Chavez fuels London buses

As President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela wanders the world developing alliances, one of the most creative arrangements in the making must be a deal with the City of London to provide oil for buses in return for British expertise in managing Venezuela's capital, Caracas. The details are currently being worked out.

Venezuela will provide diesel fuel for some of London's buses, targeting those most used by the poor. In return, the city will promote the South American country as a tourist destination while helping Caracas run its transport system, fight crime, house the poor, dispose of waste, improve its air quality and educate adults.

Chavez has negotiated other barter deals, including importing Cuban doctors to serve poor Venezuelans in exchange for providing Cuba with cheap oil. In addition, he has provided oil at well under market prices to poor people in Boston, New York and countries in the Caribbean.

A deal between Chavez and the equally unconventional and creative mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, seems a natural.