Zuma urges greater pressure on Honduras de-facto regime

Zuma urges greater pressure on Honduras de-facto regime
Written by Larry Moonze in Isla Margarita, Venezuela
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 4:57:35 AM

THE international community should exert greater pressure against the de-facto regime in Honduras, South African President Jacob Zuma has said. And the Second Africa and South American (II ASA) has demanded an end to the US unilateral trade and commercial embargo against Cuba.

After a meeting with President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina on the sidelines of the just-ended ASA, President Zuma said a solution to the Honduran crisis must be found soon.

“Beyond the negative things we experience we are living a good time,” said President Zuma. “Africa and South America are founding a union of the south so that our children can have a better life.”

President Zuma said he was concerned with developments in Honduras.

“It is necessary that the international community exerts greater pressure to find a solution to the situation of Honduras,” said President Zuma.

During the session of II ASA, the leaders adopted a declaration demanding the restoration of deposed President Jose Manuel Zelaya.

The leaders stated that they were profoundly concerned with the situation in Honduras where Zelaya was now holed in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

In condemning the June 28 coup, the ASA summit demanded that Zelaya return to office and that the de facto administration immediately stop attacks on Brazilian embassy.

In another declaration, the summit demanded the lifting of the US embargo against Cuba.

The leaders said the blockade was not only harsh but inhuman as well.

Meanwhile, Venezuela endorsed eight cooperation agreements on energy with a group of African countries among them South Africa, Mauritania, Cape Verde and Sudan.

Energy and Petroleum minister Rafael Ramirez said the energy exploration agreement between Venezuelan petroleum company (PDVSA) and South African petroleum firm (Petrosa) was the most important.

“We have agreed joint development on mature fields. We will evaluate the participation of this country at block 4 of the Orinoco Oil Belt and joint development in technology for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to produce natural gas based diesel,” Ramirez explained.

He said there was also a project to expand the storage capacity in South Africa.

Ramirez said South Africa was important because it was in the path of the oil route between Venezuela and China.

He said Venezuela signed agreements with Mauritania to upgrade the refining capacity so as to increase oil production perspectives in that nation.

Agreements were also signed with Cape Verde and Niger.

Ramirez said both countries were were smaller countries but purely oil consumers.

He said the accord with the two countries include refining projects to increase their production capacity so as to satisfy their domestic demand.

“In addition, an agreement with Sudan was signed in the framework of the energy cooperation so our companies will work in both countries but emphasis is on developing Sudan's natural resources specifically an area that has a significant oil production,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez said as regards Libya, the intention was to transform Tripoli into a significant storage point to distribute oil to Africa.