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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez concluded cooperation deals during his Aug. 2-3 visit to the West African countries of Mali and Benin. Among the deals struck, including agreements on bauxite and gold in Mali and potential oil exploration in Benin, it is the cooperation on cotton that holds deeper geopolitical significance. While Chavez was in Mali's capital of Bamako on Aug. 2, he announced a proposal under which Venezuela would buy the country's entire cotton output at a premium price -- a move designed to gain favor after years of depressed cotton prices. This comes at a time when the United States and World Trade Organization are under pressure to give more support to farmers in developing countries, and especially Africa.
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