Western Hemisphere
A military agreement entered into by the United States and Colombia "is tantamount to annexation," said Cuban leader Fidel Castro on Friday. According to him, the United States intends to confront Colombia with Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia.

Therefore, it is "the duty" of political leaders in the region to speak up, he added. "Keeping quiet now and talk afterwards about sovereignty, democracy, human rights, freedom of opinion and other delights is not honest, when a country is devoured by the empire as easy as a lizard catches a fly," said Castro in his article posted on the website Cubatebate.

"Latin American politicians now have before them a sensitive issue –the fundamental duty to explain their views about the annexation paper."

"The empire now purports to send them (Colombians) to fight against their Venezuelan, Ecuadorian brothers and other Bolivarian peoples and peoples of the ALBA, to squash the Venezuelan revolution," said the 83-year-old leader, AFP quoted.