Venezuela's Chavez promises Belarus oil

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez promised to supply the oil
needs of Belarus for years to come Saturday and dismissed Western
accusations that former Soviet republic's leader is a dictator.

Concluding his first visit to Venezuela, Belarus President Alexander
Lukashenko promised to help the South American country beef up its
military.

Chavez said both he and his counterpart are wrongly labeled "dictators"
by their critics.

"The international media dictator****p ... calls him 'Europe's last
dictator,' and me the last dictator of Latin America. Here we are, the
last dictators," Chavez said, laughing. "They demonize us ... (because)
we're leading a process of liberating our nations, uniting our nations."

Venezuela and Belarus share similarly hostile stances toward
Wa****ngton. The U.S. government calls the leftist Chavez a threat to
Latin America's stability and Belarus an "outpost of tyranny," accusing
Lukashenko of stifling dissent and free speech.

Chavez presented Lukashenko with a medal, and they signed an agreement
pledging military cooperation. They did not discuss specifics publicly,
but Chavez has expressed interest in buying an air defense system from
Belarus equipped with radar and anti-aircraft missiles.

The two governments also signed an accord establi****ng a joint venture
to exploit oil and natural gas in Venezuela.

"The oil your nation needs ... is here, as much as you need for 100
years, 200 years," Chavez said during a ceremony at Guara Este oil
field in eastern Venezuela.

The deal could be a boon to Belarus, which is reliant on Russia for its
oil and gas. Under the agreement between the nations' state-run
companies, Petroleos de Venezuela SA will control 60 percent of the
venture, while Belorusneft will take a 40 percent stake.

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