Chavez asks US to pull out of Iraq, stop plans to attack Iran

Moscow, June 28 (UNI) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez today asked the United States to pull out of Iraq and stop plans to attack Iran.

Mr Chavez arrived here today on a three-day visit to Moscow, to hold wide-ranging talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Besides high level talks, he will also attend a presidential prize horse-race in Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia.

''The United States must realize that it will not rule the world.

For the sake of peace the US must pull troops out of Iraq and drop plans for attacks on Iran. That's a free country and it has the right to a civilian nuclear power industry,'' Mr Chavez said at the opening ceremony of the Simon Bolivar Cultural Centre. He expressed the hope that his current visit to Russia would strengthen strategic partnership between the two countries in the energy sector.

''Russia and Venezuela remain strategic partners in the energy sector, and this visit should serve to strengthen this cooperation," the Venezuelan President noted.

''Lukoil is already in Venezuela, and Mr Bush (US President George W Bush) doesn't like it,'' he said.

Mr Chavez said he did not rule out the possibility that Venezuela may start developing its own nuclear power industry.

''Who knows, Venezuela may start moving in that direction,'' Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

Negotiations between Mr Chavez and Mr Putin will focus on trade and economic relations and global energy security, a Kremlin aide told Russian news agencies, ahead of the talks in Moscow.

''During the negotiations between the two presidents, an emphasis will be placed on the development of trade and economic relations.

Special attention will be paid to diversifying mutual trade, increasing trade turnover, and promoting promising investment projects,'' the aide said.

''Fuel and energy will be at the focus of the economic discussions. Russian companies including oil and gas giants Lukoil and Gazprom, and power plant builder Technopromexport are increasing their presence on the Venezuelan market,'' the aide noted.

During his visit, the Venezuelan President is expected to sign deals on Russian arms deliveries to Venezuela.

A Russian military expert said earlier that Mr Chavez may finalize a deal to purchase Russian diesel submarines for the Venezuelan Navy.

The contract is reportedly for the supply of five Project 636 Kilo-class diesel submarines and four state-of-the-art Project 677 Amur submarines.

UNI