US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday urged Venezuela to be transparent over its arms purchases as she and Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez expressed worry about a regional arms race.
“We have expressed concern about the number of Venezuelan arms purchases,” Clinton told reporters during a joint press conference with Vazquez.
Venezuela’s arms purchases “outpace all other countries in South America, and certainly raise the question as to whether there is going to be an arms race in the region,” the chief US diplomat said.
PHOTO: EPA
“So we urge Venezuela to be transparent in its purchases, clear about its purposes,” Clinton said.
She urged Caracas to set up a system “to ensure that the weapons they buy are not diverted” to insurgent groups or criminal cartels such as drug gangs.
The US is especially worried about Venezuela’s new deal with Moscow to purchase battle tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems, and vehicle-mounted surface-to-air missile systems targeting incoming missiles.
The fledgling Union of South American Nations (Unasur), which includes Uruguay, held a meeting in Ecuador on Tuesday that was called over fears sparked by an agreement allowing the US military access to Colombian bases.
At Colombia’s insistence, the meeting has also been broadened to include discussion of Venezuela’s arms purchases from Russia, and Brazil’s decision to buy French submarines and aircraft.
Vazquez expressed broad concerns without singling out any particular deal.
“With respect to the arms race, not only is our country worried, but we have already expressed time and again our position against an arms race,” Vazquez told reporters.
He said Uruguay opposes an arms race because it diverts resources in a region with a poor distribution of wealth — resources that could be better spent on health, education and housing.
“But it’s a fact, and we can’t deny it, that the countries are buying weapons,” he said.
“South America has millions of people living in poverty, and there are thousands of children that die across Latin America and South America because of child diarrhea or diseases that could be prevented,” he said.
“We should devote our energies and resources to fight against the real scourges of our societies ... such as drug trafficking and terrorism,” he said.
In Caracas, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a fierce US critic, said on Sunday that his country had obtained a US$2.2 billion credit from Russia for arms purchases.
Chavez said Venezuela is buying 92 Soviet-era T-72 main battle tanks, 300mm Smerch multiple-launch rocket systems and vehicle-mounted Russian Antey 2500 surface-to-air missile systems targeting incoming missiles.
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
TIGHTENING: Zhu Hengpeng, who worked for an influential think tank, has reportedly not been seen in public since making disparaging remarks on WeChat A leading Chinese economist at a government think tank has reportedly disappeared after being disciplined for criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in a private chat group. Zhu Hengpeng (朱恆鵬), 55, is believed to have made disparaging remarks about China’s economy, and potentially about the Chinese leader specifically, in a private WeChat group. Zhu was subsequently detained in April and put under investigation, the Wall Street Journal reported. Zhu worked for the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) for more than 20 years, most recently as the Institute of Economics deputy director and director of the Public Policy Research Center. He
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in