Posted on 03/07/2002 9:02:31 AM PST by Luis Gonzalez
TEHRAN, May 10
A three-day landmark visit to Iran by Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro ended Thursday with both sides determined to bolster ties in the face of US-imposed unilateral embargoes.
The 74-year-old Cuban president, making his first-ever trip to the Islamic republic, was received with the greatest of honours by top Iranian officials for high-level talks aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation. Just hours after the red-carpet welcoming ceremony in the former imperial Saad-Abad palace in northern Tehran, Castro said he felt "at home," in Tehran "among the revolutionary people of Iran."
Before leaving the Iranian capital Thursday, Castro and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Khatami, affirmed during a press conference that the trip had been "very constructive."
In a final statement, both nations vowed to continue with their efforts for the establishment of a fair economic regime in which third-world countries are permitted to take steps towards attaining affluence and social and economic development.
"Iran and Cuba consider the imposing of economic pressures as well as sanctions against independent countries to be against human rights, and (we) condemn measures by certain nations which aim at imposing their power on other countries."
During Castro's meeting with Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday, Khamenei proposed an "Irano-Cuban cooperation" against the United States.
Referring to "US hegemony," Khamenei said Tehran considers the "American regime as an arrogant power, seeking a unipolar world, to which we seriously object."
"The United States is weak and extremely vulnerable today," Khamenei stressed, adding that "US grandeur can be broken, and if this takes place, it will be a service rendered to mankind and even the American people."
"Our resistance against US hegemony is based on our Islamic beliefs, since in Islam, resistance against injustice is considered a value."
Castro for his part said Havana is not "afraid of America, and the Cuban nation, 40 years after its revolution, is now stronger then ever.
"Iran and Cuba, in cooperation with each other, can bring America to its knees. The US regime is very weak, and we are witnessing this weakness from close up," Castro affirmed.
During his trip, the Cuban leader also held meetings with Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi, parliament speaker Mehdi Karubi, as well as former president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani.
He also received an honorary doctorate from a Tehran university for his "contributions to justice, humanist ideals and the fight against discrimination."
Castro told journalists before leaving Tehran that he was "totally reassured about Iran. There is great hope for the future of relations between Cuba and Iran. I am leaving with many unforgettable memories."
Iran and Cuba, both under a unilateral embargo by Washington, have had close relations since the 1980s, notably in the medical and farming sectors.
But the two nations, which have been branded terrorist states by Washington, have weak trade links running under 20 million dollars a year.
The Cuban president headed for Malaysia, and is due to visit Qatar on his return journey to Havana.
In February 1996, two Cuban MiG's, acting under the direct orders of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, shot down two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by four volunteer pilots belonging to Hermanos al Rescate. These planes were flying in international airspace at the time of the attack.
I remember reading this article last year, and just snickering at the old fool (Fidel), I just found it while doing some research in preparation for next week's "Banana Republican Hour" on Radio FreeRepublic, and somehow, in the aftermath of 9/11, it took on a whole different meaning.
Luis
"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate,
tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds."
- Samuel Adams
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Depends on how you define "international air space" and if it is defined differently for some countries as opposed to others.
Honoring a bloody dictator.
U.S. Pressure on Cuba May Increase: Otto Reich views Castro as menace--LINKS to stories of this menace.
Cuba forced to sell biotechnology to Iran---Yeah, right!
Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is kissing Castro's butt too.
I feel an invasion to protect GITMO coming on...
He thinks anything that hurts the USA helps socialism.
Clue: Feudal theocracy ain't socialism!
Bring it on :) ..... next thing you know we'll practice D-Day against Cuba as the warmup against Iran.
These guys Luis is referencing were making regular encroachments into Cuban air space, if I recall, in an effort to bait the Havana regime into an incident. I guess their ploy worked. But ... I don't think they were just wayward pilots who wandered off course and were summarily butchered.
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