Chavez throws support to Assad, calling him a 'humanist' and 'brother'
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez defends the Syrian leader, claiming the United States has exaggerated the scope of security forces' crackdowns, accusing the United States of colonial aspirations in the Middle East.
By Haaretz Service
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has decried recent reports condemning Syria's violent crackdowns on protests, offering Syrian President Bashar Assad his support and calling him a "humanist" and a "brother", according to a report by the Press Association.
This is not the first time the Venezuelan leader has defended an allegedly autocratic leader since the start of protests that have swept the Middle East in recent months. Anti-government protests are currently underway in Bahrain, Yemen and Jordan, in what has been dubbed the 'Arab Spring'.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Syria Oct. 21, 2010.
Photo by: AP
Chavez came to the defense of embattle Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, who has come under harsh criticism for his brutal attacks on protesters, prompting a U.S.-led no-fly zone operation that is currently underway. He has developed close ties with both Gadhafi and Assad over the years
Chavez reportedly accused the United States of exaggerating the protests in Syria to justify future military intervention, similar to the air strikes currently being carried out in Libya.
"Now some supposed political protest movements have begun (in Syria), a few deaths ... and now they are accusing the president of killing his people and later the Yankees will come to bomb the people to save them," the Press Association reported Chavez saying in a televised speech.
Protests in Syria have intensified over the past week, and the human rights organization Amnesty International reported Friday that 55 Syrians have been killed since protests began.
Further deaths have been reported since, with demonstrations spreading throughout the country over the weekend. Syrian forces reportedly conducted a midnight raid in Damascus Friday night, arresting 200.
"How cynical is the new format the empire has invented, to generate violent conflict, generate blood in a country, to later bombard it, intervene and take over its natural resources and convert it into a colony," Chavez reportedly said.
Syria's administration has attempted to appease protesters, reportedly releasing 260 prisoners over the weekend and promising increased freedoms and better pay and benefits for state workers. However, protests have persisted – as have Syrian security officials' violent crackdowns on protesters.
