MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Fidel: “Will Mr. Obama apologize to the Chilean people for the 1973 coup?”

Elected Socialist Chilean president Salvador Allende ousted by a bloody military coup headed by Pinochet

Cuban revolution leader Fidel Castro questions if US president Barack Obama, who on Monday is visiting Chile will apologize for the military coup against Salvador Allende in 1973, according to his latest article released this Monday.

In his column Reflexiones, under the heading of “The Alliance of equals” Castro argues that President Obama’s visit to Brazil and Chile has been overshadowed by events in Libya and Japan.

However, “taking into account that his illustrious predecessor Richard Nixon promoted the military coup and heroic death of president Salvador Allende, the tortures and the killings of thousands of human beings will Mr. Obama ask for pardon from the Chilean people?”, writes Fidel in his column

The Cuban leader also refers to “the evident interests’ contradictions” between United States and Brazil, the first country President Obama visited before reaching Chile.

According to Fidel, President Obama wanted to flatter the South American giant when he praised its extraordinary economic performance and international standing, but fell short of committing the minimum support for Brazil’s aspiration to become a permanent member of the ‘privileged’ UN Security Council.

He also points out that President Dilma Rousseff had no problem in openly expressing her country’s disappointment with the protectionist measures imposed by the US on Brazil, through tariffs and subsidies which have become a huge obstacle for South America’s largest economy.

Further on he makes an ironic comment about Obama’s intention of starting an “allinace of equals” with Latin America “which leaves us breathless when we recall the ‘Alliance for Progress’” which preceded the mercenary expedition of Playa Giron, organized and financed by the CIA against the nascent Cuban revolution in April 1961.

“As can be appreciated a most wonderful initiative” said ironically Castro.

Fidel also attacks the “Dawn Odyssey” launched by the NATO international coalition against the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi

After an sumptuous banquet the leaders of NATO ordered the attack on Libya, “a most inopportune war” in the current state of world affairs when efforts should be concentrated in Japan, world hunger, scarce resources and climate change.

The Cuban government stated its “most energetic condemnation” of the foreign intervention in Libya and called for the conflict to the solved through dialogue and negotiations.

Castro also anticipated that Obama in Chile will be confronted with strong street demonstrations protesting the nuclear energy cooperation agreement signed last Friday between Santiago and Washington, and forecasted that following on the Japanese experience resistance to nuclear plants worldwide will multiply.