based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, which monitors trade with Cuba. Executives at Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA do not expect to be repaid by Cuba, Kavulich said. Chavez's opponents have vowed to kill the oil deal if they succeed in ousting him. If Chavez wins, the political and economic partnership between Havana and Caracas will deepen and so will Cuban "penetration" of Venezuela, Salas said. More than just oil supplies, Cuba sees in Venezuela the only left-wing ally in the region that is opposed to free-market policies and is focusing on social welfare, added Aleida Guevara, daughter of legendary guerrilla leader Che Guevara. "Venezuela is a new hope for a socialist project that improves the lot of the people," she told Reuters recently on her return from filming a documentary in Caracas slums.
