Bush heads for Latin America to counter appeal of Chavez
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Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez speaks during a news conference at
Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Saturday, Feb. 24,
2007-AP
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President George Bush yesterday promised a series of US-financed
measures to help Latin America's poor, in a belated effort to try to
combat the growing influence over the continent of the Venezualan
president, Hugo Ch vez, and other leftwing leaders.
In a bid to shore up US support in Latin America, Mr Bush is due on
Thursday to begin a week-long visit to Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia,
Guatemala and Mexico, which Washington regards as allies, having either
rightwing leaders or what Washington regards as moderate leftwingers.
He promised when he was inaugurated six years ago that Latin America
would be his number one priority, but his attention has been deflected
by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq.
When speaking about Latin America in the past, he has tended to focus
on combating drugs. In a speech in Washington yesterday, he put the
stress on helping the continent's poor: one in four live on or under $2
a day. His initiatives, relatively modest, are aimed at education,
health and small businesses.
It will be his first visit to Latin America since a trip in 2005 that
became a public relations disaster when he faced huge street protests in
Brazil and Argentina. As part of his wooing of Latin America's leaders,
Mr Bush is to host the Brazilian president, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva,
at his retreat at Camp David later this month.
However, Colombia, which is engaged in a conflict with drug
traffickers, has been the largest recipient of Washington's aid. US aid
to Latin America as a whole is due to drop to $300m next year. Mr Ch vez,
one of Mr Bush's most vocal critics, has been distributing some of
Venezuela's oil wealth round the continent, including helping Argentina
with its debts and building roads and schools in Bolivia.
However, a continent-wide survey by the Chile-based Latinobarometro
group last year gave Mr Bush more positive ratings in Brazil, Colombia,
Mexico and Guatemala, while Mr Ch vez was ahead in Uruguay.
Argentina was found to be the most anti-Bush country, but the US
president enjoyed a slight lead, by 30% to 28%, over Mr Ch vez in Latin
America as a whole.
Guardian Unlimited.
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