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Lima: Divisions over biofuels and free trade dominated a summit of European and Latin American leaders in Peru on Friday as they sought concrete steps to tackle poverty and global warming.
Leftist Bolivian President Evo Morales differed with his regional counterparts over how to make sure poor people benefit from global trade, while Venezuela's Hugo Chavez ratcheted up tensions in a conflict with neighbouring Colombia.
Brazil, the world's top ethanol exporter, is a leading advocate of so-called greener fuels, but many poor countries blame them for pushing up the prices of everyday staples and stoking a world food crisis. "Soon, if the crisis deepens, hundreds of millions of people will be threatened by hunger," Peruvian President Alan Garcia told the fifth gathering of heads of state from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
"We must set targets to deal with this serious food problem looming over mankind," added Garcia, a biofuels critic.
Free trade proponents say opening up borders would lower food prices by removing tariffs, but critics say trade pacts could hurt food production by slashing subsidies.
Many poor nations in Latin America criticise using food crops such as corn and soybeans to brew renewable fuels. They are increasingly worried about climate change and say rich states must cut carbon emissions.
Peru created an environment ministry this week to help cope with the impact of rising global temperatures, which studies show could melt its Andean glaciers within 25 years.
European and some Latin American countries pushed measures to combat global warming, including carbon trading, reforestation and paying countries to preserve woodlands.
While there was consensus on the need to deal with climate change, leaders struggled to agree about trade.
The issue has exposed wide ideological differences between Peru and Colombia, which are losing patience with sceptics like Bolivia's Morales, a former coca grower who fears trade deals could hurt peasant farmers.
Peru and Colombia called for their countries to be fast-tracked in talks between the EU and Andean countries.
"If Ecuador and Bolivia say we need more flexible time frames, we're not in the business of denying them that. But they can't throw obstacles in the way of our negotiations," Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU was "open, and willing to make the path easier" on trade. She made no mention of a spat with Chavez, who this week called her a political descendant of Adolf Hitler for implying he had damaged relations between Europe and Latin America.
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