Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela close meeting on hydrocarbons

The presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela ended Thursday afternoon a meeting to discuss the impact of the nationalization of Bolivian hydrocarbons.

"It has been an extraordinary meeting," Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez succinctly told reporters on leaving the gathering with his counterparts Argentinian Néstor Kirchner, Bolivian Evo Morales and Brazilian Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Official sources confirmed that, following the luncheon, the four heads of state would deliver a press conference, and Foreign Ministers would draft a joint statement.

Before the meeting, Chávez acknowledged tensions by Morales' decision to nationalize hydrocarbons, Efe quoted.

The Venezuelan ruler hinted that the United States fueled strain by saying that "they come from the North to prevent further Latin American union."

The Bolivian decision affects adversely the interests of major oil companies, such as Brazilian Petrobras and Spanish Repsol, among others, that have large investments and significant business in the Andean nation.