US bans arms sales to Venezuela over terrorism

UNITED STATES: Washington banned all U.S. arms sales to Venezuela, punishing President Hugo Chavez for his ties with Cuba and Iran and for what it believes is his inaction against guerrillas from neighbouring Colombia.

The sanctions symbolically escalate a diplomatic crisis with a major U.S. energy supplier and come after years of friction between the nations on issues ranging from trade to oil prices that have dragged ties to their worst state in decades.

Despite Venezuela's repeated assertions that it works against terrorism, and particularly militants in the Andean region, the United States designated it on Monday as a country considered uncooperative in the U.S. war on terrorism.

While the move is not as severe as adding a country to the U.S. blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, which includes Iran and Cuba, it does trigger sanctions and is likely to provoke an angry response from Chavez.

The sanctions extend the Bush administration's practice in recent years of stopping country-to-country sales involving American arms and technology to Venezuela.

Now Washington also prohibits all U.S. commercial weapons sales to Venezuela and prevents any re-sales of American arms and technology from other nations.

Such sales have been in decline anyway. Last year, the U.S. government approved licensing for commercial military sales to Venezuela worth a total of $8.5 million, mainly for parts for C-130 transport planes, down from $41 million in 2004, one U.S. official said.

Washington, Tuesday, Reuters.