MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chavez calls on the US to “bury FTAA” proposal

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez called on United States to definitively bury the frustrated attempts to create a Free Trade Association of the Americans, FTAA since the project has failed.

A fierce critic of what Mr. Chavez describes as economic "neo-liberalism" and the "imperialist" influence of the United States, the president insisted that FTAA will only lead to the disintegration of the continent with its policies of "competition leading to the strongest prevailing over the weakest".

"The White House proposal which was done over ten years ago it totally impracticable, unviable, thanks God the FTAA is dead and ready for burial", blasted President Chavez during the celebrations of Venezuela's Independence Day.

The former paratrooper, close friend and admirer of Fidel Castro has insistently said he's working for the creation of a new "Socialism" since in the current conditions it's impossible to even propose a free trade area under the system proposed by the United States.

Mr. Chávez who accuses the Bush administration of "imperialist" policies in the region and has repeatedly warned that Washington is planning to get rid of him has always argued that "FTAA is the path leading to hell".

Instead the Venezuelan president is promoting the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, ALBA, (which is Spanish means dawn), but so far the only supporter of the idea has been the Cuban regime of his ally Mr. Castro.

"ALBA can become a true cooperation mechanism for the region, of economic complementation, and not of fierce market competition. The opposite of the capitalist neo-liberal vision", contends Mr. Chavez.

The Venezuelan president made his remarks following the announcement of the creation of Petrocaribe, a multilateral governments' corporation to supply abundant Venezuelan oil to energy starving Caribbean countries and islands?in exchange for political support.

The regional energy summit held last week in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela with Mr. Chavez as host, and Fidel Castro sitting next to him, convened the leaders of the Caribbean.