Iran reaches out to Chavez as both countries use oil reserves as power base for political change

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In Cuba, Iran leader says capitalism ‘in decay’ as Iran reaches out to Chavez

Then came Sunday’s op-ed in The Washington Post by Roger Noriega, a visiting fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute and a former assistant secretary of state under George W. Bush. He wrote “that Iran and Venezuela are conspiring to sow Tehran’s brand of proxy terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.”

Mr. Noriega details an Aug. 22, 2010, secret meeting that Chávez hosted for leaders from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). “That these infamous criminals left their traditional havens demonstrates their confidence in Chávez and their determination to cultivate a terror network on America’s doorstep,” Noriega wrote.

There are concerns, to be sure, but my diplomatic sources say Venezuela does not pose an immediate terrorist threat. Merely allowing Iranians and Palestinians into the country, they add, is not enough to justify it as a terrorist sponsor as some would like. In my own reporting, I’ve also asked Jewish leaders here if they’re afraid of Hezbollah setting up a base for an attack, such as the 1994 Argentina bombing, and the answer is mostly no.

But Chávez’s bellicosity, and his $15 billion in military spending, certainly doesn’t put worried minds at ease – and that’s something that Obama’s current visit to Latin America may be subtly counteracting by standing alongside more level-headed regional leaders in Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador.

See more:

https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Backchannels/2011/0322/Chavez-ratchets-up-military-spending-as-Obama-reaches-out-to-Latin-America/