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For Venezuela and Brazil, discord brews over an ethanol pact |
| Home | (The Associated Press) - CARACAS: A pointed disagreement over ethanol was creating friction between President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as they joined leaders from across the region Monday for a South American energy summit meeting. Their dispute - framed by a U.S.-Brazil ethanol agreement and Chávez's staunch anti-U.S. politics - appears likely to be a major point of debate at the talks, where Chávez will be seeking support for projects ranging from a regional bank to a natural gas OPEC aimed at reducing Washington's influence in Latin America. The United States and Brazil are the world's two biggest producers of ethanol - an alcohol-based fuel made from crops such as sugar cane or corn. They signed an alliance last month to promote its production in the region and create international quality standards to allow it to be traded as a commodity like oil. |