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CUBA , November 7, 2006.- Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage said on Monday that the victory of the Sandinista National Liberation Front candidate, Daniel Ortega, in the recent Nicaraguan presidential elections is a victory for all of Latin America in the face of US pressure and intervention. Carlos Lage headed the Cuban delegation during the 16th Ibero-American Summit held last week in Montevideo, Uruguay. In statements made during Monday’s The Round Table Radio and Television program, the Cuban vice president spoke about how on August 12 Ortega had warned against US attempts —by way of the Organization of American States— to thwart a Sandinista victory. "The Sandinista triumph is a defeat for the United States and confirms the climate of change occurring in Latin America; as seen in Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina," said Lage. Referring to past Ibero-American summits, Lage said that for years the gatherings were largely focused on neoliberal policies and privatization —with the exception of Cuba whose positions were expressed by President Fidel Castro. Lately, the summits have been marked by a shift in vision after the voice of Cuba was joined by that of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales. In addition, with the abject failure of neoliberal economic policies, Ibero-American countries have largely discarded the idea of the market as a solution to all problems. Carlos Lage spoke about the social and economic progress taking place in Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia and stressed the urgent need to improve the living conditions in all of Latin America. Addressing the issue of migration, the Cuban leader spoke about the traditional repressive and brutal methods used against migrants, using recent events at the US-Mexican border as an example. He reiterated the common rejection during the Ibero-American Summit of the wall that Washington is building on its border with Mexico. The Cuban vice president noted that a country’s major source of income should be its own economic development rather than having to endure the humiliation of having to rely on remittances sent by emigrants. He said that the migration problem will only find solutions once current neoliberal exploitation models are transformed and social inequalities eliminated. He also spoke about advances in Venezuela and Bolivia in the fields of literacy and public health, both with Cuba’s cooperation, emphasizing the importance of bilateral relations based on solidarity. The Cuban Vice President thanked the Uruguayan people for their solidarity with Cuba at a rally held in Montevideo where thousands of people gathered to express their support of Cuba and of Cuban President Fidel Castro, to whom they wished a speedy recovery.(Cubaminrex-Granma)
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