Leaders of Bolivia, Venezuela leaders cement ties over fuel deal

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chávez offered Bolivia's president-elect an energy and trade program Tuesday as the two leftists cemented ties, reasserting their opposition to U.S. policy in Latin American.

Fresh from a visit with Cuba's Fidel Castro, Evo Morales' next stops are Spain, France, Belgium, South Africa, China and Brazil — but not the U.S. Morales' spokesman says he was not invited to Washington, where officials have expressed concern about the growing alliance among Morales, Chávez and Castro.

The Venezuelan leader received him with full military honors as well as hugs and smiles.

Crowds of leftist, pro-government supporters cheered as Morales and Chávez arrived at the National Pantheon in downtown Caracas, then headed to a private meeting at Miraflores Palace.

Morales is expected to discuss with other leaders the management of Bolivia's vast natural-gas holdings — the second largest in South America — which he has said he wants to reform. But he says he would leave alone foreign companies.

At a joint news conference, Chávez said Venezuela would supply 150,000 barrels of diesel fuel monthly to Bolivia to supplant the impoverished country's imports.

In praising Castro and Chávez on Tuesday, he clearly established Washington's fiercest Latin American critics as his models.

"We are going to change Bolivia. We are going to change Latin America," Morales said.

Chávez referred to the three leftist leaders as "an axis of good" — a play on President Bush's reference to North Korea, Iran and prewar Iraq as the "axis of evil."