Chavez backs Sarkozy's call for financial summit

Paris, Sep 27 (IANS) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has backed the proposal by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to hold a 'heads of state summit' in December to deal with the global financial crisis, EFE news agency reported Saturday.

Chavez made that statement after meeting Sarkozy afternoon at the Elysee Palace Friday.

The Venezuelan president expressed his wish that the summit proposed by Sarkozy 'not be confined to the Group of Eight (G8)', which includes the seven richest countries in the world and Russia.

In a speech Thursday in the French city of Toulon, Sarkozy said that the leaders of the countries hardest hit by the financial crisis should take part in the summit.

Chavez's meeting with Sarkozy, which lasted about 45 minutes, took place during a brief stopover of the Venezuelan leader in Paris after arriving from Russia on a world tour that also took him to China.

Chavez said the tour 'had a strong energy content', as part of his government's efforts to transform Venezuela's economic model and achieve industrial and technological development.

He said for that transformation he sought aid from 'friendly' countries like France, in exchange for 'Venezuelan energy', a reference to the South American nation's massive oil reserves.

Sarkozy's response was 'very positive', said the Venezuelan president, who has discussed future cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear power with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during his trip to Russia.

'We count on European wisdom,' Chavez said, expressing his interest in strengthening ties with Europe.

In South America there is a 'peaceful revolution' going on, he said and quoted the motto of the French revolution: 'Liberty, Fraternity, Equality' and added, 'That's where we're going, we want that world.'