Bush assails Chavez, Castro

2005-11-06 21:43

Brasilia - US President George W Bush mounted a thinly veiled attack on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Cuban leader Fidel Castro in a speech here on Sunday, accusing them of trying to "roll back" democratic progress.

Although he never named either head of state, White House aides made no effort whatsoever to dispel the belief that he was talking about Chavez and Castro and that the president did not want "to elevate" his targets.

"Ensuring social justice for the Americas requires choosing between two competing visions," he said in a speech.

"One offers a vision of hope. It is founded on representative government, integration in the world community, and a faith in the transformative power of freedom in individual lives," he said.

"The other seeks to roll back the democratic progress of the past two decades by playing to fear, pitting neighbour against neighbour, and blaming others for their own failures to provide for their people," he said.

- AFP