Western Hemisphere
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez on Thursday opened Seventh Summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA) by lambasting the Summit of the Americas that will begin Friday in Trinidad and Tobago and claiming that Cuba is more democratic than the United States.

"I do believe that the Summit (of the Americas) that is taking place tomorrow (Friday) should be the last summit under the present format," said Chávez when opening the presidential meeting of ALBA, in Cumaná, east Venezuela.

Chávez wondered what are the Americas encompassed in the Port-of-Spain meeting, and stated that "the summit of our peoples" is "this one," meaning the ALBA summit. "This is the summit of the unity of our peoples, which is supposed to be our major commitment," said Chávez, as quoted by Efe.

ALBA is an initiative of the Venezuelan ruler to counter the US-sponsored Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). ALBA comprises Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Dominica and Honduras.

Paraguay, Ecuador and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are taking part in the ALBA summit as observers. The meeting is focusing on three major topics, including a debate to define the common stance they are to advocate at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.

Once again, Chávez slashed out at the final declaration of the Summit of the Americas. He quoted a part of the document as saying that the declaration will be initialed by countries where rulers are elected freely and democratically, and wondered "Where is there more democracy, is it in Cuba or is it in the United States?"

"I have no doubts that in Cuba there is more democracy than in the United States. I have no doubts at all!" said Chávez, who was sitting by his Cuban counterpart Raúl Castro.

Attending the meeting in Cumaná, some 250 miles east Caracas, are also the presidents of Bolivia, Evo Morales; Honduras, Manuel Zelaya; Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega; y the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit.

The guest presidents attending the summit are Paraguay's Fernando Lugo, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, and the Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Fander Falconí.

Translated by Maryflor Suárez