Chavez plans to export assault rifles to Bolivia

Hugo Chavez shed light on why he wanted to build Russian-style Kalashnikov assault rifles in Venezuela, rather than buy them on the international market. He intends to export the weapons to prop up other revolutionary regimes.

"Chavez said . . . Venezuela could eventually export guns and ammunition to Bolivia and other allies once it opens a factory to make Russian-developed Kalashnikov rifles under license," AP reports from Qatar.

Chavez accused Washington of "threatening" to stop providing replacement parts for Bolivian military hardware and said that he would arm the revolutionary Evo Morales government.

He said he would use the pretext of a US arms cutoff to Bolivia: "we could supply Bolivia . . . and other friendly countries that also require a minimal level of defense."

"Maybe in the future we'll become an [arms] exporting country," Chavez said.