CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez pledged on Saturday to meet Caribbean nations' oil needs for years to come, and urged the region to unite and seek greater independence from the United States.Chavez deepened past pledges to share his country's oil wealth as he addressed a summit of nations taking part in Venezuela's Petrocaribe oil initiative, which supplies fuel under preferential terms.

"If we truly unite ... the grandchildren of our grandchildren will have no energy problems," Chavez said. He predicted oil prices will soon hit US$100 (euro73) a barrel but said "the Caribbean shouldn't have problems this century and beyond."

"Venezuela puts this oil wealth at the disposition of our peoples of the Caribbean," Chavez said. "We're going to share it like Christ. ... It will be enough for everyone."

Venezuela still counts the United States as its top oil buyer, although Chavez has sought to diversify his clientele amid tensions with Washington by selling more to Latin America, the Caribbean and as far away as China.

Since 2005, when Chavez created Petrocaribe, 14 countries have joined Venezuela's pact, which lets them finance up to half their oil bills over 25 years at low interest.

It is set to expand with the addition of Nicaragua, which was represented at the talks by President Daniel Ortega.

Countries are allowed to pay off part of their oil bills in goods and services. Dominican President Leonel Fernandez said his country hopes to begin an exchange program offering hotel and tourism training to visiting Venezuelans.

Caribbean countries have already financed nearly US$1 billion (euro730 million) in fuel purchases, and due to interest as low as 1 percent have seen savings of US$450 million (euro330 million), Chavez said.

Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said last Friday that Venezuela is also making progress helping upgrade or build refineries in Cuba, Jamaica and Dominica — an effort that comes as Chavez's government seeks to decrease its reliance on a network of US refineries.

Chavez used the meeting to support his ally Cuba, saying the island is regularly excluded from other summits. Blaming the US, he recalled a 2005 gathering in Argentina and said: "How is it that we accept Cuba not going to that meeting?"

"I swear by my mother ... if there is another one of those summits and Cuba doesn't go, Venezuela won't go to that summit either because it doesn't seem fair," Chavez said.

"I know most of you talk with the US government, the majority of our friends in the Caribbean, except Cuba and us," Chavez added. "But I hope someday we can all sit down at the same table, as equals and with respect, with the president of the United States, whoever it is."

He also proposed to one day build an undersea natural gas pipeline stretching from gas-rich Venezuela to Cuba and possibly Mexico. He said it would touch the US territory of Puerto Rico, and added, "When will Puerto Rico be free? The day will come."