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Venezuela's Chavez to discuss Mideast, energy, on Malaysia visit
AFP
KUALA LUMPUR
Petroleumworld.com 08 28 06
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is to arrive in Malaysia Sunday for a four-day visit which will focus on the crisis in the Middle East as well as cooperation in the energy sector.
The foreign ministry said the visit would give Venezuela an opportunity to explore close cooperation in the oil and gas sector as well as the palm oil industry in Malaysia -- one of the world's top-two producers of the commodity.
Chavez and his delegation of eight cabinet members will be given a state welcoming ceremony on Monday and during the visit will tour a major oil palm refinery and plantation, and address a business forum in the capital.
Chavez and Malaysian leaders have both strongly condemned Israel's military action in Lebanon.
Malaysia does not recognise the Jewish state and Venezuela pulled the Venezuelan charge d'affaires out this month, with Chavez charging that Israel "had lost its mind".
During a visit to China last week Chavez denounced Israel's military assaults in Lebanon as "genocide," likening its action to war crimes committed by Germany's Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Bilateral trade between Malaysia and Venezuela was last year worth 39 million dollars, an increase of more than 100 percent from the 19.8 million dollars recorded in 2004, the official Bernama news agency said.
AFP 27 0602 GMT 08 06
Copyright ©2006 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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