Daniel Ortega Calls for Disarming Israel of its Nuclear Arsenal, for World Peace and Middle East Stability

Nicaragua's President Urges Denuclearization of Israel

January 11, 2012

TEHRAN (FNA)-

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega condemned Israel's nuclear weapons stockpiles as the main threat to the Middle-East peace and stability, and underlined the necessity for the dismantlement of Israel's nuclear arsenals.

"Israel's nuclear weapons have endangered the security of the Middle-East," Ortega said, addressing his presidential inauguration ceremony on Tuesday.

Israel is believed to be the sole possessor of nuclear arms in the Middle-East with over 200 ready-to-launch warheads in its stockpile.

"We ask for the nuclear disarmament of the regime and other nuclear powers which possess atomic bombs," he stated at the ceremony also attended by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Meantime, the Nicaraguan president strongly defended Iran's peaceful nuclear program, and reiterated the Iranian nation's right to access civilian nuclear technology.

"Every country has the right to use peaceful nuclear energy and no one can deprive any nation of this right," he stressed.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Nicaragua on Tuesday to attend the inauguration of the Central American leader's new term.

Ahmadinejad arrived in Managua after a stop in Venezuela.

Ahmadinejad is scheduled to meet President Raul Castro in Cuba on Wednesday, before traveling to Ecuador on Thursday.

Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino also defended Iran on Tuesday, calling for respect for "Iran's right for the peaceful use of nuclear energy".

Ortega calls on Israel to ditch nuclear weapons

France 24, 11/01/2012

By News Wires (text)

REUTERS -

Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega on Tuesday urged Israel to destroy its nuclear weapons to foster peace in the Middle East as he hosted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is touring Latin America.

Speaking in a ceremony where he was sworn in for a second consecutive term in office, Ortega attacked the U.S. “occupation” of Afghanistan and Iraq, condemned the killing of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and offered a brief valediction to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Ortega - flanked by his close ally, Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez - defended Iran’s stated intention to develop atomic energy for peaceful ends, an explanation Western powers say is a cover for a nuclear weapons program.

“Simply by starting to push for talks in the region in which the steps are laid down for Israel to give up and destroy these nuclear arms, I’m certain this would bring about great peace in the region,” the former Marxist guerrilla said.

Instead, western powers are ignoring those with nuclear weapons and threatening a country which only wanted atomic energy for peaceful purposes, Ortega added, pointing to Iran.

“Christ never said: Israel arm yourself, arm yourself to the teeth,” said Ortega, whose speech moved swiftly from one topic to the next, backed by a musical accompaniment of strummed guitars and chanting peppered with rapped shouts.

Ortega, 66, suspended diplomatic ties with Israel in 2010 in protest after Israeli commandos staged a deadly raid on a flotilla trying to break a blockade of Gaza.

Israel, which Ahmadinejad once said should we wiped off the map, is believed to have nuclear weapons. But it has never formally admitted to possessing them.

Ahmadinejad is visiting leftist leaders in Latin America known for their antagonism to the United States. His visit comes after the Islamic Republic fanned tensions with western powers by threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil shipping lane, in response to possible new sanctions over its nuclear plans.

In his long speech, Ortega called the killing of Gaddafi in October a “crime” and said the late Libyan leader should have been put on trial if there had been evidence against him.

With Chavez at times looking on intently from the side, Ortega took aim at arms manufacturers, and said the U.S. invasion of Iraq had been built on falsehood. Next to Chavez sat Ahmadinejad and his interpreter.

Reflecting on the Iraq war, Ortega remembered Saddam with the words: “may he rest in peace.” Saddam was hanged in 2006, three years after he was overthrown by a U.S.-led invasion.

Attending the inauguration were mostly Central American and Caribbean leaders, as well as Crown Prince Felipe of Spain.

The United States, which complained about the disputed vote that gave Ortega a landslide in November, sent representation from its embassy, according to Nicaraguan authorities.

The election strengthened Ortega’s grip on power, giving him a two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time.

Backed with petrodollars from Chavez, Ortega built his re-election strategy on welfare programs that have cut poverty in Central America's poorest nation.

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.