Chavez Offers Help

Venezuela´s President Hugo Chavez offered to provide Ecuador with free oil, which Quito will return with its own crude when its production is restored. Chavez also said he would like Ecuador to be a member of the Petroandina system, wherein member countries would help each other deal with decreased production caused by strikes or other shocks. Venezuela´s own PDVSA suffered a crippling strike in late 2002 and early 2003.