05-03-06,9:00am

“This century marks the end of US imperialism and the birth of our new and great homeland, free and united, where all of us will be able to live with the most happiness possible,” said Hugo Chavez, the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, speaking Saturday evening from Revolution Square in Havana.

The Venezuelan president was on hand with Cuban President Fidel Castro and Bolivian President Evo Morales during a public celebration marking the admission of Bolivia in the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) agreement — a Latin American integration initiative that was signed one year ago between Cuba and Venezuela. Chavez began his address speaking about milestones in Bolivia’s history, “a country in which our great national heroes, such as Bolivar and Sucre, first attempted to initiate their plans for a new society for our peoples.”

President Chavez urged those present to study government decrees passed by Bolivar, adding that Bolivar’s political philosophy tended towards socialism, which was the reason that Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution proclaims its socialist nature.

The Venezuelan president pointed out how rapidly Morales’ government’s revolutionary projects were advancing and noted that in only 100 days from assuming the leadership of Bolivia, Morales had already become part of the Latin American integration process in the framework of the ALBA.

Chavez noted that with the joining of Bolivia, the ALBA acquires a new dimension as he made a special acknowledgement of the work of Evo Morales and his government’s team in proposing the Peoples’ Trade Agreement (TCP), another important instrument for cooperation that was also signed this Saturday by the three Latin American presidents.

President Chavez expressed Venezuela’s full support of the new government of Bolivia and its full backing in helping to make Simon Bolivar’s dream a reality. In this respect, Chavez spoke about the possibility of Venezuela assisting in the hydrocarbons sector and announced that he would soon be going to Bolivia to inaugurate the construction of an industrial plant in that industry.

“The ALBA will continue leading the way against the FTAA (a US plan aimed at annexation) and imperialism,” said Chavez. He added that peoples’ trade agreements will continue to open new grounds for liberation and fair trade.

Hugo Chavez urged the thousands of young Latin Americans who were studying in Cuba and present at the event to prepare themselves to help create this new world towards which Latin America and the Caribbean were advancing.

“I am sure that it is going to be you […] who will witness the collapse of the giant” said Chavez, “it is going to be you who will witness the end of the US empire in this century.”

By HAROLDO ROMERO and ERNESTO MONTERO,