(Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias) - "The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Frías, affirmed that in Venezuela 'we decided to revert the culture crisis' when he referred to the decline of the book and of reading as one of the components of a worldwide problem associated with the modern world.

The declarations were given by the Head of State during Edition II of the Liberator Prize of Critical Thinking 2006, act which was celebrated in the Theatre Teresa Carreno.

Chávez urged the Venezuelans to develop critical thinking and to be self critical: 'Let's read, study, discuss, debate. Ideas, ideas and more ideas', he exhorted.

The Venezuelan leader referred to the inauguration of the Culture Printing House, with a capacity to edit 20 million books a year, which he assures will be for the Venezuelan people and all those of Latin America and the Caribbean (.)".