Havana, Apr 27 (Prensa Latina) Latin American countries, pounded by neoliberalism and years of submission to the US, are currently facing the need for a change as the only alternative, Cuban President Fidel Castro affirmed.

When addressing Cuban authorities Tuesday night, the president recalled Havana has maintained a constructive stance over the crisis neoliberalism has caused in South America.

Assessing current Ecuadorian events, the Cuban Revolution leader indicated Venezuela and the Island have been accused of destabilizing the region, when poverty affecting 9 million of the nearly 13 million Ecuadorian population is the real culprit.

The region´s traditional respect for the empire "has been going out of fashion," noted Fidel Castro, while exemplifying the achievements by progressive sectors in countries such as Venezuela and Brazil, the overwhelming victory of Paraguay´s leftwing in the first election round, and the firm stance of the Argentinian president over the foreign debt issue.