PORLAMAR, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez hosted some of Africa's longest-ruling leaders at a Caribbean resort on Saturday for a summit he says will help end Western economic dominance.
Chavez set a provocative early tone with an announcement on Friday by his government that it is working with Iran to find uranium in Venezuela.That came amid a fresh uproar and sanctions threats from the West over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Chavez's high-profile summit guests included Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, who is celebrating four decades in office and had a white limousine flown to Venezuela to meet him at the airport. Also present was Robert Mugabe, 85, who has led Zimbabwe since the end of British rule nearly 30 years ago.
Chavez has governed for just over 10 years and makes no bones about his aim to stay in office for decades more while he works to turn Venezuela into a socialist state.He said the two-day meeting of African and South American leaders, which also includes many recently elected presidents, would help the mainly poor nations build stronger trade ties and rely less on Europe and the United States.
Chavez said Europe and the United States were empires that have imposed poverty on much of the world."We are going to create two great poles of power," Chavez told reporters at the luxury Hilton resort on Venezuela's Margarita island. We are "seeking a world with no more imperialism where we will be free, uniting to escape poverty."
How many decades of oppression must these guys have between them? On another note coming of his 2 hour ramble, Gaddafi arrived in style:
Gaddafi, whose entourage arrived in two matching Airbus passenger jets and pitched a Bedouin tent beside the Hilton's pool, on Wednesday told the United Nations that big powers had betrayed the U.N. charter with vetoes and sanctions.
King Mswati III of Swaziland, who was crowned in 1987, was also due to appear on Margarita, among an anticipated 28 African and South American leaders in total.
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