I am not in the camp that thinks a meeting between Chavez and Jintao is a requirement to sign the A&F Agreement. If pomp and circumstance is desired, this will occur after shareholder vote. All legal conditions are currently in place for this deal to progress with the signing of the A&F Agreement.

From Hugo's Alo Presidente site.

Tiznados, Guarico State. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez confirmed in the coming days will launch a tour that, among other countries, including Russia, Belarus and Iran to comply with an agenda that seeks to increase investment.

"Within a few days I will travel within the international dynamic, to Moscow, we have important things in Russia. A few days ago I received a letter from Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. "

He said that this trip is planned for 11 and 12 of this month. He said that in the case of the scheduled visit to China, it will postpone the date because the president of the People's Republic of China, Hu Jintao, had to meet a schedule that prevents him from receiving the agent.

"We were going to go, but President Hu Jintao had a trip to Venezuela in April, missing and only 24 hours, 48 hours before your arrival. I was in Brazil and there was an earthquake in China, and thousands of dead, and he had to return, of course. "

He said: "We had time to go to Beijing these days, from Moscow to Beijing to Tehran, but he [Chinese President] sent word that he preferred to find a date because he wants to come to meet with the trip he could not finish."

So I said, 'Thank you, Comrade President. Anyway I sent him to say: "Mr. President, if you will be very complicated, we have no problem, we understand this perfectly the agenda of the President of China, but I have no problem to go there anytime to go riding together the century XXI. " China-Venezuela, ALBA, the new world. "