Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has appeared in plenty of headlines over the past 24 hours regarding his receiving of a journalism award from an Argentine university. Yet Chavez continues to be involved in a news story that has dominated the global news headlines for several weeks: the unrest in Libya.Accompanied by his Argentine counterpart Cristina Fernandez, Chavez yesterday continued his staunch criticism of the U.S.-led military strikes against the Libyan government. “We don’t want outside strange elements in the region that come to alter the peace we need” said Chavez regarding the role the UNASUR bloc should play in preventing interventions similar to those in Libya.
His criticisms continued today during his visit to Uruguay where he claimed that the “imperial march for oil” was the reason behind the actions against Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi. “Why don’t you ask Obama where he stands: beyond Gaddafi or no Gaddafi?” Chavez said to a Uruguayan journalist.
On Monday the Venezuelan president claimed that there was a conspiracy to associate him and Gadhafi as “cruel dictators who go after their countrymen.” But despite the close ties between both leaders Chavez rejected today the notion that Venezuela could grant asylum to the embattled Libyan leader.
While Fernandez critiqued the military intervention in Libya as trying to “solve problems by dropping bombs”, one of their South American compatriots seemed to hesitate in backing Gadhafi:
President Evo Morales of Bolivia has called for human rights abuses in Libya to be 'judged' as he appeared to step back from his support for Gaddafi…Coincidentally, Morales’ point seems to have been shared by Africa's highest court that have raised charges against Gadhafi for "massive violations of human rights."
Morales said he still 'condemns' the international intervention in the north African nation but also maintained that 'those who violate human rights to defend their government must be judged (and) condemned.'
Image- TRT/AP via CSMonitor.com (“This video image taken from Turkish television Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is seen during an interview with the TV channel TRT, in Tripoli, Libya, on March 8.”)
Online Sources- Press TV, El Universal, El Tiempo, Monsters and Critics, Two Weeks Notice, Sky News, The Guardian, Venezuela Analysis
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