Zelaya was welcomed after midnight Wednesday at the international airport in northeastern Cumana city by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro and other officials of Sucre state, 248 miles from Caracas.

He is accompanied by Honduran Foreign Minister Patricia Rojas and other ministers.

In today’s meeting they are expected to agree on main issues for the agenda to establish priorities for the Summit of the Americas that will be held over the weekend in the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago.

We join hands and carry out joint work within ALBA, it is a socially, economically, and politically integrated area, stressed Zelaya.

Honduras has already put forward some ideas regarding relations with the United States. These relations are based on mutual respect, respect for our ideological positions and in certain fields. Immigration and drug trafficking are also included, as drugs are produced in the South and consumed in the North, he said in reply to a question posed by journalists.

Presidents Evo Morales (Bolivia), Raul Castro (Cuba), Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit and host Hugo Chavez also arrived in Cumana today.

They are expected to discuss the international economic crisis’ serious impact on the region, as well as other priority issues for ALBA member countries.