Castro criticizes socialist Latin American leaders
HAVANA (Reuters) - Convalescing Cuban leader Fidel Castro openly
criticized Latin America's socialist-leaning presidents for the first
time on Sunday.
Castro also praised Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his other
revolutionary regional allies in a commentary carried by official Cuban
media on the Ibero-American summit in Santiago, Chile.
Nearly all 19 leaders who attended the summit were leftists, but there
was debate over the region's future and the closing speeches on Saturday
were marked by sharp exchanges between Chavez and Spanish leaders.
"I listened with great sorrow to the speeches pronounced from
traditional left positions at the Ibero-American summit," Castro wrote.
He was apparently referring to the presidents of Brazil, Chile, Uruguay
and others who advocate social democracy with capitalism.
"I felt proud of the pronouncements of various leaders, revolutionary
and courageous," he said of the heads of state from Venezuela, Bolivia
and Nicaragua, who believe government and economic structures must be
radically altered and a new relationship developed with the United States.
"Chavez's criticism of Europe was devastating. The Europe that precisely
tried to dictate lessons at this Ibero-American summit," Castro said.
Spain's King Juan Carlos told Chavez on Saturday to "shut up" as the
Venezuelan leader tried to interrupt a speech by Spain's socialist prime
minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
Zapatero was criticizing Chavez for calling former Spanish Prime
Minister Jose Maria Aznar a fascist.
The 81-year-old Cuban leader is recovering from a series of intestinal
surgeries that forced him to temporarily hand over power to his brother
Raul Castro in July 2006.
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