US invasion of Venezuela would spark 100-year war: Chavez
By Sanjay Garg | Thu, 10/20/2005 - 11:38
Venezuela--Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged the United States to leave Iraq alone and warned that if US troops were to invade Venezuela it would spark a "100-year war" in Latin America.
Chavez made the remarks last night in a speech to supporters after separate talks with French President Jacques Chirac.
"I take this opportunity, from the heart of France, to once again demand that the US government take its hands off Iraq, and that it let that nation freely decide its own destiny," Chavez said to applause at the event, shown live on Venezuelan state television.
He compared the situation of Venezuela, a key US oil supplier, to Iraq. Chavez, a close ally of Cuba's Fidel Castro, has claimed the US is trying to oust him to seize Venezuela's oil reserves, but US officials strongly deny it.
"We want peace, but they shouldn't make any mistake with us," as the US "made a mistake in Iraq," Chavez said.
He said US troops went into Iraq apparently believing Iraqis "would receive them with flowers."
[inline:1]Chavez, a fierce critic of US President George W Bush, noted Venezuela is organising an expanded military reserve and civilian defence units to defend his South American country.
"If it occurs to them ... to invade Venezuela to try to halt the process in Venezuela, that would start a 100-year war. We would defend against it with our teeth, with our nails," Chavez said.
"If something were to occur against Venezuela, it would spark armed movements in a good part of Latin America," he said
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