Chavez Quits US Controlled Andean Trade Group

[C Ruiz <Cseniornyc@xxxxxxx>]

Venezuela quits Andean trade bloc
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.


Story from BBC  NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/4925056.stm