Kalashnikov factory stirs fears that Venezuela could export arms

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chávez's plans to build the first Kalashnikov factory in South America are stirring fears that Venezuela could start arming leftist allies in the hemisphere with Russian assault rifles.

Chavez denies such ambitions, saying his government bought 100,000 Russian-made AK-103 assault rifles and a license from Moscow to make Kalashnikovs — commonly known as AK-47s — and ammunition to bolster its defenses against "the most powerful empire in history" — the United States.

Some political opponents and critics suspect Chávez, a former paratrooper, has other intentions, such as providing allies like Bolivia and Cuba with arms while forging an anti-Washington military alliance.

"Our president has always had a warlike mentality, but now it appears this mentality is turning into a mission that could easily extend to other parts of Latin America," said William Ojeda, a presidential candidate who hopes to run against Chávez in the December election.

Chávez has said "Venezuelan blood would run" if the United States tried to invade Cuba or Bolivia, though he has not said his government would provide those nations with weapons.

The Bush administration also is concerned about Chávez's intentions.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday that Venezuela appeared to be in the midst of an "outsized military buildup for a country of that size and the nature of the threats" in the region.

"They've already purchased 100,000 AK-103 assault rifles from Russia. So I'm not quite sure what else they might need a factory for," McCormack said. "It certainly raises serious questions about what their intentions are."

The first 30,000 of those rifles have arrived in Venezuela, with the rest due by year's end.

"If the president says he'll send Venezuelans to defend other Latin American nations, nobody should doubt that he's willing to send them weapons as part of his anti-imperialist vision," Ojeda said.

Ojeda pointed out that Bolivia's new socialist president, Evo Morales, referred to Chávez as his "commander" during a recent ceremony marking the 78th anniversary of the birth of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the revolutionary who was captured and executed in Bolivia 39 years ago.

Chávez has provided a helicopter and pilots to Morales to ferry him around in the weeks ahead of a July vote for a constituent assembly that will rewrite Bolivia's constitution.

Chávez vehemently denies that Venezuela's recent defense deals worth an estimated $2.7 billion constitute a military buildup or that he poses a threat to regional stability, as U.S. officials allege.

His military advisers argue that Venezuela needs new rifles to replace outdated weapons such as Belgian-made FAL assault rifles — and to have enough guns for up to 2 million reservists.

Gen. Alberto Muller, a Chávez adviser, said the Kalashnikov factory would be able to produce 20,000 to 30,000 rifles a year. Construction is expected to begin within four to five years, he said, but Chávez may want to build it sooner.

The Kalashnikov is manufactured in more than a dozen countries, including Egypt and Poland. Imitations are also widely produced. It is used by the armed forces of more than 50 countries as well as militant groups from Afghanistan to Somalia.

Muller said there are no plans to export guns because Venezuela will need all the rifles it produces.

But defense analysts say corrupt officials in Venezuela's low-paid armed forces raise the possibility that weapons and ammunition could wind up in the wrong hands — a likely concern in neighboring Colombia, where leftist rebels have been battling the government for more than four decades.

"Colombia will certainly be concerned about the ammunition factories to be built in Venezuela," said Anna Gilmour, a Latin American defense expert at the London-based Jane's Information Group.

Unlike assault rifles, ammunition lacks serial numbers and is thus untraceable.

Then there is the issue of Venezuelan civilian militias.

"I understand the FALs are to be diverted to the new civilian militias, in which case they will be extremely hard to keep track of," and might be quickly resold in the country or abroad, Gilmour said.

Military authorities have said strict controls, including serial numbers inscribed on each rifle, prevent them from being stolen or sold.

Venezuela is also buying 15 Russian helicopters for $200 million, and Chávez said last week that his government would buy 24 Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets.