(20 Apr 2006)
April 19, 2006 - Asuncion, Paraguay
AP
1. Wide of presidential palace
2. Mid view of Paraguay President Nicanor Duarte and wife at palace entrance
3. Wide view/push in of President Hugo Chavez walking down red carpet
4. Mid view of President Chavez hugging Presidents Tabara Vasquez, Nicanor Duarte and Evo Morales
5. Mid view of presidents posing for photo opportunity/push in to Chavez and Duarte
6. Wide view of photo opportunity/push in to presidents walking in
April 19, 2006 - Asuncion, Paraguay
VTV - No Access Paraguay
7. Wide view of meeting
8. Pan of meeting
9. Mid view of Bolivia President Evo Morales
10. Mid view of Uruguay President Tabare Vasquez
11. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela:
"The United States consumes a million and a half barrels of oil on a daily basis, we haven''t stopped sending it. But, if they harm us, there will be no more oil for anyone. If Venezuela is harmed, we will do what the Iraqis do, we will bomb our own oil fields before allowing them (the United States) to steal our oil."
12. Wide/pan of meeting
STORYLINE:
The leaders of Paraguay, Venezuela, Bolivia and Uruguay gathered in the city of Asuncion on Wednesday, to discuss proposals for a far-reaching South American pipeline network that would supply the region with natural gas.
During the meeting, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned his government would blow up its own oil fields if the United States ever were to attack - the latest in a series of heated warnings against Washington.
U.S. officials have repeatedly denied any military plans against Chavez, but also have called him a threat to stability in the region. Speaking to other South American leaders, Chavez said his conflict with the U.S. is rooted in Washington''s thirst for oil.
If the U.S. were to attack, Chavez said " We''ll do what the Iraqis do, we''ll blow up our own oil fields, but they aren''t going to take that oil."
The left-wing Venezuelan leader is expected to play a key role in financing any ambitious natural gas network, defying critics who say any such project would be too costly and impractical to build.
According to presidential aides to the four men, the leaders were discussing preliminary ideas on ways to finance and build a pipeline from Bolivia''s southern natural gas fields that would extend to Paraguay and Uruguay, countries that currently import the gas from their neighbours by other, more costly ways.
According to Chavez, natural gas delivered by pipeline would save millions of dollars a year in current costs to ship the gas by sea, adding that the windfall saved by a pipeline could be invested in social projects and assistance to the poor.
The talks come in the midst of negotiations between Venezuela and Brazil for a separate pipeline that could cost billions of dollars and could stretch some 12,000 kilometres (7,600 miles) from Venezuela''s northern gas fields to southern Argentina.
Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela in December began studying the proposed pipeline linking Venezuela''s vast natural gas reserves through Brazil to Argentina.
Experts said the pipeline could propel Venezuela and Bolivia - whose presidents enjoy warm relations - into competitors for business from Brazil, the region''s biggest gas importer.
The pipeline proposal was originally projected to cost between ten and 20 billion US dollars (8.1 to 16.2 billion euros), but analysts said costs could soar because of the huge technological challenges of cutting through the dense Amazon jungle.
Environmentalists are already opposing the plan.
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