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Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia keen to ally with Iran
When the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna voted to refer Iran's energy case to the United Nations Security Council earlier this month, there were three notable "no" votes. One was from Syria, a predictable supporter of Iran. The other two were from Cuba and Venezuela, two leftist and anti-American regimes that Iran has shown special interest in cultivating. A third nation in Latin America that has attracted the attention of Iran is Bolivia, which recently installed a leftist president, Evo Morales.These efforts are presumably part of an Iranian campaign to strengthen its relationships with developing nations that might rally to Iran's side as it fends off American and European efforts to halt its nuclear development program. Cuba's President Fidel Castro and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad say they want a halt to the proliferation of nuclear weapons but have affirmed each country's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The US and European nations believe that a peaceful nuclear program is a cover for the pursuit of nuclear weapons by Iran. Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-06-13 |
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