Venezuela Pursues `Outsized' Arms Build-Up, U.S. Says

Venezuela Pursues `Outsized' Arms Build-Up, U.S. Says

Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is pursuing ``an outsized military build-up,'' a U.S. State Department spokesman said, signaling that the U.S. may block planned arms purchases from Spain and Brazil.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters at a briefing in Washington that the U.S. continues to analyze the proposed purchases, which require U.S. approval because they utilize American technology.

``We have had concerns about those sales,'' McCormack said, according to a transcript provided by the State Department. ``Those concerns center around a military -- what we would consider an outsized military build-up in Venezuela.''

Since March, Venezuela has purchased $2 billion worth of Spanish military aircraft and frigates, as well as $240 million in Russian arms, including helicopters and rifles.

``This buying spree is really outsized in the analysis, I believe, of many to Venezuela's defense needs,'' McCormack said.

Venezuela is also seeking to buy military training aircraft from Brazil. The Tucano prop planes are built by Brazil's Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, the world's fourth-largest aircraft maker.

McCormack didn't say when the U.S. would have an answer on whether it would approve or block the sales.

Chavez, 51, reiterated yesterday in Brazil that his country's arms purchases are intended for defensive and not offensive operations. He has also said he plans to diversify arms sales from the U.S., the country's traditional provider.

``Brazil and Argentina have made impressive military advancements to produce the weapons that we need for defense and the dissuasive strategy,'' Chavez said at a meeting with South American leaders in Brasilia.
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