Says He Will Have Any Further Overflights Shot Down

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (pictured) has accused the U.S. government of using UAV's to spy on military installations in Venezuela, and said any further overflights would be shot down.  He said the aircraft, which took off from neighboring Colombia, overflew a military base in the western state of Zulia. In his weekly radio address, Chavez said "These are the Yankees. They are entering Venezuela."

"I've ordered them to be shot down," he said. "We cannot permit this."

Chavez has accused the Colombian government of allowing the U.S. military to use bases there as a staging area for a possible invasion of Venezuela. U.S. officials say the flights are strictly used for drug interdiction. The Associated Press reports that the U.S. Embassy had no information about any flyovers, and had not been contacted by Venezuelan officials. "If the Venezuelan government would like to speak with us about any issue, we would welcome discussions because we seek open dialogue with all nations in the hemisphere," spokeswoman Robin Holzhauer said.

Chavez has often accused governments, particularly the U.S., of spying or preparing an attack. The U.S. government does base some aircraft at civilian facilities in the region, including Curacao and Aruba, but only for use in drug interdiction, they say. 

FMI: http://bogota.usembassy.gov