Putin to help Venezuela develop "peaceful" nuclear technology

From the Wall Street Journal - September 9, 2009:

According to a report published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in December of last year, Venezuela has an estimated 50,000 tons of unmined uranium. There is speculation in the Carnegie report that Venezuela could be mining uranium for Iran...

From the Washington Post - September 10, 2009:

DEBATES IN Washington about Hugo Chávez often end with the dismissive conclusion that the Venezuelan strongman poses no threat to the United States. If that's right, it's not because he isn't trying...

Mr. Chávez... endorsed Iran's nuclear program and declared that Venezuela would seek Iran's assistance to construct a nuclear complex of its own...

In the past several years Iran has opened banks in Caracas and factories in the South American countryside. Manhattan district attorney Robert Morgenthau... says he believes Iran is using the Venezuelan banking system to evade U.S. and U.N. sanctions.

He also points out that Iranian factories have been located "in remote and undeveloped parts of Venezuela" that lack infrastructure but that could be "ideal . . . for the illicit production of weapons."

"The opening of Venezuela's banks to the Iranians guarantees the continued development of nuclear technology and long-range missiles," Mr. Morgenthau said.. "The mysterious manufacturing plants, controlled by Iran deep in the interior of Venezuela, give even greater concern."

From the Merco Press September 11, 2009:

Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez revealed in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro that he has signed an agreement with his Iranian peer Mahmud Ahmadinejad to develop a nuclear program with the help of the Teheran regime...

Venezuela is working in a preliminary project for the construction of a “nuclear villa” with the help of Iran, so that “the people of Venezuela in the future can count with this marvelous resource for peaceful purposes”, Chavez was quoted by Le Figaro.

“Iran has a right to develop nuclear energy, and so can Venezuela”, said Chavez who added he was certain that “Iran is not involved in the manufacturing of nuclear weapons, nor do we want them”.

From Bloomberg News - September 13, 2009:

Venezuela President Hugo Chavez said the South American country plans to develop a nuclear energy program with Russia and doesn’t want to build an atomic bomb.

Chavez said that the country’s oil and gas reserves won’t last forever and the government will seek alternative energy sources. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin agreed to help Venezuela’s nuclear energy program during a meeting in Moscow last week, Chavez said.

“We’re not going to make an atomic bomb, so don’t bother us like with Iran,” he said on state television. “We’re going to develop nuclear energy with peaceful purposes.”...

And, to show his appreciation for the Venezuelan leader's peaceful intentions, President Obama is backing Mr. Chavez' pal, Mel Zelaya.

It all makes sense now!