RE: “Fight terrorism in South Florida,” by Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez-Herrera, Nov. 4.

I’d like to thank The News-Press for publishing Ambassador Alvarez-Herrera’s guest opinion about my resolution (H.Res. 872) to include Venezuela on the state sponsors of terrorism list. I remind the Ambassador that in a truly free and democratic nation like ours, individuals can voice their opinions without fear of oppression or intimidation.

Of course, as the Ambassador knows, the concept of a free and fair press is nonexistent in his home country of Venezuela, but if he wants to prove that Venezuela is an open society, then I call on the Ambassador and Hugo Chavez to publish our op-eds in Venezuela’s largest newspapers.

My resolution is not a new issue. Since I came to Congress four years ago, I have been talking about the very real threat that Hugo Chavez poses to our hemisphere. I do not believe that naming Venezuela a state sponsor of terrorism is merely a political issue, as the Ambassador suggests; this is a national security issue.

When Hugo Chavez tells the world that both Venezuela and Iran are “facing the same enemy, which is the U.S. Empire and its lackeys, [a]nd [that] we will defeat the empire and its lackeys,” the United States and our allies must take Chavez and his cronies seriously.

Hugo Chavez has chosen to align himself with known terrorist groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and Hezbollah, and other state sponsors of terrorism, such as Iran, Cuba, and Syria. Chavez has provided critical support to terrorists, including money, resources, and a gateway for terrorists to extend their reach throughout the entire Western Hemisphere.

For example, Venezuela is currently providing critical support to Iran’s nuclear ambitions by supplying uranium to Iran. Venezuela has large known deposits of uranium in the area of Santa Elena de Uairen. Chavez is now planning to develop nuclear technology with the help of Iran and Russia.

Chavez’s plot with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad goes much deeper. What the Ambassador did not tell you is that there are weekly flights between Iran and Venezuela, where passengers are never screened and don’t go through customs or immigration.

Venezuela is also a country where citizenship and identity are easily bought or acquired. These factors combine into a dangerous threat where terrorists from Iran can come to Caracas, board a plane that is headed to Florida with their newfound citizenship and identity, and deliver on Chavez’s promise to defeat the “U.S. Empire.”

One does not even have to look to the Middle East to see Chavez’s critical support for terrorists. The FARC is Latin America’s oldest and largest terrorist organization, one that has been designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 1997.

For more than 40 years, the FARC has carried out bombings, kidnappings, extortion, guerrilla warfare, and drug trafficking, targeting Colombian and U.S. political, military, and economic interests.

When Colombia attacked one of FARC’s terrorist camps last year, Chavez sent troops to the Venezuelan-Colombia border in a blatant threat of war. Chavez himself has admitted — and Interpol later proved through recovered FARC laptops — that the FARC operates in Venezuela with his knowledge and support.

Congress and the Obama Administration must take strong action to combat Chavez’s dangerous influence in the hemisphere. While the Bush Administration took some important steps to thwart Chavez’s reach, they did not go far enough. We cannot continue the policy of ignoring the threat that Chavez poses to the region.

Already, the House Foreign Affairs Committee recently passed the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (H.R. 2194), which imposes numerous sanctions on Iran. This bipartisan legislation also includes my language that specifically addresses the threats that Iran’s relationship with Venezuela pose to our region.

When the Iran sanctions bill becomes law, Venezuela will be in violation of it because Venezuela has agreed to sell 20,000 barrels of gasoline to Iran daily to ensure that Iran can withstand the United States’ economic sanctions.

United States law clearly states that a state sponsor of terrorism is one that repeatedly provides support to acts of international terrorism. Hugo Chavez has done so and is a clear threat to our hemisphere. That’s why the United States must add Venezuela to the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and why we must stand with the people of Venezuela as they fight for freedom from Chavez’s iron fist.