Gadhafi, Chavez propose alliance
Africa-South America bloc called ‘a NATO of the South’
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 press for their interests.
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.
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.”
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.