Castro praises Obama's 'courageous' stand on climate change

Havana, Sep 24 : Cuban leader Fidel Castro has praised US President Barack Obama for taking a 'courageous' stand on climate change, but added it was not right that Obama tried to make people believe that humanity could survive under the laws of capitalism.

Castro wrote in a commentary, titled "El Obama serio" (The Serious Obama) and published by state media Wednesday, that the US president's address at the UN Tuesday was a "courageous gesture" that showed his concern about climate change.

The Cuban leader said "serious Obama" addressed the international body, employing a term coined by ally and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has referred to the "enigma of the two Obamas" in criticising Washington's policies.

"The problem here is that everything he said is in contradiction to what the United States has been doing for 150 years," Castro said.

The Cuban leader said US military actions and the consumer societies created by capitalism "are incompatible with the goal of saving the human species".

"The president of the United States admitted that the developed nations have caused the majority of the damage and should take responsibility. It was undoubtedly a courageous gesture," Castro said.

"It is also fair to acknowledge that no other president of the United States had the courage to say what he said," Castro said.

Fidel Castro, 83, who stepped down from the presidency in favour of his brother Raul, after being stricken by a serious illness in July 2006, remains the leader of the Cuban Communist Party.

--IANS