[NYTr] Chavez on Latin American Tour to Strengthen Integration

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Venezuelanalysis - August 7, 2007
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=2375

Chavez Announces Latin American Tour to Strengthen Integration

By Kiraz Janicke

Caracas ? In a record breaking eight-hour session of Aló Presidente
Sunday, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, speaking from the
presidential palace of Miraflores, called for a global ?alliance of
civilizations? to resist the attacks of US imperialism. Chavez also
officially announced he will visit Uruguay, Argentina, Bolivia and
Ecuador this week with the aim of strengthening Latin American
integration.

Addressing a range of diplomatic representatives from Latin America and
international guests, including a US delegation from Veterans for
Peace, Ronald Lumumba, (the son of Pratrice Lumumba, the first
democratically elected prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, assassinated by the CIA), and Abdul Hakim Nasser (son of Arab
nationalist leader Gamal Abdul Nasser), Chavez emphasized, ?Only an
alliance of civilizations will save the world from imperialism.?

?It is vital to impel in the world an alliance of nations that resists
the attacks of imperialism,? he continued.

?Such union of nations would have to contain to civilizations such as
the Chinese, the Russian, the Hindu, the Islamic civilization, and the
Latin American," he declared, "I would also add the African."

"It is necessary to accrue social, political forces and to create a
critical mass in the world, that can become a counter-power to respond
to the imperialistic avalanche."

He also described as ?madness? a potential US invasion of Iran, which
he categorized as ?the final stage of imperial neoliberalism.?

"Hopefully the aspiring presidential canditates of the U.S.A. and the
people of that country, manage to restrain the madness of the empire"
he continued.

?It would be better if the American Government took care of its own
people.? Lamenting the collapse of a bridge across the Mississippi
river last Wednesday, Chávez demanded that the US government use its
scientific development for the benefit of its own citizens and not
against the rest of the nations of the world.

On the other hand, he thanked Jack Ellis, mayor of the city of Macon,
Georgia, in the US, for sending a declaration of solidarity with the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, describing it as "within the
framework of a human interchange and positive character. All is not
lost.? He added, ?There are social organizations which rise and which
will impel the change that the world requires."

Accusing the US of interfering and impeding Venezuela's bid for full
membership of Mercosur, Chavez warned of ?agents of imperialism,? who
work across Latin America against the growing integration of the people.

Chavez denied he had imposed an ultimatum on the Brazilian congress to
ratify Venezuela's entry into Mercosur, ?It was not an ultimatum, but
rather a time of waiting, not for the Brazilian congress, rather for
Venezuela, because we have lost much time? he explained.

He also thanked the efforts of the Foreign Minister of Brazil, Celso
Amorim, to encourage the Brazilian congress to approve the
incorporation of Venezuela into Mercosur.

Reiterating the need for Latin American integration, Chavez assured
that Venezuela would also continue working within the framework of
ALBA, as "that is the best way to fight against imperialism and
capitalism that sucks blood" and he said, coining a new word,
the ?Draculism,? of the US empire.

Outlining further projects for Latin American integration, Chavez
indicated that during his four-nation tour of Latin America this week,
he would sign an agreements to construct a processing plant for
extracting liquid gas in Bolivia, as well as an oil refinery in Ecuador.

He also announced a further issuing, jointly with Argentina, of Bonds
of the South, the third issuing after US$1.5 billion were issued in
February of this year.

At the same time he spoke about the Bank of the South and raised the
possibility of bringing in five countries from Africa and five from
South America to create the foundation of the institution, in which
each nation would contribute according to its capacity. However, he
insisted it is insufficient for each country to contribute US$100
million. ?If we do this, we do it seriously,? he said.

It was possible that Venezuela could allocate all of its international
reserves to the Bank of the South, he said, however, ?If it seems
dangerous to some nations, then they could contribute only half.?

"Although the Bank of the South does not yet exist as an institution,?
he said the Bonds of the South issued jointly by Argentina and
Venezuela are a step towards the creation of this financial
organization.

During a live feed with the Venezuelan municipality of San Francisco,
the San Francisco Integral Diagnostic Center (CDI) was inaugurated as
part of Mission Barrio Adentro II. 34 other CDI's were also inaugurated
simultaneously, as well as 59 rehabilitation centers, bringing the
total number of CDIs opened during the four years Mission Barrio
Adentro?s existence to 353, with a final aim of six-hundred CDI's.

Chavez also referred to other achievements of the community health
program, announcing that Mission Barrio Adentro has carried out 244
million consultations, 26.9 million dental consultations, and has saved
50,200 lives. Chavez also spoke of the upcoming constitutional reform,
explaining aspects of his proposal include the incorporation of the
missions (social programs) into the Constitution. He emphasized once
again that, ?only the people will decide the changes in the
constitution, which is why it is necessary to activate a consultative
referendum.?