Cumana, Apr 16. ABN.- “The Alba (Bolivarian Alternative for the People’s of Our America) is the perfect place to consolidate the exchange and integration, not just between member countries, but also with guest countries,” said this Thursday the Minister of People’s Power for Trade, Eduardo Saman.
From the International Airport Antonio Jose de Sucre, in Cumana, Sucre state (Venezuela’s east), Saman said: “We keep big expectations with this Summit that is so important for our people and for the construction of the Great Motherland.”
The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez Frias, arrived on Thursday in Cumana, to start, in joint with his counterparts from Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominica and Bolivia, the VII Summit of the Alba.
More than 5,000 police officers have been deployed in the entire city to watch over the security of the Heads of State, as well as the rest of the attendants.
This Summit is taking place just a day before the Summit of the Americas, which will take place in Trinidad and Tobago between April 17 and 19, where President Chavez will raise the issue of United States blockade against Cuba, which has kept the island enclosed for over 40 years and it is a measure rejected by the majority of the South American countries.
The last Alba meeting took place in Caracas on November 26, where presidents analyzed the impact of the world financial crisis on its member countries and it finished with a two hours meeting to support Bolivia’s Government and with the endorsement of a food cooperation agreement.
By then, the agenda started with the signing of a cooperation agreement on food sovereignty, which consisted on the opening of a 100 million dollars special fund to set up agrifood programs in Alba countries and the Caribbean.
It was also created a trade network to face speculation on food products.
The presidents attending to the Summit pledged to coordinate joint action plans in their respective countries to attend the call made by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to face world food crisis.
After signing the agreements, the presidents gave short statements that were broadcasted simultaneously by public radio and television.
At that opportunity, the presidents attending to the Summit were: Hugo Chavez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Daniel Ortega (Nicaragua) and the Vice-president of Cuba, Carlos Lage.
The Alba is an initiative of Venezuela and Cuba aimed at the integration of the Latin American and the Caribbean countries and focused on the fight against poverty and social exclusion.
The Alba proposes political, social and economic cooperation and complementarity as action mechanisms, instead of competence and as an alternative to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) promoted by the United States.
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