Latin America
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez said that Brazil plays an outstanding leadership role in Latin America, but added that in the region there is not one single leader but different leaders.

"Brazil is an outstanding leader, and there is no doubt about it. But this is not about having one single in the region but a number of leaders," stressed Chávez, as reported by Efe.

The summit of 33 Latin American and Caribbean rulers that brought together for the first time all the countries of the region with the exception of the United States or the European Union, was convened by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is also one of the major architects of the South American Community of Nations (Unasur).

In turn, the Venezuelan president has a position of leadership among the countries comprising the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA).

As for the possibility that the president-elect of the United States, Barack Obama, may head a plan to overcome the financial crisis in the region, Chávez said that he would rather wait and see. "Capitalism is neither Obama nor George W. Bush. Capitalism is the evil. We have to wait for Obama's next move," Chávez stated.

According to Chávez, the capitalist world has collapsed as a result of the global crisis. "At this moment, there is a credit crunch the world.  Some countries have been ravaged by hunger and misery. Unemployment is climbing in Europe and the United States. The crash of banks has not stopped. This crisis is razing the capitalist world," Chávez highlighted.

Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas