MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela/Iran: no end to mutual “revolutionary” praise

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez's inaugurated Monday a joint heavy oil/tar sands exploration operation in the Orinoco belt which if confirmed in 2008 could make Venezuela the country with the world's largest hydrocarbons reserves.

The Iranian leader currently on an official state visit to Venezuela was welcomed Sunday with full military honors and in the first day signed a string of agreements with his Venezuelan counterpart including oil exploration and car production.

President Chavez said the visit would strengthen the strategic alliance between the two states and the 29 agreements signed "drive forward both revolutions".

"Venezuela is full of potential and capacities; besides it has a great human richness. A people pure and honest which day to day strides to overcome challenges and is of course profoundly revolutionary", said Mr Ahmadinejad, adding it makes him remember Iran's territory and people.

"Today's message is plain clear: revolutionary peoples with mutual help and effort car organize their economies and prosper", said the Iranian leader. "No longer that legend that to develop peoples needed to obey the great powers".

The exploration of the Orinoco basin with a potential of 230 billion barrels of crude is to be undertaken by Venezuela's PDVSA and Iran's Petropars.

"Venezuela and Iran have shown that together, out of the range of the US imperialism they can work and progress. This is not a victory for Venezuela and Iran, but for all those countries that want to live in liberty and independence", added President Chavez.

Besides oil exploration, deals include a joint petrochemical and steel company, a shared petroleum exploration company and building a car plant to produce affordable family cars, designed to appeal to consumers in developing countries.

Chavez pointed out that in the Orinoco belt project other companies from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, China, Russia, "and even from the US" are involved because Venezuela "does not discriminate, we're nobody's colony, we are a free people".

"This is the South American union, the South-South union with Iran. We've teamed up to work and combat for a multi-polar world. This is a historic event", said Chavez insisting that the tar sands reserves "well used" not feeding the capitalist voracity of world powers could last two centuries for the Venezuelan people.

"For almost a century Venezuelan oil was virtually given away to United States, but things have changed now". Venezuela is now allied to the children of Allah, the children of the Great Persia, the magnificent Persia and stands "united now and for ever with the Iranian revolution, which has proved to the world that it has become the fuel for revolution".

Mr Ahmadinejad added that "the distance between our countries may be a bit far, but the hearts and thoughts are very close. We have a common thinking and strategy".

Mr Chavez said the two countries sought "a union that seeks a balance in the world and to save the future of your children, my children and our grandchildren". Iran is backing Venezuela's bid for a seat on the UN Security Council.