Obama slams Venezuela, Iran, Cuba

Dec 19, 2011, 21:46 GMT

Caracas - US President Barack Obama slammed the government of Venezuela and its allies Iran and Cuba in a written interview that the Venezuelan daily El Universal published Monday.

'It's unfortunate that the Venezuelan government is often more interested in revisiting the ideological battles of the past than looking forward to the future that we could build for our citizens,' Obama said.

He criticized the government of left-wing populist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez - an outspoken critic of the United States, whom he often refers to as 'the empire' - for its foreign policies. In particular, Chavez has cultivated a close relationship with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

'The United States does not pretend to dictate (Venezuela's) foreign affairs. I would argue, however, that the Venezuelan government's ties to Iran and Cuba have not served the interests of Venezuela or the Venezuelan people,' he said.

'It is up to the Venezuelan people to determine what they gain from a relationship with a country that violates universal human rights and is isolated from much of the world. The Iranian government has consistently supported international terrorism that has killed innocent men, women and children around the world - including in the Americas.'

Obama replied in writing to a questionnaire that was sent to him by El Universal. In it, he also stressed that 'the United States is going to continue supporting the basic rights of the Cuban people.'

'Cuba's future must be freely determined by the Cuban people. Sadly, that has not been the case for decades, and it is not the case today,' Obama wrote.

He said that ties between US citizens and Venezuelans 'are strong,' but he expressed concern over the state of political relations between the two countries.

'For much of our history, we also enjoyed friendly relations between our governments based on shared ideals of liberty and justice, deep cultural and social ties, and a mutually beneficial commercial relationship. Today, our economic relationship, which benefits both countries, endures.'

Venezuelan authorities have, Obama said, 'shown little interest' in cooperating with Washington in the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism.

'And, as I said, we're concerned about the government's actions which have restricted the universal rights of the Venezuelan people, threatened basic democratic values, and failed to contribute to the security in the region,' he added.

'I believe that the people of Venezuela would benefit from a better relationship with the United States, just as the American people would benefit as well.'

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