Chavez to Al Qaeda: Don't fight us, we are on the same side

Venezuela to verify "illogical" threat from Al Qaeda
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- Al Qaeda suggests striking Venezuelan oil premises


Rear admiral Luis Cabrera, one of the members of President Hugo Chávez' Joint Chiefs of Staff, Thursday asked for verification of the "illogical" threat Al Qaeda allegedly launched against Venezuela, as this country is fighting US imperialism too, but using other methods.

"We should confirm the authenticity of these reports. It seems illogical that Al-Qaeda, which is against the US imperialism, is going after a State that is precisely fighting this hegemony, this imperialism, yet using other methods," Cabrera told official TV channel VTV.

Reports from Abu Dhabi on Wednesday claimed that the Saudi branch of Al Qaeda has urged followers to strike oil facilities in all countries around the world supplying oil to the United States, including Mexico, Canada and Venezuela.

The call came in an article called "Bin Laden and the Oil Weapon," featured in the latest edition of on-line magazine Sawt al-Jihad (Voice of Jihad), of the so-called "Al Qaeda Organization in the Arabian Peninsula," Efe reported.

The article urges the Mujahideens (Islamic fighters) to target oil premises for attacks not only in Saudi Arabia, but throughout the world.

"We should strike petroleum interests in all areas which supply the United States, and not only in the Middle East, because the target is to stop its imports or decrease it by all means," said the group on the on-line magazine (Voice of Jihad).

Cabrera stressed that the means to fight the United States "are different" because Venezuela fight "with the Constitution, with legality, moral and the truth, rather than terrorist attacks."

He reminded that there are "serious suspicions" that September 11, 2002 terrorist attacks on a number of civilian and military targets in the US were "self-attacks."

"This could be part of a plan," he said, adding that "it is important for Venezuelan security agencies to take all necessary measures of security and defense to avoid any attack."

In this connection, on Wednesday, Minister of the Interior and Justice Pedro Carreño said they have declared "an early alert" and are "ready to conduct any relevant investigations to guarantee supply of strategic resources."

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