Chavez, Lula concerned about LatAm situation

Venezuela: Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez and his Brazilian peer Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shared their concern about the coup in Honduras and the threat that entails to establish military bases in Colombia.

According to a communique released on Thursday by the Miraflores Palace, both presidents also talked on the telephone on Wednesday about their commitment to making progress in bilateral relations.

According to a press release, Lula confirmed his attendance to the 2nd Africa-South America Summit that will be held in Venezuela in September, as well as to the quarterly meeting with Chavez to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

They talked about “the need to increase international pressure on the coup leaders to guarantee President Manuel Zelaya’s restitution and restoration of democracy in that sister nation.” “Chavez commented on the danger and the threat that the intention to establish US military bases in Colombia represents, and explained the measures that our government has been forced to adopt to guarantee regional peace and stability,” the text said.

“They shared their happiness for the agreement reached between PDVSA and PETROBRAS companies, of great significance to establishing a complementary relation between our countries, to reach full energy sovereignty,” the release said.

Lula announced that his advisor Marco Aurelio Garcia would visit Venezuela the upcoming weekend, and Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Minister Miguel Jorge will be in this country from August 19-20, accompanied by a large Brazilian businesspeople delegation.

Caracas, Prensa Latina