The following are two 2006 clips from the MEMRI TV archives featuring the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. In the first, dated July 2006, Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speak at a joint press conference in Tehran; the conference aired on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) (to view this clip, click here). The second clip is of excerpts from an interview with Chavez which aired on Al-Jazeera TV in August 2006 (to view this clip, click here).
Chavez and Ahmadinejad Challenge the U.S., Condemn Israel, and Agree Iran Is Entitled to Nuclear Energy – IRINN, July 30, 2006
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "Fortunately, my dear brother Mr. Chavez holds revolutionary and lofty points of view. In this we are in complete agreement. We consider the economies of our countries to be complementary, rather than competing economies." [...]
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez: "Why don't they [Israel] look for an army, and confront it like a real army? If you want war, look for a real army to fight. If they want war, because of the demons inside them, why don't they behave like a soldier? I am a soldier. Come up against us soldiers. But what cowardice, to bomb a shelter with women and children, who don't even have a stone with which to defend themselves. How valiant the Israeli pilots must feel when they act this way.
"I tell you, from here, from Tehran, 1,000 times: Assassins, cowards. But, in all honesty, they are totally condemned. From the depths of the soul of the peoples, a force will emerge that will put an end to imperialism and all its lackeys." [...]
Chavez: "This brings to mind something said by Bolivar, our liberating father. When they assassinated [General] Sucre, one of the great liberators of South America, Bolivar said: 'They have killed the Abel of Columbia.' Abel... Cain and Abel... He said a sentence directed at God. Bolivar said that day: 'God, if there is any justice, send a bolt of lightning from Your hands upon the monsters.' I say today, 'God, if there is any justice, send bolts of lightning from Your hands upon the monsters.' Allah willing.
Ahmadinejad: "Allah willing." [applause] [...]
"We, along with all the peoples and free human beings, condemn this cowardly and despicable behavior. We believe that those primarily responsible for these crimes are the ones who established this corrupt regime, and who use it to control the peoples. We believe that these crimes are bringing this corrupt regime and its supporters quickly to their end. America and England must answer for these crimes. This has been registered in the memory and history of the peoples.
"Allah willing, the hand of divine power will emerge from the sleeve of the peoples and will avenge the blood that has been unjustly shed. It has become clear once again that all the slogans of human rights, peace, and democracy are nothing but a lie. The rule of hegemony is making a huge error if it thinks that through these crimes and bloodshed it can tighten its rule over the peoples of the region. They are badly mistaken. They should know that they are nearing the last days of their lives. These crimes have disturbed the conscience of mankind. We too repeat the prayer of Simon Bolivar. We ask God to give the free peoples such power that will enable them to erase the rule of hegemony from the face of the earth. That day is near. Allah willing." [...]
Chavez: "Don't I have the book over there? That book I got as a gift from Fidel Castro – The Era of Hydrogen. I think you know it. It moved me. It's a really good book. The Era of Hydrogen. The book is based on something that is called a hypothesis, a thesis. The petroleum will come to an end one day. As we know, petroleum is a non-renewable resource. We also know that terrible consumption has been unleashed, especially in the developed countries, and above all, in the U.S.
"The U.S. has scarcely 5% of the world's population, but it consumes over 20% of the energy produced throughout the planet. The towers of the watchamacallit... the World Trade Center consume more electricity than almost all the cities in West and Central Africa. [...]
"This emphasizes the importance of an alternative source, an alternative energy to petroleum. I recently read in the press that the U.S. administration allocated I don't know how many billions of dollars to construct I don't know how many nuclear reactors in the next decade. The same is going on in Europe. So how can anybody say that Iran does not have the sovereign right to develop nuclear energy? Where did this come from?
"I believe all Third World countries should support Iran's resolute attitude in developing its atomic energy, because we have support for the future over there, technology for the future. Go see if the U.S. is willing to transfer this technology to you. They will never do this, like they have never done in the past. They are egotists.
"Iran, in contrast, is a Third World country. It is a member of OPEC. All OPEC members should support Iran. I go even further and say that I believe that OPEC as an organization should take upon itself nuclear energy projects and utilize financial resources and special projects to develop this energy and other alternatives. [...] We applaud Iran for its determination and decision to develop its atomic energy project. [..]
Ahmadinejad: "Some powers want to have a monopoly. For over three years, they have acted in a political and monopolistic way, and created problems and obstacles regarding Iran's nuclear case. Recently, they have made proposals to us. We said this is a step forward. It was decided that we would examine this thoroughly.
"We are still examining this. We will announce our position at the appropriate time. But the events in Lebanon and Palestine have had their effect on our examination. We must think harder and examine this in more depth. Therefore, I asked my associates to examine this in a more thorough and precise manner." [...]
Ahmadinejad: "The Americans should not create problems for no reason in this case. The path of dialogue can resolve the problems.
"Finally, I would like to thank my dear brother Mr. Chavez, for his revolutionary positions and spirit. In the 24 hours he spent in Tehran, we felt we were hosting our brothers." [...]
Ahmadinejad: "We have a long road ahead in battling the rule of hegemony. We are determined to walk together to the end of this road. We are certain that our peoples will be victorious." [...]
Voice over: "The highest medal of the Islamic Republic of Iran was awarded to the president of Venezuela, in gratitude for his courageous and valuable efforts to achieve a peace based on justice and his commendable positions against the rule of hegemony and his support for the efforts towards peace and independence in the various fields."
Chavez: Israel Uses The Methods Of Hitler, The U.S. Uses The Methods Of Dracula; I'm A Nasserist Who Has Crossed The Deserts, Ridden Camels, And Sung With The Bedouins; Al-Jazeera Plays a Role in Liberating the World – Al-Jazeera, August 4, 2006
Hugo Chavez: "I want to congratulate the people of Qatar, and its leader, my friend and brother, Prince Hamad. From this pulpit, I send my brotherly congratulations to the entire Arab people. I'm celebrating my birthday in the heart of the Arab homeland, on Arab land. What a happy coincidence! My heart beats along with millions of Arab hearts. I could have been an Arab. I have crossed deserts, I have ridden camels, and I have sung with the Bedouin. I have learnt in those years to love and respect the Arab people.
[...]
"We feel that the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians and against Lebanon is directed against us too. This aggression is unjustified. It is perpetrated in the fascist manner of Hitler. Israel is justified in criticizing Hitler and his aggression – and we criticize this as well – but now they are doing what Hitler did to the Jews. They are killing innocent children and whole families. They dismantled the legitimate government of Palestine, and thwarted tremendous efforts to achieve peace and establish a Palestinian state.
"Now they are attacking Lebanon, and have destroyed more than half of it, according to the latest information. They have assassinated hundreds of innocent people, and to what end? There is no justification for this. I am telling you with all honesty that the hand of the Americans is spurring them on. This hand is behind the Israeli aggression. It is imperialistic aggression. The real threat to the world is the imperialistic threat posed by the U.S., and Israel is one of its imperialistic instruments in this part of the world.
[...]
"On this day, as I am celebrating my birthday, I demand, on behalf of the people of Venezuela, that Israel withdraws from the land of Palestine and from Lebanon. There must be an immediate cease-fire. We must give room for diplomacy, and respect law and human rights. We cannot go back to living in caves. This will be terrible for the future of humanity.
[...]
"Once again, the mask has fallen from the Satanic imperialistic face of the U.S. They used their veto to prevent the Security Council from activating the mechanism of the U.N. in order to put an end to this aggression." [...]
Interviewer: "Mr. President, could this lead us to say, as has been claimed, that this is an American war by proxy, rather than an Israeli war against Lebanon and Palestine?"
Hugo Chavez: "Yes, I have no doubt about this.
[...]
"In 50 years, the U.S. consumed the energy consumed by humanity in 150 years. Now, they are working to take control of the petroleum of the peoples, in order to consume it, just like Dracula. They are like Count Dracula – always in search of petrol and blood. Why? Because they want to preserve something transient – the imperialistic American way of life.
[...]
"In all honesty, I say that it is the U.S. that should formulate a plan for post-imperialism. American society cannot and should not come to an end, but the imperialism of the fascist elite will. We must defeat imperialism in this century, so that this elite will not annihilate the world. Either we succeed in 1,000 different ways to end imperialism, or else imperialism will use 1,000 different ways to annihilate the world. This would constitute the end of mankind, the end of our hopes.
"Jesus Christ called on us to live in the Kingdom of Peace, but there can be no peace without freedom. I'm a Christian, and I believe that Jesus came to announce to us the coming of the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of God is peace, equality, and justice. The American empire is the number one enemy in the way of the Kingdom of Peace and Justice.
[...]
"How can this be achieved? The answer has to do with the strategy that will allow us to reach our goal – reaching what Jesus called the Kingdom of Heaven. How? This can be done in a multi-polar world. The answer is that we must create a multi-polar world. This is the spirit of the foreign policy of Venezuela, my dear friend and brother, Muhammad.
[...]
"Someone talked to me about his pessimism regarding the future of Arab nationalism. I told him I was optimistic, because the ideas of Nasser are still alive. Nasser was one of the greatest people of Arab history, to say the least, a Nasserist, ever since I was a young soldier.
[...]
"Whenever I meet an Al-Jazeera reporter, I feel like giving him an interview or a statement. Allow me to say to the Al-Jazeera staff that I am amazed by them. As someone who fights for a just world, it is an honor for me to be here, and to sit across from you in these studios, and among these colleagues and brothers in Al-Jazeera. I say to the media people I have met here, and with some of whom I shook hands, that you are an example and a model of honor, bravery, and the fight for justice. You are committed to the code of journalistic work, and to the breaking of the monopoly over the media, and the distortion of the truth, despite all the pressure.
[...]
"My heart is with Al-Jazeera and with its media people, its employees, and its workers. You should continue to serve as an example, and present the truth to the world, because the truth is that you have a role in liberating the world."
