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Dutch Seek Explanation over Chavez Remarks

   The  Dutch  government  says  it  has  asked Venezuela's ambassador to
   clarify  remarks  by President Hugo Chavez accusing the Netherlands of
   planning aggression against Venezuela.

   VOA News 19 December 2009

   The  Dutch  government  says  it  has  asked Venezuela's ambassador to
   clarify  remarks  by President Hugo Chavez accusing the Netherlands of
   planning aggression against Venezuela.
   The  comment  Friday  comes  one  day  after President Chavez said the
   Netherlands  was  allowing  the United States to use Dutch islands off
   Venezuela's Caribbean coast for a possible military attack against his
   country.
   The Venezuelan leader provided no evidence to support his allegations,
   and  State Department spokesman Ian Kelly Thursday told the Associated
   Press the allegations were "baseless."
   The   United   States   has  long  had  a  military  presence  on  the
   self-governing Dutch islands of Aruba and Curacao, with staff involved
   in counternarcotics and surveillance operations over the Caribbean.
   Separately, Venezuela and Colombia have been at odds over an agreement
   allowing  the U.S. to use seven Colombian military bases for anti-drug
   operations.
   President  Chavez has called the deal a threat to his country, but the
   U.S. and Colombia say the agreement does not pertain to other nations.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

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