Chavez, Silva relaunch South American gas pipeline studies
The Associated Press
Published: December 7, 2006
BRASILIA, Brazil: Newly re-elected Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez received a bear-hug welcome Thursday from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as he began a tour promoting a South American alliance and a vast natural gas pipeline.
Chavez and Silva agreed to relaunch and accelerate technical studies on the pipeline project as the Venezuelan president made his first stop on a continental visit with leaders of ideologically friendly nations.
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He pitched the pipeline as one of the most effective ways to unite South America, creating an energy network that would eventually reach Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, and possibly other nations.
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Chavez and Silva also discussed a proposed US$2.5 billion (€1.9 billion) refinery in Silva's home state of Pernambuco to process heavy crude from Venezuela's Orinoco Belt and Brazilian offshore fields.
The two-day South American summit starting Friday in Cochabamba, Bolivia, is hosted by Evo Morales — a Chavez ally who was elected last December as Bolivia's first Indian president.
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http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/07/america/LA_GEN_Latam_Chavez.php