Obama on Chavez’s Nuclear Program:”Act Responsibly, Mr. Chavez”

Ray Walser / October 20, 2010

When asked about his reaction to the signing of a Russian deal that promises to deliver two nuclear power plants to oil-rich Venezuela, President Obama answered:

We have no incentive nor interest in increasing friction between Venezuela and the US, but we do think Venezuela needs to act responsibly.  Our attitude is that Venezuela has rights to peacefully develop nuclear power,” he [Obama] said, “adding that as a signatory of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty it must also meet its obligations not to weaponize those systems.

For all the many rebuffs delivered by President Hugo Chávez, including the current impasse over the selection of the next U.S. ambassador to Caracas, President Obama remains determined to minimize the potential threat Venezuela poses to U.S. interests and security in the Western Hemisphere. Obama blithely dismisses experienced critics who have raised red flags regarding Chávez’s nuclear ambitions and the growing challenge of the Venezuela-Iran-Russia connection. (more…)