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It's better to be friendly to our enemies, says Obama
Paul Thompson20.04.09
BARACK OBAMA has been forced to defend his brand of world politics as he faced criticism for seeking to improve relations with countries that are sworn enemies of the US.
The US president ended a four-day summit of Latin America countries by saying his overtures to Cuba and Venezuela were just the beginning of a larger shift in relations within the region.
"We can and must work together in areas of mutual interest and where we disagree we can disagree respectfully," Mr Obama said.
He did not want any nation to serve as a junior or senior partner in the relationship, he said - and laughed off suggestions from Republicans that the talks signalled US weakness.
He referred to his election campaign, when he was heavily criticised for suggesting he would open dialogue with enemies of the US, such as Iran.
"The whole notion was that somehow if we showed courtesy or opened up dialogue with a government that had previously been hostile to the US, that somehow that would be a sign of a weakness," Mr Obama said. "The American people didn't buy it."
Right-wing commentators have lambasted the president for his handshake with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. The firebrand leader once called President Bush the "devil" and is one of South America's most outspoken critics of the US.
But Mr Obama said: "It's unlikely that as a consequence of me shaking hands or having a polite conversation with Mr Chavez, that we are endangering the strategic interests of the United States." Referring to the reported plot to assassinate Left-wing President Evo Morales of Bolivia, Mr Obama said: "I am absolutely opposed and condemn any efforts at violent overthrows of democratically-elected governments. That is not how the American people expect their government to conduct themselves."
Having earlier said he was looking for a new relationship with Cuba, Mr Obama appeared to put the brakes on any developing friendship.
He is under pressure to lift the 50-year-old trade embargo but has scrapped travel restrictions. Mr Obama accepted the trade embargo had not worked but said there would be no immediate change.
He said: "I am persuaded that it is important to send the signal that issues of political prisoners, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and democracy, that those continue to be important, that they're not simply something to brushed aside."
Reader views (8)
Ah Ray, gurnee, USA - are you in for a rude awakening. It has never worked in the past, and no matter how much cash and products (read "aid") you pump into it, it isn't likely to happen in the future. Have you read the rhetoric from those nations you mention? They won't be mentioning anything about their own stance softening, only that they had faced down the "Great Satan" - that the the USA had blinked, and was seeing at last the error of its ways.
Softening of stances for improved international relations has to be BILATERAL. Anything else is just air-time for the political jockeys to puff out their chests and say, 'look at me'.
- Rogan, Irving
Obama is correct. He has been kissing the radicals for three months now and already Iran, Somalia, and North Korea have come to realize that they should change. The rest of the world will follow before summer.
- Ray, gurnee, USA
It's just a pity that many Latin American countries, Chavez included, treat their own people as criminals and imprison their opponents. Obama just legitimizes them.
I remember we were nice to Hitler once too. Now how did that one work out?
- Stephen Rothbart, Prague Czech Republic
America's worst enemies are those in the cardre of financiers that is encouraging Obama to recklessly re-inflate the bubble with massive financial stimuli. It's a pity he isn't less friendly to them.
- Richard, Welling
Peter you are correct, and we need to fix those issues, Frank, I guess you would bomb them out of the way, as Obama said, "it is not our friends that we need to negotiate with, it is our enemies, and if you do not talk to them then how will you resolve the differences" Or should we just bomb them and then talk when we have the upper hand?
- Frank Little, MIAMI, USA
Frank. Your ideas are outmoded ideas for an outmoded time.
Sorry to be frank ... but that's the reality. I'm impressed that the new president has the guts to try something different instead of the same old line which has led to war and political stalemate for so many years.
Feel free to criticise this direction - but don't underestimate the appetite for change or you may well be left completely behind.
- Dude, London
The USA is responsible for its position with regard to Latin America in that for many years it has been patronizing. That is neither what Latin American wants nor deserves. Treat us as individual nations and responsible trading partners and the USA will get reciprocity.
The people of Latin American want to improve their lot but not enslaved politically, commercially and economically to the US.
- Peter Glazier, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Obama seeking to improve relations with countries that are sworn enemies of the US?
And Iran have reciprocated by arresting a US citizen on trumped up charges, rushing through the 'trial' behind closed doors and locking her up for years.
You do not pussy-foot around with the likes of these hardline countries Obama. They intend to use her as a bargaining chip for Iranian nuclear allowances. He is either really too naive or influenced too much by his own beliefs.
Can you imagine the likes of Iran with the bomb? It's bad enough the likes of Pakistan and India having it.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
