Chavez denies reported U.S. allegations of Islamic terrorist activity in Venezuela
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/05/america/LA_GEN_Venezuela_US_Terrorism.php
(Gold9472: WHAT?!?)
The Associated Press
Published: September 5, 2006
CARACAS, Venezuela President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday denied accusations attributed to a U.S. military officer that a popular tourist destination off Venezuela's coast has become a refuge for Islamic terrorists.
Chavez referred in a televised speech to a recent article in the Colombian magazine Revista Poder, which quoted Gen. Bantz J. Craddock of the U.S. Southern Command as saying there were indications of "extremist contacts" on Margarita Island, a popular beach getaway northeast of Caracas.
Chavez denied such terrorist activity and called the comments part of a U.S. plan "to justify any type of aggression against our country."
Calling Craddock an "imperialist general," Chavez said, "it's a lie that in Margarita there are Arab terrorists and that Margarita and Venezuela are a nest of Arab terrorism."
Craddock, like other Washington officials, has previously referred to Chavez's government as a "destabilizing" force in the region and criticized Venezuela's recent arms purchases.
Chavez, a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro and sharp U.S. critic, accuses Washington of harboring plans to undermine his government, which U.S. officials deny.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/05/america/LA_GEN_Venezuela_US_Terrorism.php
(Gold9472: WHAT?!?)
The Associated Press
Published: September 5, 2006
CARACAS, Venezuela President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday denied accusations attributed to a U.S. military officer that a popular tourist destination off Venezuela's coast has become a refuge for Islamic terrorists.
Chavez referred in a televised speech to a recent article in the Colombian magazine Revista Poder, which quoted Gen. Bantz J. Craddock of the U.S. Southern Command as saying there were indications of "extremist contacts" on Margarita Island, a popular beach getaway northeast of Caracas.
Chavez denied such terrorist activity and called the comments part of a U.S. plan "to justify any type of aggression against our country."
Calling Craddock an "imperialist general," Chavez said, "it's a lie that in Margarita there are Arab terrorists and that Margarita and Venezuela are a nest of Arab terrorism."
Craddock, like other Washington officials, has previously referred to Chavez's government as a "destabilizing" force in the region and criticized Venezuela's recent arms purchases.
Chavez, a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro and sharp U.S. critic, accuses Washington of harboring plans to undermine his government, which U.S. officials deny.