Venezuela's plan to develop a nuclear energy capability with Russian assistance is not motivated by the desire to acquire a nuclear weapon, the country's leader insisted Sunday (see GSN, Nov. 18, 2008).
"I say it before the world: Venezuela is going to start the process of developing nuclear energy, but we're not going to make an atomic bomb, so don't be bothering us afterward ... (with) something like what they have against Iran," said President Hugo Chavez.
"We're going to develop nuclear energy with peaceful aims as Brazil, Argentina have," Chavez added.
Venezuela has established an atomic energy commission in cooperation with Russia, he said, noting that he discussed nuclear matters last week with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
"Putin himself has said it: 'We're going to support Venezuela so that it has nuclear energy,'" he said.
A general nuclear assistance pact is "all there is for the moment" between the countries, said Russian atomic energy agency spokesman Sergei Novikov.
"There are no concrete projects that have been worked out and agreed upon," the official told AP yesterday.
The United States expressed concern Monday about possible nuclear trade between Venezuela and Iran. Washington and other Western governments suspect that elements of Iran's program are geared toward building a nuclear weapon (see related GSN story, today).
Asked about the threat of nuclear ties developing between the two nations, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said, "The short answer is, to that, yes, we do have concerns." He said, though, that Venezuela has signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which prohibits non-nuclear-weapon states from pursuing atomic arsenals.
The issue has attracted attention from two Republican lawmakers. U.S. Representative Connie Mack (Fla.) called on Washington and its partners to "unite to prevent Chavez from gaining access to new nuclear technology."
Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, also from Florida, warned that Russian plans to provide nuclear and military assistance to Venezuela "create an eerie sense that the history of Iran's Russia-backed military and nuclear buildup is repeating itself almost identically in Venezuela" (Ian James, Associated Press/Google News, Sept. 16).
Chavez has suggested that Venezuela and Iran could pursue "nuclear cooperation," United Press International reported yesterday (United Press International, Sept. 15).