Belarus plans to sign several deals to supply more than US$1 billion (¤720 million) worth of arms to Venezuela, a Belarusian official said Monday, according to AP. Security Council chief Viktor Sheiman said the contracts had received the blessing of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who visited the ex-Soviet nation last month. The deals would be signed later this month, Sheiman said, providing no further details. Belarusian defense plants build armored vehicles and other weapons, and its military has big arsenals of Soviet-made jets and tanks. Sheiman also said Belarus would receive lucrative contracts for oil exploration in Venezuela.
