RUSSIA: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez rails against United States at start of visit to Russia

Record ID: 755752

  • Title: RUSSIA: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez rails against United States at start of visit to Russia
  • Date: 28th June 2007
  • Summary: (W3) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JUNE 28, 2007) (REUTERS) VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ SITTING NEXT TO MOSCOW MAYOR YURI LUZHKOV AT OPENING OF LATIN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER CHAVEZ LAUGHING CEREMONY AT CENTRE
  • Embargoed: 13th July 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA42VEBXEIAHGU9Z86F5BA9BFJK
  • Story Text: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lambasts U.S. "imperialism" at the start of a visit to Moscow. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez railed against the United States at the start of a visit to Russia on Thursday (June 28) and called on Moscow to help lead a worldwide revolution against Washington.
    Chavez was speaking at a colourful ceremony to open a Latin American cultural centre in Moscow. In an hour-long speech he welcomed Russian investment in his country's booming energy sector and said that U.S. companies unwilling to stick by Venezuela's move toward nationalisation of oil resources should leave.
    "If they want to leave, please, the door is open. But there were Russian companies as well and they accepted Venezuelan laws, there are Chinese companies, Argentinean, Uruguayan. We accept small and big companies, like Lukoil and Gazprom, and Belorussian oil company. Oil is anywhere in the world," he said.
    On Tuesday (June 26), two U.S. companies, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, pulled out of exploration ventures.
    During his visit Chavez is likely to discuss plans for Russian gas giant Gazprom and oil giant Lukoil to develop projects in Venezuela, including a project to build a gas pipeline linking Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.
    Chavez, a left-wing former soldier who says the United States wants to topple him, has called Bush a "devil" in a speech at the United Nations and sought to make common cause with other countries wary of Washington's influence. Speaking through an interpreter Chavez said Russia and Venezuela were on the same side.
    He thanked Russian president Vladimir Putin for showing solidarity in Venezuela's feud with the United States and mentioned Russia selling planes to him when America refused.
    "Then I came to Moscow to talk to Vladimir and after four months we had Suhoi planes flying over Caracas. And we now have our first fleet of aircraft. This is what we call solidarity, this is what we call independence, it is sovereignty. And the American imperialists should understand that they cannot control the whole world," Chavez said.
    He also commented on the U.S. occupation of Iraq and said all countries should have the right to develop their own nuclear industry.
    "They should withdraw their troops from Iraq. They have to refuse to threaten Iran. Iran has all the rights, why can they not develop their nuclear industry for peaceful purposes. Two days ago I read that Lula [Brazilian president] is going to re-open their nuclear project and he has the right to do so. Argentina has the right to do the same, and so does Venezuela," Chavez said.
    The visit comes at an awkward time because President Putin flies on Sunday to the United States for an informal meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush at his family's ocean-front retreat in Kennebunkport, Maine.
    In a signal the Kremlin wants to keep Chavez's visit low profile, the pro-Kremlin majority in parliament overturned an earlier decision to invite the Venezuelan leader to address the full chamber on Friday, moving him to a smaller hall instead.
    Putin is to meet Chavez during the three-day visit but a Kremlin official said the main focus would be on economic ties and not politics -- Russian energy firms are investing in Venezuela and Chavez is a big buyer of Russian arms.
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