NEWS
House Foreign Affairs Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Chairman
For IMMEDIATE Release – June 19, 2012
Ahmadinejad’s ‘Tour of Tyrants, the Sequel: Entering a New Stage’
Iranian despot on another Latin America tour; Ros-Lehtinen urges implementation of strategy to counter Iranian influence in Western Hemisphere
(WASHINGTON) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today urged the Obama Administration to implement a concrete strategy to counter growing Iranian influence in the Western Hemisphere. Ros-Lehtinen’s statement comes as Iranian dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in Bolivia to meet with Bolivian dictator Evo Morales and formalize a bilateral agreement which the Iranian embassy in La Paz said signifies “entering a new stage” of cooperation between the countries. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:
“Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been warmly received by like-minded dictators in Latin America, and his return this week for more meetings with Morales and Chavez demonstrates that the threat of Iranian influence in the Western Hemisphere is continuing to grow.
“Today’s statement from Iran that the new Iran-Bolivia cooperation agreement signifies a ‘new stage’ of relations is chilling to anyone familiar with Iran’s backing of extremist groups, such as Hezbollah, and its illegal nuclear program. Tehran has found kindred spirits in the tyrannical regimes in La Paz, Caracas, Havana, and Quito, which all share a hatred of freedom, democracy, and the United States.
“U.S. policy in the Western Hemisphere must not remain adrift as Iran continues to make inroads. It is important that the Administration develop and implement a strategy to counter Iran’s growing involvement in the region.”
NOTE: Ahmadinejad is also expected to meet with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez later this week. In January, Ahmadinejad visited Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, and Ecuador on a ‘tour of tyrants’ designed to increase Iran’s ties with anti-American despots in Latin America.
In May, Ros-Lehtinen and U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to President Obama asking detailed questions regarding the Administration’s actions to counter the threat of Iranian activity in the Western Hemisphere.
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