Karamazov
01-27-2008, 09:40 PM
Chavez calls for anti-US alliance (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7212457.stm)
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has called on other Latin American and Caribbean countries to form a military alliance against the United States.
The vehemently anti-US leader says Nicaragua, Bolivia, Cuba and Dominica should create one united force.
Despite constant US denials, Mr Chavez is convinced it poses a serious threat to South and Central America.
Venezuela's socialist leader has long been a critic of what he sees as US imperialism.
He has recently accused the country of trying to destabilise the region by forging stronger links with Colombia.
Mr Chavez has some key allies in his fight against capitalism, globalisation and the US.
Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua and now the Caribbean island of Dominica are all members of a trade alliance known as the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, a group that takes its name from South America's independence leader, Simon Bolivar.
Mr Chavez has urged them to draw up a joint defence policy and create a united military force against US imperialism.
"If the US threatens one of us, it threatens all of us," he said, "we will respond as one."
Chavez Urges Latin American Allies to Move Reserves Out of US (http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080126/venezuela_alba_summit.html)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged his Latin American allies on Saturday to begin withdrawing billions of dollars in international reserves from U.S. banks, warning of a looming U.S. economic crisis.
Chavez made the suggestion as he hosted a summit aimed at boosting Latin American integration and rolling back U.S. influence.
"We should start to bring our reserves here," Chavez said. "Why does that money have to be in the north? ... You can't put all your eggs in one basket."
To help pool resources within the region, Chavez and other leaders launched a new development bank at the summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Nations of Our America, or ALBA.
The left-leaning regional trade alliance first proposed by Chavez is intended to offer an alternative, socialist path to integration while snubbing U.S.-backed free-trade deals.
Chavez noted that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Colombia in recent days, saying "that has to do with this summit."
"The empire doesn't accept alternatives," Chavez told the gathering, attended by the presidents of Bolivia and Nicaragua and Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage.
Chavez warned that U.S. "imperialism is entering into a crisis that can affect all of us" and said Latin America "will save itself alone."
Rice left Colombia on Friday after a trip aimed at reviving a free trade deal that has stalled in the U.S. Congress. She sidestepped an opportunity to confront Chavez, who accused Colombia and the United States of plotting "military aggression" against Venezuela.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega joined Chavez in his criticism of U.S.-style capitalism, saying "the dictatorship of global capitalism ... has lost control." Three days earlier, Ortega had shouted "Long live the U.S. government" as he inaugurated an American-financed section of highway in his country.
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has called on other Latin American and Caribbean countries to form a military alliance against the United States.
The vehemently anti-US leader says Nicaragua, Bolivia, Cuba and Dominica should create one united force.
Despite constant US denials, Mr Chavez is convinced it poses a serious threat to South and Central America.
Venezuela's socialist leader has long been a critic of what he sees as US imperialism.
He has recently accused the country of trying to destabilise the region by forging stronger links with Colombia.
Mr Chavez has some key allies in his fight against capitalism, globalisation and the US.
Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua and now the Caribbean island of Dominica are all members of a trade alliance known as the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, a group that takes its name from South America's independence leader, Simon Bolivar.
Mr Chavez has urged them to draw up a joint defence policy and create a united military force against US imperialism.
"If the US threatens one of us, it threatens all of us," he said, "we will respond as one."
Chavez Urges Latin American Allies to Move Reserves Out of US (http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080126/venezuela_alba_summit.html)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged his Latin American allies on Saturday to begin withdrawing billions of dollars in international reserves from U.S. banks, warning of a looming U.S. economic crisis.
Chavez made the suggestion as he hosted a summit aimed at boosting Latin American integration and rolling back U.S. influence.
"We should start to bring our reserves here," Chavez said. "Why does that money have to be in the north? ... You can't put all your eggs in one basket."
To help pool resources within the region, Chavez and other leaders launched a new development bank at the summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Nations of Our America, or ALBA.
The left-leaning regional trade alliance first proposed by Chavez is intended to offer an alternative, socialist path to integration while snubbing U.S.-backed free-trade deals.
Chavez noted that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Colombia in recent days, saying "that has to do with this summit."
"The empire doesn't accept alternatives," Chavez told the gathering, attended by the presidents of Bolivia and Nicaragua and Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage.
Chavez warned that U.S. "imperialism is entering into a crisis that can affect all of us" and said Latin America "will save itself alone."
Rice left Colombia on Friday after a trip aimed at reviving a free trade deal that has stalled in the U.S. Congress. She sidestepped an opportunity to confront Chavez, who accused Colombia and the United States of plotting "military aggression" against Venezuela.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega joined Chavez in his criticism of U.S.-style capitalism, saying "the dictatorship of global capitalism ... has lost control." Three days earlier, Ortega had shouted "Long live the U.S. government" as he inaugurated an American-financed section of highway in his country.