Gadhafi, Chavez promote Africa-South America ties

By IAN JAMES, Associated Press Writer

PORLAMAR, Venezuela – Moammar Gadhafi and Hugo Chavez urged nearly 30 leaders from throughout Africa and South America on Saturday to form a strong intercontinental alliance to make the two regions a new global power.

The Libyan leader, on his first visit to the Americas, called for the two regions to become a political and economic force, saying that together "we can transform the world."

Gadhafi proposed a defense alliance of South American and African nations, calling it "a NATO of the South" — an idea Chavez has raised with other allies in the past.

Seven South American leaders signed an agreement to create a regional development bank with $20 billion in startup capital, and Chavez offered to help create a "South-South bank" with African countries in the future.

The two-day meeting that began Saturday on Venezuela's Margarita Island addressed a wide range of concerns, from hunger in Africa to the economic crisis and demands for reforming the United Nations.

Chavez called it "a summit of great importance for the struggles of the South." Presidents discussed plans for joint projects in energy, mining, agriculture and other areas.

"Only united will we be free," Chavez said as he opened the summit.

The meeting gave Chavez an opportunity to attempt a greater leadership role outside Latin America while critiquing U.S. influence and promoting socialist-inspired policies. He said on Friday that by uniting, the two regions can confront a legacy of poverty left "by the empires of the North — by the empires of Europe, by the U.S. empire."

Gadhafi echoed some of Chavez's concerns about the world's economic powers in a wide-ranging speech Saturday, saying through an interpreter that "colonialism has stolen our riches."

Without naming any particular countries, Gadhafi also denounced what he called the "politics of the club" used by some nations against others.

Gadhafi made his first visit to Latin America after attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York, and met Chavez inside a trademark Bedouin tent next to the hotel's pool.

The Libyan leader said it was "humiliating" that his delegation had to travel 20 hours to reach New York, and held up a map while calling for more air routes between Southern Hemisphere nations.

In his U.N. speech, Gadhafi denounced the Security Council as the "Terror Council" for failing to prevent dozens of wars. He insisted on the need for U.N. reform as he addressed leaders in Venezuela.

"The situation we have in the Security Council is unsustainable," Gadhafi said, noting that one group "enjoys the right to a veto" while the rest "of us have no right."

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva agreed the Security Council has "lost relevance" and said "we should work together to reform it."

Gadhafi, who has ruled Libya since he seized power in a 1969 coup, has sought a greater leadership role internationally in recent years and is currently chairman of the African Union.

"South-South" cooperation was a buzzword at the summit, which brought together both the African Union and South America's fledgling Unasur group.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez expressed hope that Africa will expand its potential to produce and export food and said her government is willing to provide technology and expertise to help.

African leaders including Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Algeria's Abdelaziz Bouteflika greeted Chavez warmly, some with handshakes and others with kisses on the cheeks. They were joined by South American presidents from Chile's Michelle Bachelet to Bolivia's Evo Morales.

Chavez called Gadhafi and Bouteflika the historic "liberators" of their countries and said socialism — both in Africa and in Latin America — will be "the path to the world's salvation."

He also said Venezuela is looking into energy projects in Africa.

Chavez has already announced that Venezuela may help build an oil refinery in Mauritania that could process 30,000 to 40,000 barrels per day and supply fuel to Mali, Niger and Gambia.

It is unclear how much the South American oil exporter is prepared to invest since it is coping with a sharp drop in its revenues due to lower crude prices.