Latin American, African leaders unite with isolated Castro at U.N. environmental conference

AP ^ | September 1, 2003 | LISA J. ADAMS

[Tailgunner Joe]

Alienated from European nations after a crackdown on the opposition and the execution of three ferry boat hijackers, President Fidel Castro closed ranks Monday with friendly African, Caribbean and South American heads of state at a U.N. conference.

About 20 heads of state from Africa and the Caribbean arrived on the communist island over the weekend for the sixth U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification.

[.cnI redruM]

Gee, I thought that when your people hated you so much that they floated on pieces of garbage to get away from your island, that qualified you as a polluter. Oops, not according to the UN.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[cyborg]

Yup I suppose those men who were caught in the 1950's chevy-cum-catamarand, were just designers in the Monster Garage contest.

[cyborg]

Also arriving Sunday were President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe...

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What nerve... I think littering Zimbabwe with the corpses of black and white Zimbabweans is environmental pollution. ARRRGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!

[philetus]

The UN is nothing more than the commie's vehicle for world government.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

THanks for the ping and the post. More: Castro Closes Ranks With Friendly Leaders Mugabe, Chavez *** Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez — who faces his own headaches at home, where last week he announced new plans by opponents to topple him — joined Castro and in a fiery speech criticized leaders of powerful industrialized nations for promising grand solutions yet doing nothing to solve developing nations' grave environmental and financial problems.

"What they have done is absolutely insignificant given the gravity of the problem," Chavez said, blaming globalization and failed neoliberal economic policies. "Neoliberalism has been defeated," Chavez proclaimed to audience applause. "Now we're going to bury it, starting this century."

Chavez and Castro are strong political allies and close friends. Chavez thanked the Cuban leader for technological assistance that he said helped sharply reduce Venezuela's illiteracy rates. Chavez contends that an "oligarchy" bent on ousting a democratically elected leader has sabotaged his efforts to fight for the poor.

The 13 heads of state and government from Africa and the Caribbean attending the U.N. conference also included the presidents of Zimbabwe, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Mali and Namibia and the prime ministers of Lesotho, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Many of the Africa presidents in attendance hail from countries whose independence struggles were aided by Cuba in the 1980s and 1990s.

"Coming to Cuba is to come to a country where there are true friends of Africa," Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe said. Mugabe is the target of widespread international criticism. Zimbabwe was suspended for a year from the decision-making councils of the Commonwealth of Britain and its former terrorities because of concerns about human rights and disputed presidential elections Mugabe narrowly won last year.***