Presence of Russian military bases in Venezuela unlikely - analyst

23/07/2008 18:07 MOSCOW, July 23 (RIA Novosti) - The likelihood of Russian military bases in Venezuela is highly improbable due to the absence of the resources necessary to maintain them, a Russian political analyst said on Wednesday.

During his visit to Russia on Tuesday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the Russian military "would receive a warm welcome" if Moscow decided to establish a presence in the South American country.

"At present, Russia does not have sufficient resources, either material or human, to deploy its military bases in this country [Venezuela]," Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, told RIA Novosti.

Russia currently maintains at least 23 foreign military bases, mainly in former Soviet republics in Central Asia.

Pukhov said a Russian airbase at Kant in Kyrgyzstan was in poor shape both in terms of military equipment and maintenance.

The Russian base in Kant, about 20 miles west of the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, was established in October 2003, and currently deploys about 400 troops, including 250 officers and NCOs and 150 conscripts, as well as several Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft and Su-27 Flanker fighters, two Mi-8 combat transport helicopters, and four L-39 combat trainers.

"The situation concerning a naval maintenance base in the Syrian port of Tartus is not any better," the expert said.

Russian warships in the Mediterranean refuel and receive drinking water in Tartus. A Russian repair ship that maintains vessels from the Black Sea fleet is also stationed there.

Russia closed a naval base in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, and an electronic listening post in Lourdes, Cuba, in 2002 due to insufficient financing. The annual rent for each base totaled $200 million.

Venezuela's 1999 Constitution prohibits the hosting of foreign military bases in the country.

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