Venezuela quits Andean trade bloc

[cal04]

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez says his country is withdrawing from the South American trade bloc, the Andean Community of Nations. He told a summit in Paraguay that Venezuela was leaving because recent trade deals between Peru, Colombia and the US had killed off the community. He has accused fellow members of being overly aligned with the US. He has vowed to create economic and political unity in South America without the help of Washington.

'Fatal wound'

Mr Chavez has maintained a war of words with Washington, and argued that free trade deals are unfair to developing nations. On Wednesday the Venezuelan leader told reporters at the summit in Asuncion that the Andean Community of Nations - made up of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru - was "fatally wounded" and only served international elites.

Venezuela, however, is on track to becoming a full member of Mercosur, another South American trade bloc whose member governments are mostly left-wing. The BBC's Greg Morsbach in Caracas said there are other projects under way to drive forward integration.

Bolivia's President Evo Morales has agreed to buy a 5% stake in the Latin American public news channel Telesur, which is jointly owned by Venezuela, Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4925056.stm

[brainshrub]

1. Y'all have no idea how important this is.

Chavez just cost a handful of wealthy Americans a butt-load of money. A lot of out elites are going to be pissed as hell that they are actually going to have to pay for the resources they take from South America.

[tatertop]

2. Thank you, brainshrub (and Viva Chavez!)!

[IndianaGreen]

3. Free trade deals "only served international elites."

On Wednesday the Venezuelan leader told reporters at the summit in Asuncion that the Andean Community of Nations - made up of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru - was "fatally wounded" and only served international elites.

Venezuela's joining of Mercosur, and the expansion of news channel Telesur, are a dagger in American imperialism's heart.

[Peace Patriot]

4. It must be totally amazing to live in countries with leaders who actually

act in the public interest--as is happening now in Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia and soon Peru (and Mexico next!).

We have forgotten what it's like.

Leaders actually elected by the majority in TRANSPARENT elections. Leaders committed to representing ALL of the people, not just the have's.

A lot of credit is due to the OAS, and also to EU election monitoring groups, the Carter Center and local civic groups in Latin America. They have real elections in these countries. Imagine!

Transparent elections = good government.

Non-transparent elections = dictatorship; torture, death squads, poverty and ruin.

We don't have to "prove" the Bush junta stole the 2004 election. We never did! Just look at what we've GOT--and you know they didn't get elected honestly. (And when you find out just how non-transparent our elections are, and who controls them, you know it even more.)

You want a peaceful, democratic revolution here?

It's a no brainer.

Throw Diebold, ES&S and all election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor' NOW!

[rfkrfk]

5. how much duty does Ven. charge on general goods?

how much does 'non-free trade' cost?

[jukes]

6. !VIVA CHAVEZ!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: