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    January 08, 2012

Ahmadinejad Begins Visit to Latin America

   VOA News
   Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (file photo)
   Photo: AP
   Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (file photo)

   Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left Sunday for a five-day Latin
   American tour, which U.S. officials have dubbed as a sign of
   desperation for the country heavily sanctioned over its controversial
   nuclear program.
   Ahmadinejad will first visit Venezuela, followed by stops in Nicaragua,
   Cuba and Ecuador. Iranian state media quoted the president as praising
   the "revolutionary spirit" of the leaders of those four countries.

   In recent years, the Iranian president has courted leftist, populist
   and anti-American Latin American leaders, particularly Venezuelan
   President Hugo Chavez, much to Washington's concern.
   On Friday, U.S. officials urged Latin American countries not to deepen
   their ties with Iran. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland
   accused the Iranian government of being "desperate for friends" and of,
   what she called, "flailing around" to find new allies.
   While on his trip, Ahmadinejad will meet with Venezuela's President
   Chavez and attend the inauguration of Nicaraguan President Daniel
   Ortega.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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