Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez got together and had a great big laugh today. What was so funny? Nuclear weapons!
Chavez embraced Ahmadinejad as an old friend as the Iranian President kicked off his Latin American tour today. Joking with him Chavez said,
“That hill will open up and a big atomic bomb will come out,” the two men laughing together.
“The imperialist spokesmen say … Ahmadinejad and I are going into the Miraflores basement now to set our sights on Washington and launch cannons and missiles … It’s laughable.”
America and Iran are locked in a bitter dispute about the Iranian nuclear program. America and Europe insist that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear bomb while the Iranian government claim the program is peaceful to generate power.
Ahmadinejad is visiting Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador. Notably absent from the tour is regional tour is economic powerhouse Brazil.
Ahmadinejad is in Latin America to shore up support for the Islamic Republic in the face of crippling sanctions which are being enforced on them by the West. While most of these countries can offer only some level of moral support, Venezuela, with all of its oil wealth is able to really throw the Iranians a lifeline.
Chavez went further before entering his palace for talks with the Iranian President,
“The only bombs we’re preparing are bombs against poverty, hunger and misery,”
Recently more than 1400 homes have been built in Venezuela by Iranian contractors.
Do you think it is appropriate for two world leaders to joke about atomic weapons ?