Ch谩vez, Qaddafi get chummy at 'South-South' summit
In a warmer land, Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi finally found a place to pitch his tent.
After New Yorkers last week denied him the cultural courtesy, his host at the weekend鈥檚 Africa-South America summit, Venezuelan President Hugo Ch谩vez, with Mr. Qaddafi in the now-famous bedouin tent. It was set up near the pool at the event鈥檚 hotel on the Venezuelan Caribbean island, Margarita.
But more than allowing him his preferred accommodations, Mr. Ch谩vez is set to also in Caracas Monday, diplomatic sources told the Agence France-Presse. [Editor's note: The rally actually took place on the island of Margarita. In it, Ch谩vez presented Qaddafi with a replica of a sword supposedly used by regional independence hero Sim贸n Bol铆var.]
Not too shabby, given it鈥檚 Mr. Qaddafi鈥檚 first visit to Latin America.
These two stalwarts were among nearly 30 South American and African leaders who came to the gathering Saturday and Sunday, only the second of its kind. (The first was in Abuja, Nigeria in 2006.) Although it was painted as a grouping of radicals following the Western-led (G-20 and UN) meetings to the North, cool-headed center-leftists from the region also attended and proposed pragmatic ideas.
Brazilian President Luiz In谩cio Lula da Silva plugged his nation鈥檚 long-held desire to host the Olympics in 2016. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said she would consider becoming a part of the initiative, formalized this weekend by seven other South American nations, to plan a $20 billion dollar 鈥淏ank of the South鈥� to finance regional projects, according to .
The bank emerged as the summit鈥檚 most concrete proposal. Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, the Harvard-educated socialist, to reporters: "We鈥檙e done depending on the North ... on one side, kneeling down to ask for some dollars and on the other sending billions of dollars to them. We鈥檝e had enough of that contradiction."
Other tangible results from the gathering were several energy accords signed between Venezuela and African nations, including South Africa, Sudan, Cape Verde, and Niger, and a calling for reforms to the UN Security Council to have more participation from the developing world and for cooperation between the two continents on education and technology. The body also condemned piracy, nuclear weapons, and arms trading.
And there鈥檚 more to come. The next summit is slated to take place in Qaddafi鈥檚 homeland in 2011. But his chummy weekend with Ch谩vez is no one-time fling. Ties between the two this past year, when in March for his 鈥渂rave humanitarian positions, especially in support of the people of Gaza in the recent Israeli aggression.鈥� Qaddafi hosted Ch谩vez in Tripoli in the beginning of September for Libya鈥檚 40th anniversary of its coup.
By the way, what's the correct spelling of Qaddafi (or Gaddafi or Kaddafi)?
Can鈥檛 wait two years for your next Qaddafi fix? You don鈥檛 have to. He鈥檚 on Larry King Live tonight at 9 p.m. ET.
