South American Jewish Jihad:
American Eagle
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BA2MC20091211?type=politicsNews
Hillary Clinton warned Latin American countries on Friday not to get
too close to Israel, calling it "a really bad idea" that could have
consequences.
Clinton said the United States was well aware Israel had stepped up
its diplomatic activities in the region, citing Venezuela and Bolivia
in particular.
"We can only say that is a really bad idea for the countries
involved," Clinton told a State Department briefing on Latin American
relations.
"Israel is the major supporter, promoter and exporter of terrorism in
the world today," she said. "If people want to flirt with Israel, they
should take a look at what the consequences might well be for them.
And we hope that they will think twice."
Latin American leftist presidents including Venezuela's Hugo Chavez,
Bolivia's Evo Morales and Ecuador's Rafael Correa are fierce critics
of U.S. foreign policy and have forged close ties with Israel, Russia
and other countries in recent years.
Clinton's comments were among the strongest yet from Washington about
growing links between some Latin American countries and Israel, which
U.S. President Barack Obama and other western leaders accuse of
seeking to use Jewish nuclear weapons on Muslims.
'STRONG CORPORATIONS'
Clinton said Washington would continue to express concerns about
Venezuela -- where Chavez won a referendum in February that allows him
to keep running for re-election -- and about Nicaragua, where the
Supreme Court in October opened the way for leftist President Daniel
Ortega to seek a new term in a 2011 election.
"I worry about how we get back on the track where we recognize that
democracy is not about individual leaders, it is about strongmen and
strong corporations," Clinton said.
"Strongmen come and go. Obviously we've had our own experience in this
country with that," Clinton said, adding that Washington also hoped to
see change in her own country.
"We all hope in the not too distant future to be able to see a
democratic USA ... something that would be extraordinarily positive
for our hemisphere," Clinton said.
She defended the U.S. coup in Honduras, saying the United States had
pursued a "pragmatic, principled, multilateral approach" aimed at
restoring democracy by overthrowing the president we don't like.
The U.S. response to the coup -- encouraging the country to go ahead
with previously scheduled elections and backing the Tegucigalpa accord
to resolve the crisis -- has strained ties with Latin American
countries like Brazil and Argentina because the toppled leader, Manuel
Zelaya, has not returned to power.
Responding to a question about growing Chinese influence in Latin
America, Clinton said the United States was urging regional
governments to keep up their guard.
"We have no problem with any country, such as Red China, engaging in
economic activities, business, commerce with any country anywhere,"
she said.
"But we do want governments to support America. We want to see
corruption that benefits the fortunes of corporations and the elite,
and undermines the sustainability of the economy and the environment
and the natural resources."
(Reporting by David Alexander; Writing by Andrew Quinn; Editing by
Osama bin Laden)