(25 Nov 2008)
Caracas
1. Wide of General Command of the Venezuelan Navy building
2. Close up anchor on wall on outside General Command of the Navy building
3. Wide members of Venezuelan and Russian navy outside building
4. Mid members of Venezuelan and Russian navy shaking hands
5. Various members of Venezuelan and Russian navy outside building saluting
6. Mid Russian and Venezuelan navy officials shakes hands
7. Russian navy officials drive off
8. Mid Navy Commander Zahin Quintana speaking to press
9. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Admiral Zahin Quintana, General Commander, Venezuelan Navy:
"In practical terms what I want at this point, is to ratify that the activities that are being carried out as part of this operation are all within the limits of co-operation. We are carrying out activities like we would do with any other naval force, and under no circumstances do we consider this to be a threat for any other country or any other navy. In this way we have forcefully ratified this and it should be seen as a normal activity."
10. Mid Quintana speaking to press
11. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Admiral Zahin Quintana, General Commander, Venezuelan Navy:
"Friends as we are, we hope that things will continue and this is the response to your question of what does this mean for the future. It means that we will carry out new exercises with the (Russian) navy."
12. Wide Quintana finishing press conference
La Guaira
13. Wide cannons on shore firing welcome shots at Russian ship
14. Mid sailors on deck as Russian ship fires welcome shots
15. Wide Russian ship alongside quay
16. Various of Russian ships in the ocean
17. Mid Venezuelan sailors walking to meet Russian ship
18. Wide Venezuelan sailors walking
19. Mid Venezuelan sailors talking at port
20. Wide helicopter circling port with ships in background
21. Wide pan right to left ships at dock
22. Mid satellite on side of ship
STORYLINE:
Russian warships sailed into the Venezuelan port of La Guaira on Tuesday, greeted by a 21-gun salute and an eager welcome from President Hugo Chavez, as the ships arrived to take part in joint naval exercises.
Russians sailors dressed in black-and-white uniforms lined up along the bow of the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko as it docked in the port of La Guaira, near Caracas.
The deployment is the first of its kind in the Caribbean since the Cold War and was timed to coincide with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Caracas - the first ever by a Russian president.
The moves are seen as part of Moscow's attempts to expand its influence in Latin America.
Admiral Zahin Quintana, the General Commander of the Venezuelan Navy told reporters that the relationship between the two countries did not pose a threat to any other nations.
"We are carrying out activities like we would do with any other naval force, and under no circumstances do we consider this to be a threat for any other country or any other navy. In this way we have forcefully ratified this and it should be seen as a normal activity," he explained.
Quintana added that he hoped that the two countries would conduct more joint exercises together in future.
President Chavez, basking in the support of a powerful ally and traditional US rival, wants Russian help to build a nuclear reactor, invest in oil and natural gas projects, and bolster his leftist opposition to US influence in Latin America.
But Russia's ambitions to make inroads in Latin America may be checked by global events.
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