Venezuela

Chavez seeks allies on six-nation tour

Article published on the 2008-09-21 Latest update 2008-09-21 14:53 TU

Chavez, with his grandson Jorge, greets Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin in Caracas last week
(Photo: Reuters/Miraflores Palace/Handout)

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday set off on tour of six countries, starting with his long-term ally Cuba and including France. Although his official agenda has not been made public, he declared the trip, which takes him to several countries who are in some degree of conflict with the US, to be of "great strategic interest" before leaving.

"This is a trip of great strategic importance for us," Chavez said on Friday, adding that the countries he plans to visit from September 21-27 "have great potential that we are joining to Venezuela's potential".

The tour will take him to Cuba, China, Russia, Belarus and France and will end in Portugal. It will mean that Chavez will miss this week's UN General Assembly, as will Cuban President Raul Castro.

"What Chavez is engaged in is constructing a new international strategy which involves challenging the predominance of the United States on a global level," British-based Latin America analyst Colin Harding told RFI.

China is to contribute about three billion euros to a joint investment fund which Chavez says his country will use for "socialist productive objectives". Venezuela also  intends to buy 24 K-8 Chinese training and combat planes.

Last week Russian heavy bombers flew training runs with Venezuela for the first time in the Caribbean, an area usually regarded as Washington's sphere of influence and Caracas and Moscow plan to hold naval manoeuvres there before the end of the year.

In France Chavez will meet President Nicolas Sarkozy, whom he describes as a friend.