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Hugo Chavez's Bid to Lead "Regional Solidarity" Against Bush Fails; AP Buries this News in Paragraph 18

8:14 AM, Nov 4, 2005 • By DANIEL MCKIVERGAN
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Venezuela's Chavez came to Argentina for the Summit of the Americas with big plans but no one seems to be listening except for the collection of leftists and anarchists chanting in the streets of Mar Del Plata.

Chavez, who regularly claims Washington is trying to overthrow him, has said free trade is being forced on Latin American countries and the deal would only help the rich. Instead, he has pushed for an anti-FTAA [Free Trade Area of the Americas] deal based on socialist ideals [and] pushed for regional solidarity….

But Bush seemed to be winning over supporters. A high-ranking Brazilian official, who said he was not authorized to give his name, told reporters 28 of the 34 countries participating in the summit had agreed to relaunch [FTAA] trade talks as early as April.

Update here.

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