ARTICLE - ALBA - NEW MEMBERS

ALBA BLOC OF NATIONS TO SEE NEW MEMBERS
(Miami Herald) - By Jim Wyss

Suriname and St Lucia are seeking membership in the ALBA group of left-leaning nations, as the bloc continues to flex its muscle and take jabs at the United States.

CARACAS -- The leaders of the left-leaning ALBA bloc of nations took jabs at U.S. policies and pledged deeper economic ties Sunday, as they invited new members into the fold.

Meeting in Caracas over the weekend, the eight-member group pushed plans to launch its own regional bank and expand the use of the virtual currency, the sucre, to promote dollar-free trade between the nations.

Founded in 2004 by Venezuela and Cuba, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our Americas, or ALBA-TCP, has positioned itself as a bulwark against U.S. influence in the region.

On Sunday, the alliance came out in support of the Syrian government, blasted England for its “imperialist” intentions against Argentina over the disputed Falkland Islands, and ratified a statement asking for Puerto Rican independence.

During the presidential summit, the leaders of Suriname and St. Lucia said they would seek formal inclusion into the bloc, which includes Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua and Barbuda.

The presidents also ratified Haiti’s role as a permanent observer and asked member nations to redouble their efforts to help that nation recover from the 2010 earthquake. On paper, Venezuela is one of Haiti’s most generous donors – but it’s unclear how much of the aid money has been disbursed. On Sunday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Haitian President Michel Martelly signed a framework agreement that aims to boost Venezuela’s role in Haitian agriculture, manufacturing and tourism, among other sectors.

ALBA’s foreign ministers will meet in Haiti in March to develop a “special plan” for the recovery.

“I’ve promised my people that I will change things in Haiti,” Martelly said, before embracing Chávez, “and with your help and this type of collaboration, I’m sure we can do that.”

Meeting at a long table, surrounded by flowers and on live TV, the summit sometimes had the feel of a family reunion. Chávez recounted how he and Cuba’s Fidel Castro talked for 11 hours without ever going to the bathroom. That prompted Castro to tell him: “I don’t know what we’ll die of, but it’s not going to be our prostrate.” Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, flanked by his wife, took time to praise the local cuisine.

The gathering, which began Saturday evening, comes as Chávez is facing elections in October against a unified opposition. Talking about his plans to keep providing subsidized oil to the region, he said there was little risk of him losing the election.

“For sure we are going to win, and for sure they are going to cry fraud … and try to destabilize the country,” he said. He also suggested the U.S. was trying to use the opposition to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves – the largest in the world.

The alliance excludes some of Latin America’s larger economies, but it has proved effective at shaping the region’s discourse. Member nations were key to forcing the Organization of American States to lift its 47-year ban on Cuba in 2009. (The island ultimately turned down the invitation to join.) And last year, ALBA nations were central to the creation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, which includes every country in the hemisphere except the United States and Canada.

On Saturday, Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa called on members to boycott the Summit of the Americas in April – where the United States is invited – if Cuba is not included.

Ecuador Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño picked up where his boss left off and said it’s time that smaller nations began levying sanctions on larger ones. He suggested that the ALBA nations begin requiring visas of U.S. citizens until the Cuban embargo is lifted.

“We need to revolutionize our foreign relations,” Patiño said. “It’s a question of regional dignity.”