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| Venezuela military 'seizes ports' | Venezuela military 'seizes ports' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Venezuela's military has taken control of key airports and sea ports under the terms of a move rubber-stamped by parliament a week ago, reports say. | Venezuela's military has taken control of key airports and sea ports under the terms of a move rubber-stamped by parliament a week ago, reports say. |
| The move centralises the running of the country's main transport hubs. | The move centralises the running of the country's main transport hubs. |
| President Hugo Chavez has pushed for the move, describing it as "reunifying the motherland, which was in pieces". | |
| Critics of Mr Chavez says the plans are unconstitutional, but the National Assembly backed them a week ago, saying they would improve essential services. | |
| State-level governments in Venezuela have controlled the country's most important airports, sea ports and major highways since a move towards decentralisation began some 20 years ago, the AFP news agency says. | |
| Many of the facilities seized on Saturday have since then fallen under the jurisdiction of state governments often hostile to Mr Chavez. | |
| Soldiers were seen moving into major sites on Saturday, among them the port at Maracaibo, Venezuela's main oil-producing city - an opposition stronghold in the state of Zulia, AFP reported. | |
| Facilities in at least three opposition-run states were seized, according to reports. |