Venezuela submits to no one, says Chavez in Libya

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TRIPOLI, Oct 24 (AFP): Visiting President Hugo Chavez said Saturday Venezuela would not submit to any outside supervision after warnings from the United States over Caracas's decision to build its first nuclear power plant.
"We will not accept being supervised by anyone," Chavez said in Libya after being awarded an honorary degree at Tripoli's Academy of Higher Education.
The firebrand president said Venezuela's October 15 agreement with Russia to build and operate the Latin American country's first nuclear power station was "a sovereign choice."
"Venezuela is not afraid of American imperialism," he said.
On Tuesday US President Barack Obama backed Venezuela's efforts to develop nuclear power for civilian energy purposes, but also said Caracas had "obligations."
"Our attitude is that Venezuela has rights to peacefully develop nuclear power," he said, adding that as a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty it must also meet its obligations not to weaponise those systems.
Chavez on Wednesday signed 11 deals with Tehran focused on energy cooperation between the two major oil producers and US foes.
The next day the US State Department said Washington would monitor such cooperation closely.
"We will watch to see if any of these deals amount to anything and if they do, whether they constitute a violation of the (UN) Security Council resolutions and sanctions against Iran," spokesman Philip Crowley said.
Western powers suspect Iran is seeking to manufacture nuclear weapons through its programme of uranium enrichment, a charge Tehran denies.
In Damascus on Thursday, Chavez accused Obama of deliberately sowing "doubt" about Venezuela's nuclear plant deal with Moscow for political ends.