November 22, 2005
President Chávez pledges South American gas pipeline in talks with Argentina's Kirchner

(AP Worldstream) - "President Hugo Chávez pledged to help build a natural gas pipeline stretching from Venezuela to Argentina during talks with Argentine leader Néstor Kirchner that also focused on plans for Venezuela to join South America's Mercosur trade bloc.

Venezuela has proposed a network of pipelines to carry its natural gas to South American markets and eventually tap into supplies in Bolivia, the continent's second-largest source after Venezuela.

'We're going to build that gas pipeline,' Chávez said after his meeting with Kirchner. He said he was certain Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia would participate in the project to guarantee energy 'to all of South America for the next 200 years.'

The cost for a pipeline running south from Venezuela through Brazil to Argentina has been estimated at US$10 billion (A8.5 billion). Chávez said technical studies on the 6,000-kilometer (3,700-mile) pipeline would follow (...)

Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter, pledged to supply Argentina with 5 million barrels of diesel a year to help fuel its tractors and public buses, officials said.

Chávez said Venezuela is also interested in buying more Argentine bonds beyond the US$950 million (A791 million) his government has already purchased this year. Kirchner said Argentina and Venezuela were taking a 'historic step' in deepening ties.

'We want to strengthen Mercosur,' said Kirchner, whose government is backing Venezuela's bid to become a full member of the trade bloc, which also includes Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Venezuela is an associate member of Mercosur and its full entry is to be taken up at a meeting in Uruguay on Dec. 9 (...)

Officials also signed accords pledging cooperation in areas from technology to efforts to counter drug trafficking (...)".