Nicaragua Enmeshed in Latin America Plan
Evaluation of agreements signed two months ago with Venezuela and the boosting of bilateral cooperation to 430 million dollars show how Nicaragua is taking solid steps towards the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas integration project.

Its commitment to ALBA, which includes Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia and three Caribbean islands, was proclaimed last January by President Daniel Ortega.

Faced with an enormous challenge of pulling 70 percent of the 5.1 million population out of poverty, Ortega is looking to the South for solidarity, complementary aid and fair trade.

These tenets of ALBA are diametrically opposed to the US "free trade" deals being panhandled in Latin America.

Venezuelan aid is already pouring in and helping with fuel needs, and its Social and Economic Development Bank will open an office in Managua to manage the 10 million dollars earmarked for seeding in Nicaraguan agricultural cooperatives in 2007, 7.3 million for mechanization and another 10 million Hugo Chavez donated in January to help guarantee free education and health.

In addition to medicine, Venezuela will also send equipment and educational volunteers to start a massive reading and writing program there in May.

Nicaragua will also export what it can to Venezuela, mainly including food supplies like black beans and beef.