Venezuela's Chavez says US opposes Latin American integration
1:00 AM
Posted: Friday, September 21, 2007
MANAUS, Brazil (AP) -- Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez on Thursday accused the United States of standing in the way of closer ties between Latin American nations.
Chavez, a staunch critic of Washington, said that if Venezuela is denied entry to South America's Mercosur trade bloc it would be "a victory for the empire," in allusion to the United States.
Chavez arrived in this Amazon city of 1 million people for a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, where the two discussed joint energy projects.
The two leaders are opponents of U.S.-backed efforts for a Free Trade Area of the Americas that would stretch from Canada to Chile. But Venezuela's bid to join Mercosur is encountering resistance from lawmakers in Brazil who must ratify the expansion.
The Venezuelan president is scheduled to address the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, an occasion he used last year to call President Bush "the devil" and remark that the podium smelled of sulfur.
Brazil and Venezuela agreed Thursday to forge ahead with two joint ventures between their state-run oil companies and a natural gas pipeline that would stretch across the Amazon rain forest.
Chavez said Venezuela wanted to share its immense reserves of crude oil and natural gas with Brazil and other countries in the region because "the world was entering an energy crisis" and that Brazil only had enough natural gas reserves to last 10 more years.
Chavez, a staunch critic of Washington, said that if Venezuela is denied entry to South America's Mercosur trade bloc it would be "a victory for the empire," in allusion to the United States.
Chavez arrived in this Amazon city of 1 million people for a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, where the two discussed joint energy projects.
The two leaders are opponents of U.S.-backed efforts for a Free Trade Area of the Americas that would stretch from Canada to Chile. But Venezuela's bid to join Mercosur is encountering resistance from lawmakers in Brazil who must ratify the expansion.
The Venezuelan president is scheduled to address the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, an occasion he used last year to call President Bush "the devil" and remark that the podium smelled of sulfur.
Brazil and Venezuela agreed Thursday to forge ahead with two joint ventures between their state-run oil companies and a natural gas pipeline that would stretch across the Amazon rain forest.
Chavez said Venezuela wanted to share its immense reserves of crude oil and natural gas with Brazil and other countries in the region because "the world was entering an energy crisis" and that Brazil only had enough natural gas reserves to last 10 more years.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
