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Venezuela’s Chavez Shows Off Russian Fighter Jets on Independence Day President Hugo Chavez marked Venezuela’s independence day on Wednesday, showing off Russian fighter jets his government is planning to buy and new helicopters and rifles it purchased after Washington blocked U.S. arms sales to Caracas. Two Sukhoi SU-30MK fighters sent from Russia roared overhead as troops, tanks and vehicles filed past Chavez and his counterparts from Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay who were visiting for a summit of the Mercosur trade bloc, Reuters reports. Relations between Washington and Caracas are tense after the United States banned arms sales, citing Chavez’s close ties to Iran and Cuba. U.S. officials say the populist Chavez is destabilizing the region, a charge he rejects as propaganda. Chavez, a former army officer, is seeking to buy 24 of the high-performance Sukhoi fighters to replace his government’s F-16 jets in a deal analysts estimate would cost nearly $1 billion. He has already bought Kalashnikov rifles and attack helicopters from Russia. “The U.S. government has sabotaged us, failing to meet contracts and agreements, delaying or not sending parts for U.S.-made aircraft,” Chavez said. “See now how our air force is recovering operations, especially with these Sukhoi, the most powerful combat jets in the world.” Joining Chavez at the ceremony was Mikhail Kalashnikov, the Russian who designed the original weapon to bear his name, the AK-47. Venezuela has purchased 100,000 new AK-103 rifles to replace its military’s aging FAL weapons. Critics question why Venezuela would need an advanced jet like the Sukhoi and U.S. officials, who opposed sales of Spanish and Brazilian arms to Caracas, have already said they will seek to dissuade Russia from the sale. Chavez, who says he is battling U.S. imperialism, travels to Moscow at the end of this month to sign a deal for the combat aircraft. He has curbed military cooperation with the United States and this year expelled a U.S. naval attache he charged was spying. Chavez often accuses the White House of preparing to invade his oil exporting country and has ordered troops and civilian reserves to train for a resistance war. U.S. officials say that is merely saber-rattling before elections in December. ---------------------------------------------------
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