CARACAS, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has announced that he will start on Friday a one-week tour to Qatar, Iran and Japan.

    Chavez said his first stop will be in Doha, capital of Qatar, where the 2nd Summit of Arab-South American Countries Summit will be held on March 31.

    The first such summit was held in Brazil in 2005 and the third is scheduled for Peru in 2011.

    Speaking in the national TV broadcast, Chavez said his tour is aimed at strengthening Venezuela's interests and position in the world.

    Chavez said he will travel to Iran and later to Japan after attending the summit in Doha.

    The president reaffirmed his proposal for creating an Iranian-Venezuelan bank, a bi-national project "to face the world crisis and to have our own independent financial and political architecture."