Venezuelan Military Officers Detained

CARACAS, Venezuela - Vice president Jose Vicente Rangel said Wednesday that some Venezuelan military officers have been detained after they allegedly passed information to U.S. officials.

"Some low-ranking officers were passing information to the
Pentagon," he said.

Rangel did not elaborate on his reference to the Pentagon or provide details on the number of officers detained or the type of information involved.

Rangel, a close adviser to President Hugo Chavez, said authorities suspect the officers had contacts within the U.S. Embassy in Caracas and that some had since left Venezuela.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Brian Penn said Venezuela's government has not discussed its allegations with the U.S.

"We've received no communication from the Venezuelan government on this issue ... It's an internal matter for Venezuela," Penn said.

Chavez, a major critic of U.S. policy in Latin America, has accused the United States of conspiring against his "revolutionary" government, an allegation that U.S. officials reject.

Relations between Caracas and Washington have become increasingly strained since Chavez took office in 1999, though the United States remains the top buyer of Venezuelan oil.

The Venezuelan leader claims "unpatriotic" Venezuelans form part of the alleged U.S.-led conspiracy against his left-leaning government.

U.S. officials, in turn, have repeatedly expressed concerns over the health of Venezuela's democracy — one of South America's oldest democratic systems — under Chavez.