Cuban President Fidel Castro speaks to the media as he prepares to leave the Monterrey UN summit on financing development March 21, 2002. The speaker of the Cuban National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcon, said Castro left after a 'situation' arose which made his presence at the summit uncomfortable. Alarcon said he will continue in the role of delegation head throughout the rest of the summit. Photo by Juan Carlos Ulate/Reuters
(March 17, 2002)- Cuba's Castro Says Venezuelan Chavez Speaks for Him -[Excerpt] CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Cuban president Fidel Castro said (on) Sunday his friend and ally, president Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, could speak for him and his revolutionary ideas at a world development conference in Mexico this week. "Even if I don't go, we, I, feel represented in your words," Castro told Chavez in a telephone call during a marathon live broadcast of the Venezuelan leader's weekly "Hello President" television and radio program.
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Castro and Chavez hailed their nations' strong political and economic ties, which have been criticized by the United States. Washington is the biggest single client for Venezuela's oil exports but keeps long-running trade sanctions on Cuba. "However much they attack us, we are creating a new model of integration," the Venezuelan president said.
Castro, who described himself as "an expert in putting up with attacks", urged Chavez to stand firm against criticism from his political enemies. "We've been under attack for 43 years and today the Revolution is stronger than ever," Castro said, referring to U.S. hostility against Havana since the 1959 Cuban Revolution.
The two leaders ended their on-air chat with the revolutionary slogan "Always onwards until victory". Chavez also used the "Hello President" program to warn his opponents that he was losing patience with their continuing efforts to stir up opposition to his three-year-old rule through political conspiracies and talk of coup plots.
"If you carry on with this, I'm going to be waiting for you and I'll expose you to the Venezuelan people," he said, adding his foes included political figures, media owners and bankers. [End Excerpt]
Dismantling sought of Cuban embargo - on ''a collision course'' with the White House
