During the session a Framework Agreement was signed for the setting up
in Venezuela of 11 ethanol plants and the development of the sugar cane
industry for that purpose. Venezuelan Minister of Energy and Petroleum
Rafael Ramirez and Cuban Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic
Cooperation Martha Lomas signed the document in representation of their
respective governments.

This program is part of the joint efforts of Cuba and Venezuela to
preserve the environment, reduce the use of fossil fuels and develop
alternative energy sources, reported Granma newspaper Thursday.

The alcohol (ethanol) obtained from sugar cane will be used in the
mixture for producing gasoline, with proven economic and environmental
advantages.

By implementing this decision, Cuba and Venezuela made good on their
stated principle of not using cereals, like soy beans or corn, for
making fuels, because doing so goes against the millions of people
around the world facing serious food shortages.

The Final Declaration of the meeting was also approved and signed by
Ramirez and Lomas on the last day of the meeting. It contains a summary
of the work done by the two delegations since the previous meeting last
month in Caracas as a prelude to the Havana session. It also includes
the final report of the results of the bilateral cooperation program of
2006 and includes a detailed description of the projects to be
implemented during 2007.

The Joint Declaration was presented yesterday by Martha Lomas. She said
the Integrated Cooperation Agreement between Cuba and Venezuela signed
on October 30, 2000 by Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez continues to grow
every year in its scope, diversity and complexity.

During the meeting, a photo exposition with graphic testimonies of the
friendship between Fidel and Chavez was inaugurated. The opening of the
exposition was made by poet Tarek William, governor of the Venezuelan
state of Anzoategui.

Source
Cuban Agency News
La Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) es una división de la Agencia de Información Nacional (AIN) de Cuba fundada el 21 de mayo de 1974.

Cuban News Agency