Caracas  - Venezuela plans to launch a civilian nuclear programme and intends to buy 2.2-billion-dollars worth of tanks and missiles from Russia, drawing a sharp rebuke Monday from the United States.

President Hugo Chavez announced plans for arms purchases including 92 Russian tanks and an unspecified number of anti-air missiles, in his television programme Allo President late Sunday. He said Venezuela would begin a nuclear programme for civilian use.

US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly warned Monday that the purchases could trigger an arms race in the region and said Venezuela must be "transparent" in how it plans to use the weapons.

"We have concerns in general about Venezuela's stated desire to increase its arms build-up, which we think poses a serious challenge to stability in the Western hemisphere," Kelly said. "What they are looking to purchase and what they are purchasing outpaces all other countries in South America."

The US reaction to Venezuela's nuclear intentions was muted. Kelly said the State Department was still seeking more information, but the US expected Venezuela to abide by its obligations under the UN-backed nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

The arms deal comes at a time of tension in the region over Colombia's plans to allow the US military the use of seven bases within its territory. Venezuela has called the increased cooperation between Bogota and Washington an act of aggression.

Chavez, who visited Moscow last week, said Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had agreed to help Venezuela develop a nuclear programme and would loan it the 2.2 billion dollars for the weapons purchases.

"Thanks to the support of the Russian president (Dmitry Medvedev) and the prime minister, the purchase of weapons to increase our defence capacity became viable," Chavez said Sunday.

Chavez said the new arms would make it difficult to attack Venezuela but stressed that Caracas has no intention to attack other countries.

Russia and Venezuela have had close military ties for years. From 2005-07, the two countries signed arms deals worth more than 4 billion dollars, including the purchase of more than 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles.

Chavez broadcast pictures of the mobile anti-air system Smerch, and said that it could fire "10, 20" missiles in one go. The Venezuelan daily El Universal said that Chavez is planning to buy Antey 2500 and S-300V anti-air systems.

He argued that these arms were necessary to protect Venezuelan energy resources - as the world's fifth-largest crude-oil exporter - from control by the "Yankee empire," as he regularly refers to the United States.

Chavez is a close ally of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose government is under international sanctions for enriching uranium that could lead to the building of a nuclear weapon.

Chavez said he would develop a civilian nuclear programme "like those of Brazil and Argentina." He stressed that such plans would not include the pursuit of nuclear weapons. (dpa)