CARACAS, Thursday August 20, 2009 | Update
Economy
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sent a letter to his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez asking him to speed up the payment to Brazilian companies engaged in exports to Venezuela, in view of the accounts payable for up to eight months, reported on Thursday the Brazilian press.
The letter drafted by Lula would be delivered on Thursday by Brazilian Minister of Development, Industry and Trade Miguel Jorge, presently on official visit to Caracas together with a group of businesspeople, stated economic newspaper Valor.
In the letter, the Brazilian Head of State urged the Venezuelan government to settle the accounts and noted the "essential" support of the Foreign Exchange Management Committee (Cadivi) for Brazilian companies to continue exporting to Venezuela, Valor explained.
Troubles began some years ago. In 2007-2008, accrued late payments amounted to USD 4 million. The accounts were settled just after the negotiations with President Chávez's administration, Efe quoted.
Main items imported by Venezuela include cattle, frozen chicken, car parts and mobile phones.
10:07 AM. DIPLOMACY. Admired by the Colombian guerrilla after his coup attempt in 1992, the then lieutenant colonel Hugo Chávez Frías received financial support by the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) for his projects after his capture that year. This mostly explains the relationship and "debt" between the parties, as revealed by a paper of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) of the United Kingdom.