HUGO CHAVEZ MAY MOVE F-16'S TO CUBA, CHINA

Nov 1, 8:11 PM (ET)

By NATALIE OBIKO PEARSON

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez warned Tuesday he might share Venezuela's U.S.-made F-16 fighters with Cuba and China, accusing the United States of making it difficult for his country to obtain spare parts for the aircraft.

Chavez claimed the U.S. broke a contract to supply parts for Venezuela's fleet of 21 F-16s and pressured other countries not to help maintain them.

"We can do whatever we want with the planes. Maybe we'll send 10 to Cuba, or maybe to China so that they can see the technology. I say with whatever country that can use them," said Chavez, a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Venezuela originally purchased its fleet of F-16s in 1983. Until Chile acquired a fleet in 2003, Venezuela was the only Latin American country to possess the warplanes made by Lockheed Martin.

U.S. officials did not address Chavez's comments specifically. The Pentagon said in a statement that it has not had any conversations with Venezuela regarding the sale of F-16s to any third country, and that regulations governing the transfer of U.S. military equipment are quite strict.

The Venezuelan president's comments - made during a ceremony announcing Venezuela's plan to launch a telecommunications satellite with the help of China - are the latest in a yearslong series of charges and counter charges that have strained relations with Washington. Chavez regularly claims the United States is trying to overthrow his government, an accusation the United States has dismissed.

In his comments, Chavez pledged to challenge U.S. "imperialism" at an upcoming Summit of the Americas, beginning Friday in Argentina and drawing leaders from 34 Western Hemisphere nations, including both Bush and Chavez.

Chavez said he would go the summit with the message that Washington's "capitalist, imperialist model" was responsible for exploiting developing economies and ruining the global environment.
He also criticized U.S.-backed free-trade policies that he said make poor nations poorer while keeping them trapped in cycle of crippling debt payments.

"They make us slaves," said Chavez, pledging to oppose the U.S. plan for a Free Trade Area of the Americas and saying it would be "buried" at the summit.

Chavez, who says he is leading a socialist "revolution," has used Venezuela's oil wealth to push for regional solidarity, offering fuel with preferential financing to various Caribbean and Latin American countries.

Venezuela has also bought $950 million this year in Argentine bonds in what Chavez has called a step toward creating a so-called Bank of the South to help provide financing to the region. Chavez said he would be pushing that banking initiative again at the two-day summit