Chavez warns: Venezuela is the world's oil well and "they attack us from outside and from inside"

The Argentinean government has expressed concern about the reactivation of the 4th Fleet of the United States in Latin American and Caribbean waters, Deputy Foreign Minister Victorio Jose Taccetti said. "We are concerned about the issue of the 4th Fleet. We are worried about not knowing what it was reactivated for," Taccetti told reporters a few hours before US Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon pays a visit to this South American country.

According to the diplomat, his government is worried "about some statements, such as those about sailing brown waters; that is, rivers, which are internal and sovereign of nations." The concern is a common sentiment in South America, he stressed.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned the Southern common Market (MERCOSUR) on July 1 against the presence of the 4th Fleet. "It is another geopolitical issue and we must ask the United States, What is this?" Chavez said at the 35th Summit of full-fledged and associated member countries of MERCOSUR, held in the city of Tucuman, Argentina. He stressed that he had no doubts that the 4th Fleet was a threat.

Chavez warned that Venezuela is the world's oil well and "they attack us from outside and from inside," adding that they want to destroy Bolivia as well.

The Venezuelan head of State urged Washington to stop interfering in Latin America, and denounced the recent attempts to assassinate Bolivian President Evo Morales. "We must support our peoples and countries," said Chavez, who warned that if Bolivia exploded, the "explosion would reach everyone".

On several occasions, Chavez has warned that the government of President George W. Bush is a dangerous element, especially because he is about to end his term and has failed to neutralize Latin America's growing integration movement.