Chavez urges allies to form 'anti-imperialist' military alliance

President Hugo Chavez on Sunday urged Venezuela's allies to form an "anti-imperialist" military alliance to defend Latin America from possible attacks by the United States. Warning that Washington poses a threat to regional security, Chavez called on Nicaragua, Bolivia and communist-led Cuba to "put together a common defense strategy and create our armed force" - a military coalition united against US hegemony in the region.

"The enemy is the same: the empire of the United States," Chavez said during his weekly television program. "If they attack one of us, it will be an attack against all of us." (AP)