"We don't want to be an enemy of anyone. We don't want to be enemies with the United States," Chavez said.

Shrugging off U.S. criticism, Chavez is pressing ahead with deals to buy Russian helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles. He also signed a deal this week to buy Spanish-made transport planes and patrol boats. Chavez said there was no cause for concern, claiming he is simply buying needed defense equipment.

"What I want most is peace," he said, "for them to leave me in peace, for them to leave us in peace to be able to do what we want to do."

Chavez, has pledged to deepen his "revolution" for the poor and has called on other nations to shed their dependence on Washington. He says it is part of building a "new geopolitical map" in which smaller nations unite to be heard.

A close friend to Cuba's Fidel Castro, Chavez has declared himself a socialist and a critic of capitalism.

"What's worth more? Money or people?" Chavez asked.

The United States remains Venezuela's top oil buyer, but U.S. officials have expressed concern about the health of its democracy, saying Chavez holds increasing power over all branches of government.

"They say I'm concentrating power," Chavez said with a laugh, adding that people should consider "the power they have concentrated there [in Washington] and the way they have used it all these years."

Despite U.S. denials, Chavez has accused the United States of backing a short-lived coup against him in 2002. He has called the war in Iraq unjust and applauded Spain's decision to pull out troops last year.

In the United States, Chavez has found "an external enemy that helps maintain the confrontation" for his own political purposes, said Salomon Centeno, an opposition congressman.

Other observers have suggested that the U.S. government is concerned about Venezuela due to its oil but that its criticisms of Chavez find little echo in Latin America.

© 2005 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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