Government strengthens economic and ideological alliance with Iran                                    El Universal, Venezuela, October 7th, 2008

A binational bank, million-dollar energy agreements, joint factories to make cars, tractors, bicycles, cement and dairy products, turn Iran into a new important economic partner for the country, also sharing an anti-American vision of the world.  “Iran today is a strategic ally of Venezuela. Our relations, which historically happened through the OPEC, have transcended to other areas such as the economy, technology or culture, and can be taken as a model for South-South cooperation,” stated to AFP Raymundo Kabchi, professor of the Institute of Diplomatic Studies of the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry.
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Russia says military cooperation with Caracas reinforces defensive capabilities
El Universal, Venezuela,  October 7th, 2008

Foreign Affairs Minister, Serguéi Lavrov, said today that military cooperation between his country and Venezuela is intended to reinforce the defensive capacity of that Latin-American state and does not violate international norms. “The military cooperation between Russia and Venezuela is transparent and takes place following international rules. It is oriented towards one matter: the reinforcement of Venezuela’s defensive capacity and the satisfaction of its legitimate interests in this matter,” he said Efe.
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New clash with Sendero Luminoso leaves two dead in Ayacucho
El Comercio, Peru, October 14th, 2008

The situation happens less than a week from the incident at Huancavelica. Five wounded, amongst them an officer, were taken to a military outpost. Two young soldiers of the Peruvian Army died and four were wounded after a clash with alleged narcoterrorist delinquents from Sendero Luminoso, in the department of Ayacucho, informed the Joint Command of the Armed Forces.  Through a press release, it informed that the situation happened at 9:30am in the region of Vizcatán, district of Ayahuanco, province of Huanta. The patrol affected belonged to the Special Command of the river valley Apurímac and Ene (CE-VRAE).
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Russian military sources confirm negotiations to sell tanks to Caracas
El Universal, October 17th, 2008

Sources from the Russian military-industrial complex confirmed today the existence of negotiations between Moscow and Caracas, for the selling of a big amount of Russian T-72 tanks to Venezuela. “Conversations are taking place to sign the contract. It is about a modernized model of the T-72M,” said the source to Interfax agency, informed Efe.  The chief of the Strategic Operational Command of the Venezuelan Armed Forces (CEO), General Jesús González González, assured on Thursday that the Russian T-72 will replace the French MX-30.  more>>  

Prepared by: Mariana Caramagna Natalia Herrera

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