MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US concerned with Venezuela's MiGs purchase.

A senior US President Bush administration official was critical of Venezuela's plans to acquire Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets, adding that the United States “shoots down” this type of warplane.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to reporters covering President George W. Bush's official visit to Canada, said Venezuelans should be disturbed by such a purchase.

"It should be an issue of concern to the Venezuelan people. Millions of dollars are going to be spent on Russian weapons for ill-defined purposes". Asked if the planned acquisition was unsettling for the United States, the official said, "Let me put it this way: We shoot down MiGs".

In a recent visit to Moscow, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said his country was interested in purchasing different types of Russian-made weapons including helicopters, AK 47 assault rifles, anti-tank rockets, air defence systems and the MiG fighter planes to replace the current U.S.-made F-16 fighters of the Venezuelan Air Force.

Peru is another South American country with a long tradition of purchasing then Soviet Russian equipment and Brazil for several years has been in talks to establish a Brazilian-Russian MiG assembly plant.