Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wants the Sixth Summit of the Americas to be held in Cuba. He also repeated his exhortation made on Friday to US President Barack Obama to “let’s be friends.” He said this in Spanish on Friday, but yesterday Chavez expressed himself in English. Summit National Secretariat communications co-ordinator, Felipe Noguera, said he saw Obama smile in response yesterday, but he didn’t formally acknowledge Chavez.

And Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in a move described as “unprecedented,” has offered a hefty loan to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In fact, during the first three-hour plenary session at the Summit of the Americas yesterday morning, the importance of the IDB to offer timely financial assistance to hemispheric countries suffering from the global economic crisis was emphasised by almost all of the 15 heads who addressed their colleagues. After the session, Noguera gave the media a synopsis of what each speaker concentrated on, adding that change would not happen overnight, but on a positive note said the heads were treating each other with respect.

Chavez, who was the 14th speaker, he said, noted that the Summits had evolved to start the process of creating the Free Trade Area of the Americas, but became stillborn during the Fourth Summit in Mar del Plata in Argentina, in 2005. Nevertheless, the Summit process had continued, because of common interests among countries in the hemisphere. Barack Obama, becoming the new US president, had ushered in an era of peace in the region, Chavez had said, offering that “at least Obama listens...” Noguera added that Chavez had noted countries had to change or die, and prosperity of citizens was a right. Venezuela had invested US$4 billion during imthe last four years in the PetroCaribe initiative, and Chavez wanted more countries to become involved.

Regional leaders seek progress, change

Noguera said Chavez called for Cuba to host the Sixth Summit, but he added that was “putting the cart before the horse,” because for that to happen, Cuba would have to join the Organization of American States (OAS). Obama, who was the fourth speaker, said the financial crisis had forced the US Government to move to stabilise the banking sector and establish regulatory machinery. The US wanted to ensure that the IDB was properly capitalised to back up the business sector, Obama indicated. The US President vowed to put healthcare as one of the priorities in his country, and agreed that the economic pie must not benefit only a few. Lula, the bearded Brazilian President, spoke directly after Obama, and confirmed that his country was, indeed, an economic powerhouse in South America.

He said Brazil was willing to lend money to the IMF to ensure poor countries could get loans to help them out of the financial crisis. No one knew with any certainty how to get out of this crisis, and it had made people more humble and less arrogant, said Lula. His Government was trying to help out the industrial and business sectors in Brazil via tax breaks, Lula revealed. A thrust to build one million houses had started to give the construction sector a shot in the arm. Bolivian President Evo Morales, who spoke seventh, and had a news conference later, made one noteworthy comment, said Noguera: Obama had promised change, but it seemed that the message had not reached US officials stationed in Bolivia.

Argentine President Cristina de Kirchner said the poor were getting the brunt of the financial crisis, while Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper undertook to double its contribution to the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) by US$4 billion. Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon also expressed concern about IADB funding. Also addressing the session were Jamaica PM Bruce Golding, El Salvador President Antonio Gonzalez, Peru’s President Alan Garcia, Dominican Republic President Leonel Reyna and Honduras President Jose Rosales.