Chavez plans alternative summit

CARACAS, Venezuela, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he will hold a summit of smaller countries not invited to this weekend's economic summit in Washington.

The alternative gathering of heads of state, to be held in Caracas at a date yet to be set, is to include members of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas trade block and the Petrocaribe oil initiative, reported RIA Novosti. The two groups include a large number of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Chavez Friday accused the Bush administration of ignoring the world's smaller countries at this weekend's economic summit in Washington of 20 countries, RIA Novosti reported Saturday.

Chavez also expressed doubt the Washington meeting would reach any decisions capable of tackling the worldwide economic "hurricane" created, he said, by the United States, the Russian news agency reported.