Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim Tuesday denied charges from an opposition politician that Brazil had been exporting a relatively large amount of weapons to Venezuela.
According to Jobim, Brazil only sent ammunition "in small amounts" to its neighboring country via the Foreign Relations Ministry in 2007.
He did not specify the amount of ammunition sent to Venezuela, but said that all documentation on the transactions would be filedto the Federal Senate.
"It was a normal trade relationship, without any connotation ofan arms race. All legal, all registered," said Sen. Romero Juca, of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, which is allied with the ruling party.
Earlier Tuesday, opposition politician Sen. Arthur Virgilio, of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party, said in a plenary session that Brazil exported 31 tonnes of armaments by commercial flights to Venezuela, citing information from private intelligence agency World Check. Jobim said he was unaware of these shipments.
Source: Xinhua
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