Venezuela. De Laiglesia, who was appointed secretary of state for IberoAmerica last April 14, appeared on Tuesday before the Senate's Committee on Ibero-American
Affairs to present his work plans. The new Secretary of State for Ibero-America said that he
would continue to support a regional policy based on "the principles of universality, symmetry
and respect." However, this does not imply that Spain will not take a critical stance or will not
advocate the Spanish interests or companies, whenever difficulties arise, EFE reported.
"Dialogue is not tantamount to giving in," De Laiglesia said. The official also highlighted that
"there will be no changes" in the rapprochement of Spain to Cuba. Regarding the disputes that
Spanish companies have in countries such as Argentina or Venezuela, the Spanish Secretary of
State would rather act with "discretion," which, in his view, "is not incompatible with clear
actions." In his view, "it is not a good diplomatic tactic" to respond to the decisions adopted by
Latin American parliaments or governments, "not only because of the principle of respect for
autonomy, but for reasons of efficiency."
http://www.eluniversal.com/2009/05/05/en_pol_esp_spain-advocates-rela_05A2317013.shtml
Hugo Chávez: "The streets do not belong to the bourgeoisie" – El Universal.
Although Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez has said that he was not going to attend a progovernment rally in Caracas to commemorate Labor Day, he did go to the march and
condemned the opposition workers' rally in Caracas. "We will not tolerate violence. These
streets belong to the people, not to the bourgeoisie or the counterrevolution," he said referring
to the events occurred when the opposition march was broken up by police officers using
rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons. Chávez said that the opposition rally was "a
failure," since there were a few protesters, but it was full of hate. "The anti-government
marchers tried to draw public's attention, in their despair and hatred, attacking the security
forces. As a result, the members of the National Guard were obliged to break up the march with
some atomizers of tear-gas."
http://www.eluniversal.com/2009/05/01/en_pol_esp_hugo-chavez:-the-st_01A2313013.shtml
Eighteen killed in Helicopter crash – AvioNews.
A Venezuelan Air Force Mil Mi-35 helicopter (as confirmed by general Angel Delgado, even if
some sources report that to be involved was a Mi-17) crashed yesterday afternoon (CET) during
a patrolling mission by the Colombian border, regularly hit by FARC guerrilla. All the
occupants of the aircraft, 17 military and a civil person, died in the accident, which causes are
still unknown. "It would be speculation to try and assign a cause to the crash, which occurred
in a jungle area under adverse weather conditions, before experts have a chance to fully
examine the situation", general Delgado added. "Today (Sunday), 18 Venezuelans died, just
today, patrolling the border, protecting Venezuelans, and the U.S. government accuses us of
not patrolling the border with Colombia", Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez said without
supplying any further details on the event. Among the killed military was general Domingo
Faneite. "I pay tribute to these soldiers of the homeland, especially general Faneite, who was
my cadet", president Chavez said. Also Colombian president Alvaro Uribe sent a message,
stating that "We have just learned - he said during a public event - that 18 members of the
Venezuelan Armed Forces died in a crash. We are deeply saddened. Our soldiers, and
Venezuelan soldiers, are brothers, just as our countries are". (Avionews)
http://www.avionews.com/index.php?corpo=see_news_home.php&news_id=1103819&pagina_chiamante=index.php
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i
PRESS ROOM Treasury Designates Iranian Proliferation Network and Identifies New Aliases April 7, 2009 tg-84,
U.S. Department of the Treasury, http://treas.gov/press/releases/tg84.htm
ii
Douglas Farah, The Hezbollah-Latin American Ties Become More Evident, Oct 24, 04:17
http://www.douglasfarah.com/?pg=6
iii
PRESS ROOM Treasury Targets Hizballah in Venezuela June 18, 2008 hp-1036, U.S. Department of the Treasury,
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp1036.htm
iv
Rodriguez, Francisco, An Empty Revolution, Foreign Affairs March / April 2008
v
Miller, Ben, The Russian – Venezuelan Strategic Alliance The Americas Report October 6, 2008
vi
FATF, FATF STATEMENT ON IRAN, Paris, 11 October 2007
* Nicholas Hanlon is a foreign affairs writer and researcher at the Center for Security Policy in Washington D. C.
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