Leaks expose Venezuela's nuclear program
08 December 2010
Documents disclosed by WikiLeaks pour cold water on Venezuela's nuclear ambitions while acknowledging the country's willingness to import power plants . US Ambassadors reporting to Washington on conversations with Venezuelan scientists described nuclear cooperation agreements with Russia as "pure political theatre." Venezuela does not have the ability to cooperate with Russia in a meaningful way, they wrote, due to a "sporadic" interest in nuclear since the 1970s which has left laboratories, personnel and practices seriously depleted. Nevertheless, the country would be "more than willing" to buy a nuclear power plant "lock, stock and barrel from Russia if it could get funding". The state of Zulia was mentioned as a potential location for a site known as the Huberto Fernandez Moran Nuclear Complex.