Is Venezuela Persuing the Bomb?

It's not clear what Venezuela's hiding, but it's definitely hiding something -- and the fact that Iran is involved suggests that it's up to no good. Roger F. Noriega

While Jaime Daremblum's recent article, Democracy is Winning in Latin America raises some interesting points and one is left with hope for our neighbors to the south of us, it also raises the real posibility of what an unknown commodity Hugo Chavez really is and to what lengths will he go to preserve his so-called "Bolivarian Revolution". Sure, there are positive signs in the hemisphere that democracy is taking root in places like Honduras where Profirio Lobo Sosa has taken over after a constitutional crisis was initiated by his predessesor, Hugo Chavez toady Manuel Zelaya. However, towards the end of Daremblum's article, he brings up this troubling note....

"The triumph of Honduran democracy was an embarrassing defeat for Chávez, who had angrily demanded Zelaya’s return. Now he has suffered an even bigger embarrassment on his home turf. It is way too soon to make any long-term predictions about the future of Venezuela’s “Bolivarian Revolution.” After all, Chávez is a brutal autocrat who has recovered from earlier setbacks. But the 2010 election may one day be seen as a turning point."

Perhaps, but being a pragmatist I happen to trust Chavez about as far as I could throw him. Adding to any misgivings I might have for the schlep is this article from Roger Noriega which seems to indicate that Chavez is living up to his image of a complete crackpot, bent on dominance in the West....

"For example, a November 2008 contract between a Venezuelan state-run firm, CVG Minerven, and the Iranian government firm Impasco grants the Iranians a "gold mine" concession in the heart of the Roraima basin in the southeastern state of Bolivar, which sits along the Venezuela-Guyana border. Although gold mining in Venezuela goes back decades, the basin is also home to one of the world's largest deposits of uranium, according to a survey by the U308 Corp., a Canadian uranium exploration company...

In addition to acquiring a mine strategically located above substantial uranium deposits, Iranian firms have taken over nearby industrial facilities and seem to be using them for purposes other than those publicly stated. For example, a "cement plant" produces little if any cement, a "tractor factory" produces few tractors, and both facilities are well situated for supporting Iran's shadowy activities in an area that is far from everything but uranium.

The "cement plant," in fact, processes ore from the Impasco mine, according to sources familiar with the facility. The facility, located in southern Monagas state, was built in 2007 by Edhasse Sanat, a firm owned by Iran's Ministry of Mines. According to eyewitnesses, the plant has yet to produce a bag of cement but, instead, serves as a conduit for moving ore to a port on the Orinoco River, where it is transferred onto Iranian-flagged vessels on the Atlantic Ocean. Once it reaches the open sea, there is nothing to prevent its delivery to Iran.

The "tractor factory" in the state of Bolivar is a second facility that provides Iran a benign cover for its activities in this remote region. Operated since 2006 by a Venezuela-Iran joint venture, the facility produces few tractors and is housed in a military-style compound protected by Venezuelan National Guard troops, according to two eyewitnesses who have visited and videotaped the facility in recent years."

All of this secrecy adds up to a rogue state that cannot be trusted IMO. If the United States isn't agressively and covertly assisting Venezuelan opposition candidates then I would like to know why. We fret about the Hitler of our time, Ahmadinejad aquiring nuclear weapons on the other side of the globe while at the same time we should be even more concerned about one of his lackeys aquiring the A-bomb just a hop, skip and a quick plane ride away from Miami.