Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said here Thursday that the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) must be given a "new face, a new body and a new soul, since it is a hope for the world."

Chavez made the remarks upon his arrival in Havana to attend the 14th Non-Aligned Summit's session with other heads of state or government scheduled to begin on Friday.

"This is the most important forum of the early 21st century because it takes place when the U.S. empire is experiencing decline," Chavez said.

He said the Havana Summit is effectively a summit of the countries of the South and Venezuela is maintaining its efforts aimed at promoting South-South cooperation.

Earlier, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said the NAM is more necessary than ever and the association is "the essential forum to discuss our main problems and continue fighting so that our just demands are heard in the unfair and unequal world we are living in."

Cuba is hosting the summit of the NAM, a 116-member organization made up of mostly developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The total number is expected to reach 118 with the entrance of Haiti and St. Kitts and Nevis very soon.

Source: Xinhua