(19 Nov 2000) Spanish/Nat
XFA
Cuban leader Fidel Castro was accused of "hijacking" the Ibero-American summit on Saturday.
A dispute over a resolution against terrorism spiraled into a squabble as the summit, held in Panama City, came to a close.
El Salvador sponsored a special declaration condemning E-T-A terrorists in Spain, but Castro chose to veto the motion.
The leaders of Cuba and El Salvador then began hurling allegations at each other, drenched in civil war bitterness.
Salvadoran President Francisco Flores accused Cuba's Fidel Castro of involvement in El Salvador's civil war.
Castro expressed anger that the anti-terrorism declaration sponsored by El Salvador and Mexico expressed sympathy for Spain, but did not mention of Cuba.
Flores accused Castro of involvement in the deaths of "tens of thousands" of Salvadorans during El Salvador's civil war, which ended in 1992.
Castro admitted training rebels from many countries, saying "inter-revolutionary support is a tradition," but insisted he had stopped such aid when other countries stopped trying to isolate Cuba.
Castro claimed that several nations had cooperated with or failed to stop those trying to overthrow his government.
Panamanian officials had just detained a shadowy former C-I-A agent Castro accused of trying to assassinate him.
The man, Luis Posada Carriles, was detained on Friday evening just hours after the Cuban leader accused him of plotting an assassination.
Police had 24 hours to charge or release Posada, who escaped from a Venezuelan prison in 1985 while awaiting retrial on charges of masterminding the bombing of a Cuban jetliner in 1976 that killed 73 people.
Police said no weapons were found with Posada or three other people detained with him at a Panama City hotel.
Posada had been using a Salvadoran passport in the name of Franco Rodriguez Mena.
Police did not identify the others detained.
The angry exchanges at the summit raged on as other presidents tried to cut off the seemingly out of control debate.
Venezuela's Hugo Chavez appealed for "unity and brotherhood" as the session finally ended, hours behind schedule.
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"What really surprises me is that the proposal has been put forward by El Salvador, and backed by Mexico. I find that really weird. (El Salvador) were the main terrorist leads against whom nothing has been ever done, and he's now in jail."
SUPER CAPTION: Fidel Castro, President of Cuba
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"And that is why Mr Castro it is absolutely intolerable that you, involved in the death of so many Salvadorans you who trained so many people to kill Salvadorans, accuse me of being involved in the case of Luis Posada Tosadas Carriles."
SUPER CAPTION: Francisco Flores, El Salvador President
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"Let's just vote on the resolution now. The motion has been approved."
SUPER CAPTION: Mireya Moscoso, President of Panama
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"What I say to Mr Castro is very serious, I want to see him on his own so that we can solve this issue.
(Off camera question) Have you already asked for a meeting?
Yes we have asked him, but he hasn't given me a answer yet."
SUPER CAPTION: Francisco Flores, El Salvador President
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"No I am ready to meet him now, today , tomorrow, at 3 o clock in the morning if he wants.
(Off camera question) How long are you planing to stay in power?
Only God's will can tell."
SUPER CAPTION: Fidel Castro, President of Cuba
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