Evo Morales Meets with Cuba VP

HAVANA TIMES, Jan. 22 — Bolivian President Evo Morales met in La Paz on Thursday with Cuban VP Ramiro Valdez who is in the South American country for the inauguration of Morales for a another term in office.

Cuba and Bolivia coincide in the need for action to revert the disastrous effects of climate change which they believe is worsened by the irresponsible consumption levels of the wealthy nations, noted the Cuban press on Friday.

The two countries are members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) a regional integration effort which is based on complementary trade and cooperation while stressing social development instead of free-market competition.

The ALBAs current members are Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia, Antigua and Barbuda, San Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica.  Honduras was a member under ousted President Manuel Zelaya but the coup leaders that overthrew him are in the process of rescinding membership.