Iranian President Visits Caracas
Fabiola Sanchez
Associated Press
Sep 18, 2006
Iran's president visited Venezuela for the first time Sunday, firming up a close alliance with President Hugo Chávez that is helping Iran counter U.S. attempts to rein in its nuclear program.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Chávez "my brother" and "the champion of the struggle against imperialism." Chávez honored the Iranian leader with a medal named after South American liberator Simón Bolívar.
"I salute all the revolutionaries who oppose world hegemony," Ahmadinejad said through an interpreter, apparently referring to the United States.
The two leaders are united by their deep-seated antagonism to Washington, and Chávez has become a leading defender of Iran's nuclear ambitions. Ahmadinejad and other Middle Eastern leaders are backing Venezuela's bid for a U.N. Security Council seat, which would give Chávez a platform to battle a U.S. drive for sanctions against Iran.
Venezuelan and Iranian officials signed a series of accords Sunday, including agreements for Tehran to help Venezuela develop oil fields, restore a shipyard, and build factories to produce petrochemicals, cement, gunpowder, small airplanes and cars.
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