In December, just before stepping down as governor of Florida, he helped to set up a group called the Interamerican Ethanol Commission to promote ethanol in the region.

ECONOMIST: America and its neighbours discover a common interest

The Undersecretary of State for Interamerican Affairs, Dr. Thomas Shannon, once again expressed a positive attitude towards President Hugo Chavez by talking about the possibility of strengthening relations between Venezuela and the US. Shannon optimistically offered Chavez cooperation between the two countries on drug-traffic control.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The State Department and Chavez