> > SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2007 > > Chavez offers allies half-price oil > > > Venezuela's president has pledged to provide cheap > oil to countries in Latin > America and the Caribbean, at a summit attended by > regional leaders. > > Hugo Chavez offered to sell oil to allies at a 50 > per cent discount at a > summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the People > of the Americas in the > Venezuelan city of Barquisimeto on Saturday. > > > "In the past, oil contributed to the development of > the United States," > Chavez said in his opening address. > > "Now it is time to make oil serve the development of > our people. Venezuela > is putting its oil reserves at the service of Latin > America." > > The summit was also attended by Evo Morales and > Daniel Ortega, the > respective presidents of Bolivia and Nicaragua, and > Carlos Lage, Cuba's > vice-president. > > Chavez did not specify how much oil he would be > ready to sell at a 50 per > cent discount. > > Venezuela is already selling oil to Caribbean > countries at a 40 per cent > discount. > > Anti-US alliance > > A leading member of the Organisation of Petroleum > Exporting Countries > (Opec), Venezuela plans to produce about three > million barrels of crude oil > a day in 2007 > > "We seek integration among our people rather than > among our markets" > > Carlos Lage, vice-president of Cuba > > Half that planned amount is being sold to the US but > Chavez is trying to > forge anti-US alliances throughout Latin America and > the world at large. > > He remains critical of US plans to create the Free > Trade Area of the > Americas, a proposal to abolish or relax trade > barriers between nations on > the American continent. > > > Rene Preval, Haiti's president, and Maria Fernanda > Espinosa, Ecuador's > foreign minister, also attended the summit as > observers. > > Chavez said Haiti will also be eligible for the 50 > per cent discount on oil. > > Integration > > In an opening speech to the summit, Ortega stressed > efforts to "put an end > to imperialist and capitalist domination" in the > region. > > Lage emphasised the importance of political > integration over joint economic > projects. > > "We seek integration among our people rather than > among our markets," he > said. > > Morales criticised the US free trade zone plan, > calling instead for "fair > trade that allows countries to solve their economic > problems". > > The Bolivarian Alternative was launched in 2004 by > Cuba and Venezuela. > Bolivia joined it last year, with Nicaragua > following in January. > >
