Venezuela
President Hugo Chavez speaks in from of a poster
of himself and Syrian President Bashara
Al Assad. Days ago,
the two leaders announced the creation of a new 'Axis of
Evil,'
a play on words because the acronym of the new group, MAL,
means 'evil' in Spanish'
El Aragueno, Venezuela
Hugo Chavez and
Bashar Al Assad Announce New 'Axis of Evil'
"We
have common enemies: the Yankee Empire and the genocidal state of Israel ... We
should create an 'Axis of Evil.' The brand is already ours, and in Damascus I
recall how, in jest, but also in seriousness, we discussed creating the
Movement of Free Allies, the 'Axis of Evil.'”
Visiting Syrian President Bashar Al Assad laughs as he listens to a translation of a speech by his host, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The two have signed a series of agreements and created a new group of 'good' nations, that they have called 'the Axis of Evil.'
The President of the
Republic, Hugo Chávez Frías, has proposed the
creation of a Movement of Free Allies, or MAL, supporting the proposal of his
Syrian counterpart, Bashar Al Assad, who said that they should establish an
organization called the "axis of evil," in which good states would
participate.
[Editor's Note: In Spanish,
MAL, the acronym of this new organization, means "evil"]
"We should create an
'Axis of Evil.' The brand is already ours and in Damascus I recall how, in jest,
but also in seriousness, we discussed creating the Movement of Free Allies, the
"Axis of Evil,” said the Venezuelan leader.
For his part, the Syrian
president proposed to President Chávez that he, Assad, be the secretary general
of the organization. Continuing the thought, the Syrian president referred to the
autonomy of peoples and said that both Syria and Venezuela have rejected being
imposed on by other nations.
"Syria and Venezuela are
nations that reject any outside imposition. Latin America is a very important
region; we need not pay attention to what the media say … Chávez has overcome these
pressures from the world's great powers. Chávez has stood by his people, and in
Syria, we, too, stand by our people, and that is why we have won," Bashar
Al Assad said.
The term "axis of evil"
was applied by former U.S. President George W. Bush in 2002, to refer to
countries that in his opinion - and not including the U.S. - support terrorism.
WINNING THE BATTLES
"Those who stand by
their people win the battle.” This is how the President of the Arab Republic of
Syria put it during a meeting of the Community of People and Commonwealth of
Syria, which took place this Sunday in Caracas, with the participation of
President Chávez.
Assad stresses the similarities
between the policies of both nations, which are focused on supporting the people,
fighting the interventionism of the great powers and their own sovereignty.
"If we stand by our
people and our national interests, we will succeed, because those who bet on foreign
interests achieve only limited successes and are eventually thrown into the dustbin
of history,” Assad said.
Al Assad recalled that both
Syria and Venezuela have had to confront intense struggles to maintain their
sovereignty. In that context, he called his stay in Latin America a historic
visit, which he wanted to begin in Venezuela because it is the country leading
the region in its struggle for liberation.
He also pointed to the changes
in Latin America that have been inspired by President Chávez, which are leading
to greater independence of people who for years had been oppressed by the capitalist
countries.
"We are seeing the positive
results of these changes. We know that Venezuela has influence in many parts of
the world,” said Al Assad.
"Relations between the
two regions aren't accidental; they are based on discussions between the two peoples
and on mutual support,” he said, adding, "Venezuela and Syria have had
very similar challenges and commitments; these are two peoples that with shared
sensibilities reject any foreign imposition. President Chávez has taken a place
in the hearts of all of my Arab compatriots.”
The Syrian president was
referring to the many pressures suffered by President Chávez from those who
oppose the people's revolution he is promoting in the region.
"The difficult
situations that we have suffered aren't going to weaken us; on the contrary, these
experiences have strengthened us and made us stronger nations, capable of
standing up to any future challenge,” he maintained.
A HISTORIC VISIT
A meeting with the Syrian-Venezuelan
community marked the end of President Al Assad's official visit to Venezuela.
During the event that was
held Sunday evening [June 26] at the Hotel Meliá
Caracas, the Bolivarian leader stressed the importance of the presence of
the Arab president in this region of the world.
"Bashar's
journey is truly historic. His itinerary, from Caracas to Havana, Brasilia and
Buenos Aires, is highly important from the point of view of global
geopolitics,” Chavez pointed out during a short speech at the event.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
In discussing the need for Latin
American peoples and nations to unite with the Arab world, he said that his
Syrian counterpart "has decided to be in the vanguard of this project,
this outreach effort. … We have common enemies: the Yankee Empire and the
genocidal state of Israel,” Chávez declared.
He also pointed out that
Venezuela and Syria have the same objectives: "To advance a socialist
revolution, making the interests of our people the priority.”
PresidentChávez also said that last Saturday, Syria
and Venezuela had signed a series of agreements to which he has personally committed
himself as head of the Bolivarian Government, to work diligently with a view to
developing projects covered by these agreements for cooperation.
"I'm inviting you to
join in the work of lifting our people, economy and production. We will work
hard," Chávez said.
He noted that while a united
Latin America will form one pole of global power, the Arab people must form the
other, so that with the interactions between these poles, geopolitical balance could
be achieved.
He stressed that the Middle
East is liberating itself from U.S. imperialism and making progress in vanquishing
"the armed wing of the Yankee Empire, the warmongering Israelis.”
