Venezuela's Chavez says South American defense council to be created

[Judi Lynn]

Venezuela's Chavez says South American defense council to be created

The Associated Press
Monday, April 14, 2008
CARACAS, Venezuela: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said his government is working to create a South America defense council along with Brazil and other countries.

During a speech Sunday night, Chavez said the council would unite the region's countries to "design our own defense policies." He said Venezuelan officials planned to discuss it with Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim while he visits Caracas on Monday.

"We're working on the project to create a South American defense council," Chavez said.
(snip)

"I once said that if NATO exists — the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — why couldn't SATO exist? The South Atlantic Treaty Organization," Chavez said. "We've placed it on the table for Latin America once again."

Chavez was addressing a crowd of supporters outside the presidential palace on the sixth anniversary of his return to power after a short-lived 2002 coup.
(snip)

He said the defeat of that coup was "the beginning of the end of the U.S. empire's hegemony in the lands of this continent."

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/14/america/LA-GEN-Venezuela-Chavez.php

[Judi Lynn]

1. Brazil Has Deployed Close to 30,000 Troops to Defend Amazon Riches

Brazil Has Deployed Close to 30,000 Troops to Defend Amazon Riches
Written by Newsroom
Monday, 14 April 2008

Nelson Jobim, Brazil's Minister of Defense, announced he will be visiting neighboring countries to promote the Brazilian initiative for a South American Defense Council. Addressing the Defense and Foreign Affairs committees of the Brazilian Congress Jobim said he wiil be traveling this Monday, April 13, to Venezuela, Surinam and Guyana the first leg of the regional tour.

Later on Minister Jobim is planning to meet with officials from Colombia, Peru and Ecuador and sometime in the second half of the year he would be traveling to meet with the governments of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and Bolivia.

Brazil, South America's largest country has borders with all the continent's countries with the exception of Chile and Ecuador.

"The purpose of these visits is to draft a mid term or possibly long term South American defense identity so that we can have a strong, united continent," said Jobim to members of the two congressional committees.

The South American Defense Council should help to coordinate joint military exercises among the different member countries and could also include the collective participation in United Nations peace operations.

http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/9244/