BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Venezuela's government has asked Argentina about the possibility of providing technical expertise to help develop nuclear energy in Venezuela for peaceful purposes, officials said Monday. Cabinet Chief Alberto Fernandez said a delegation from the Venezuelan state oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. had inquired about the possibility. Argentina is one of the leading Latin American nations in nuclear power generation for peaceful purposes, and the two countries have signed a series of energy accords that mark close ties between two left-leaning leaders, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Argentine President Nestor Kirchner.
In Caracas, Venezuelan Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said building a nuclear reactor in Venezuela "is not planned at this moment." "It's about technical exchange and studies, there is no concrete agreement for obtaining anything related to generating atomic energy," Ramirez told state television.
Argentina's foreign minister, Rafael Bielsa, noted that Argentine has helped other countries with reactor projects for peaceful uses, including Australia and Egypt.
Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said he expected government opponents to falsely accuse Chavez of seeking foreign expertise to develop nuclear weapons rather than an alternative energy program. "Of course they will give it military connotations," he said, adding that it was part of a "dirty campaign" against Chavez's government.
Chavez has previously said he is interested in working with Iran to explore peaceful nuclear energy. Chavez has insisted Iran has the right to develop nuclear energy despite opposition from the U.S. government, which fears Tehran may be developing a nuclear weapons program.