MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chávez hints at buying Argentine nuclear plant

Atucha argentine nuclear plant

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez raised the idea of buying a nuclear power plant from Argentina yesterday and playfully suggested to his Colombian colleague Alvaro Uribe that it could be set up near Venezuela's border with Colombia.

President Néstor Kirchner, who was seated with other presidents during Chávez's speeches, did not immediately respond to the idea and nor did he have much to contribute verbally in general in a short and silent stay on the Venezuelan island of Margarita, even skipping lunch to head home at 1.40pm. What Kirchner did do was sign various general energy integration agreements with his South American peers in the context of the First South American Energy Summit on Margarita Island. But the summit also looked beyond the energy sphere towards the creation of a Union of Southern Nations (UNASUR), replacing the South American Community of Nations which was the pet project of Kirchner's predecessor Eduardo Duhalde. Ex-president Rodrigo Borja of Ecuador has been proposed as the executive secretary of the future union whose headquarters are to be in Quito. Beyond multilateral issues and integration, the summit also found time to declare its unanimous support for Argentine sovereignty claims over the Falklands/Malvinas, calling on Argentina and Britain to resume negotiations as soon as possible in accordance with United Nations resolutions. All 12 countries also congratulated Argentina on its decision to scrap 1995 Anglo-Argentine co-operation on the joint exploration of South Atlantic (a move made in the week preceding the 25th anniversary of the Malvinas War), the Foreign Ministry also announced. Chávez's off-the-cuff remark came during a speech as he discussed energy options with South American leaders. He has previously expressed interest in researching nuclear energy for peaceful purposes with the possible help of Argentina, Iran and other countries. ''Argentina also has nuclear energy, right? I think they're even exporting to some countries. I hope they export a small plant to us and we can put it, Alvaro, there on the border,'' Chávez said, chuckling. He did not elaborate. Chávez appeared to be joking with Uribe, a United States ally. The Chávez government has raised the idea of seeking technical assistance from Argentina to help develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Buenos Aires Herald