Chavez's Anti-US Imperialism Tour Rolls On

(Oct. 21) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has arrived in Syria for talks with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, the latest stop on a foreign tour intended to counter what he calls U.S. "imperialism."

Chavez flew to Damascus on Wednesday night after a two-day visit to Iran. During his stay in the Islamic Republic, the leftist leader signed 11 energy and trade agreements that will bolster cooperation between the two OPEC members, including a deal to establish a joint Iranian-Venezuelan oil shipping company, Iran's state-run Press TV noted.

The outspoken leftist leader also reiterated his support for Iran's controversial nuclear program -- which the U.S., Israel and other Western nations say is designed to create an atomic bomb. Iran, however, argues that it only wants nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, such as power generation, and that the U.S. wants to hold back its development.

"I should use the opportunity to condemn those military threats that are being made against Iran," Chavez told journalists during a joint news conference with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran on Wednesday, according to Reuters. "We know that they will never be able to restrict the Islamic revolution in whatever way. ... We will always stand together. We will not only resist; we will also stand victorious beside one another."

Ahmadinejad, meanwhile, said that both Iran and Venezuela were part of a growing group of developing nations stretching from Latin America to east Asia that was prepared to stand up to the U.S.

"If one day, my brother Mr. Chavez and I and a few other people were once alone in the world, today we have a long line of revolutionary officials and people standing alongside each other," he said, according to Reuters. "The enemies of our nations will go one day. This is the promise of God, and the promise of God will definitely be fulfilled."

That comment is likely to be seen by Israelis as a direct threat to their nation, as Ahmadinejad regularly predicts the imminent destruction of the Jewish state.

The Venezuelan president is certain to receive a warm welcome in Syria, which despite attempts by the U.S. to improve relations has increasingly reached out to critics of Washington -- such as Iran and Venezuela. Chavez and Ahmadinejad this week agreed to reward Syrian President al-Assad for his friendship by committing to build a new oil refinery in the country, Al-Jazeera reported.

Chavez began his foreign tour with visits to Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, and will conclude it at the end of this week with stops in Libya and Portugal.