Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has stopped his country’s plans to develop nuclear energy. The decision follows uncertainties caused by the nuclear crisis in Japan.
Chavez says he’s ordered his vice president and energy minister to halt preliminary plans regarding a nuclear program.
Speaking in front of a group of Chinese delegates in Caracas, Chavez warned that radioactive material from Japan’s damaged plants could pose a threat to neighbors, adding that he believes the problems at the Japanese nuclear reactors will make other countries reconsider the need for nuclear power.
Last year, Venezuela signed an agreement with Russia to build the first nuclear power plant in the South American major oil exporter.