CARACAS, April 20 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) – Members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) will discuss strengthening Latin American and Caribbean integration at its ninth summit currently in session here.

Political, economic and social items are part of the agenda of the forum that will be discussed by Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Venezuela. ALBA was founded in Dec 2004.

The summit, which ends on Thurs, April 22 will also discuss consolidation of economic integration mechanisms as Petrocaribe, the Sucre, which is a payment clearing system that intends to put an end to the U.S dollar hegemony in trade relations.

Among the leaders attending the summit are President of Cuba Raul Castro, of Bolivia Evo Morales and Nicaraguan Daniel Ortega.

Apart from the ALBA leaders, Presidents of Argentina and the Dominican Republic Cristina Fernandez and Leonel Fernandez respectively are also attending the summit.

The Argentinean president Hugo Chavez was the orator at a special session of the National Assembly that was dedicated to the nation’s bicentenary celebrations. — NNN-PRENSA LATINA