[R-G] Iran and the Left in Latin America

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

<http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JI04Ak01.html>
Sep 4, 2008
Iran and the left in Latin America
By Kaveh L Afrasiabi

Bolivian President Evo Morales is in Tehran this week, ushering in a
new chapter in his country's economic and strategic cooperation with
the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has promised a hefty investment in
Bolivia's energy sector and other joint ventures, some involving other
Latin and Central American countries, such as Venezuela and Nicaragua,
not to overlook Cuba.

In a joint communique, Morales and President Mahmud Ahmadinejad have
signed off on the need for "concrete political steps against every
type of imperialism", while also condemning the intervention of the
United Nations Security Council in Iran's nuclear program as "lacking
any legal or technical justification".

Bolivia may be a poor country, but it is strategically located and
represents an important ally for Iran that can act as a catalyst in
enhancing Iran's growing cooperation with other Latin nations,
especially those considered leftist or populist.

In his visit to Bolivia last year, Ahmadinejad promised that Iran
would make a US$1 billion investment in Bolivia's underdeveloped oil
and gas sector and the two sides are now much closer in turning this
into reality. Certainly, Morales' decision to set aside any hesitation
and fully support Iran's position in the current nuclear standoff goes
a long way in cementing Iran-Bolivia friendship.