Monday, March 21, 2011

Cuba And Venezuela Condemn Libya Strikes

Cuba and Venezuela have condemned the airstrikes on Libya by allied forces.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called the air assaults "indiscriminate bombing" and said the US was after Libya's oil.

Cuba's Government also criticized the attacks and called for the conflict to be resolved through negotiation.

Chavez warned President Barack Obama not to try any similar intervention in the South American country.
Chavez, who has long-standing ties to Muammar Gaddafi, demanded the airstrikes be halted.

He echoed claims of civilian casualties by Libya's Government, which said 48 people were killed.

In Washington, however, the Pentagon said there were no reports of civilian casualties in the air assault.

"Libya is under imperial fire. Nothing justifies this," Chavez said, holding up a newspaper showing an explosion on the front page.

"Indiscriminate bombing," he said. "Who gave those countries the right? Neither the United States, nor France, nor England, nor any country has the right to be dropping bombs."

Chavez said African Union leaders were meeting in Mauritania to discuss the conflict.

In Havana, Cuba's foreign ministry said the Libyan conflict should be solved through dialogue and negotiation, not by military means.

"Cuba expresses its strongest condemnation of foreign intervention in the internal conflict of Libya," said a statement from the ministry read on Cuban television news.

Delegates at a meeting in Bolivia of the left-leaning ALBA bloc also condemned the airstrikes by the US and its allies.

The group includes Venezuela, Cuba and six other Latin American and Caribbean nations.