Chavez hands out rifles, says US won't defeat him

VENEZUELA: Wearing his old army uniform and red paratroop beret, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez handed new Russian-made rifles to troops on Wednesday, vowing Washington would not defeat his socialist revolution.

Venezuela received a shipment of 30,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles earlier this month just weeks after Washington banned U.S. arms sales to Caracas over concerns about Chavez's close ties to longtime U.S. foes Cuba and Iran and what it called his inaction against Marxist FARC guerrillas in neighboring Colombia.

Chavez, a left-wing former soldier who says the United States wants to topple him, has ordered officers and civilian reservists to train for a resistance war against U.S. troops who he says plan to seize Venezuela's vast oil reserves. "The U.S. empire has a campaign around the world trying to isolate Venezuela so no one will sell us even a shotgun. This is an act of victory," Chavez told troops after inspecting and sighting a target with one of the new rifles.

"We keep warning the imperialist U.S. government that they won't ever defeat us," he said. Washington dismisses his invasion talk as nationalist bluster from a tyrant who is eroding democracy and using his oil wealth to muscle in on neighbors. U.S. officials have blocked arms sales to Caracas they say will destabilize the region.

Soldiers, sailors and airmen, in battle fatigues and faces daubed with camouflage paint, took turns marching up to hand Chavez old rifles and receive new AK103 rifles - the first batch of 100,000 Venezuela purchased last year. "Fatherland or death," Chavez told soldiers as he slapped the black rifles into their hands. "These are the best rifles in the world."

Earlier Chavez said on Wednesday his government planned to buy 24 Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets as part of increased military spending to beef up his armed forces. Chavez, has already purchased Russian attack and transport helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles to modernize the military of the world's No. 5 oil exporter.

"First of all we are going to buy 24 Sukhoi aircraft," Chavez said during an late-night event without giving more details about the purchase.

Chavez olso said he had ordered a probe into licenses of private television channels after accusing them of waging a "psychological war" against his government. The Venezuelan leader has come under fire from press watchdogs for his clashes with the country's private media and television news channels, most of which have been openly hostile to his socialist government.

Chavez, has often accused local television stations of backing a short-lived 2002 coup against him and of spreading lies in an attempt to topple his government.

"I have ordered a review of the licenses given to television stations," Chavez told troops at a ceremony.

"We must act to ensure the constitution is fulfilled ... to protect the people, national unity, because everyday there are messages of hate, disrespect of the institutions, rumors, psychological war to divide the nation," he said.

Caracas,Thursday, Reuters