Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has postponed his planned tour of Latin America according to a government statement.Ahmadinejad’s proposed visit to Venezuela, Ecuador and Brazil was supposed to have started Wednesday yet he postponed it yesterday without publicly providing a reason why. According to one report, however, the timing of the visit was “not well programmed” since it would have meant less time for Ahmadinejad to campaign for reelection.
Representatives for the Iranian and Brazilian governments are planning a future meeting date for Ahmadinejad and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Nevertheless, the planned visit peeved off several thousand Brazilians who protested in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Furthermore, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed concern over the “disturbing” inroads made by Iran in Latin America:
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday defended new moves to engage anti-US leaders in Latin America as a way to check what she called "disturbing" Iranian and Chinese inroads in the region…Image- PRESS TV
"I don't think in today's world ... that it is in our interest to turn our back on countries in our own hemisphere," Clinton told diplomats and other State Department staff.
She described the new world as "a multipolar world where we are competing for attention and relationships with at least the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians," adding such countries can soon fill the void.
"If you look at the gains, particularly in Latin America, that Iran is making, that China is making, it's quite disturbing," the chief US diplomat said.
"They're building very strong economic and political connections with a lot of these leaders. I don't think that it's in our interests," Clinton said.
Online Sources- AFP, Brazzil Magazine, Monsters & Critics, Bloomberg
I think the election angle is an interesting explanation as to why Ahmadinejad abrubtly postponed his trip. Many are saying that Sunday's protests could have been the reason but when has Ahmadinejad ever tamed his actions to satisfy international protesters? I blogged about the same subject yesterday and have your site bookmarked!
ReplyDeletehttp://tracksud.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/ahmadinejad-leaves-them-hanging/
LatAm is finally getting some overdue world affairs independence of its own. Hillary Clinton and the US should just step back and NOT INTERVENE anymore. Over a hundred years of US intervention and manipulation IS ENOUGH!
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