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Venezuela to supply Mali fuel, wants its minerals
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez promised on Wednesday to supply impoverished Mali with $100 million worth of petroleum products a year, partly in return for bauxite, gold and other minerals. The firebrand Venezuelan leader visited his Malian counterpart Amadou Toumani Toure as he approached the end of a marathon world tour that has seen him shore up key alliances with friendly states including Russia, Iran and Vietnam.In Mali, dirt poor despite being Africa's third biggest gold producer, Chavez visited a social housing project and vowed his oil aid would help lift the landlocked country out of poverty -- as well as buying in much-needed supplies for his own economy. "I will give Mali $100 million a year in petroleum products and I do not want payment in cash. I don't want you even to say thank you," Chavez said through an interpreter. "But I need your mineral products like bauxite, gold and fertiliser, and the rest of the total will help you combat poverty." Chavez said he had already made $500,000 available to microfinance projects in Mali and pledged $10 million more. He also offered to build a new social housing project in Mali, on the condition it be named "The Bolivarian" in honour of his country, officially "The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela". Posted by: ryuge 2006-08-03 |
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