US energy policies leading to \'Holocaust\': Castro

[Jimmy2]

US energy policies leading to 'holocaust': Castro

No Author listed....

Fidel Castro on Wednesday warned that US energy policies could reap a global "holocaust", in his second newspaper article in a week, suggesting the convalescing Cuban leader is back to his combative self.

Writing in Granma newspaper, Castro said promoting the use of biofuels would divert food needed by poor people around the world just to satsify the demands of drivers in wealthy countries.

"The worst could be yet to come: a new war to ensure gas and oil supplies, which could place the entire human race into a total holocaust," Castro said.

The article, entitled "The Globalization of Genocide," condemned US President George W. Bush for pushing the global production of crop-based alternative fuels.

It continued the theme of a March 29 piece in which Castro said Bush's promotion of ethanol fuels was condemning "more than three billion people" to premature starvation.

It was also another sign that the iconic 80-year-old Cuban leader could be on the road to recovery after eight months out of the public eye.

Castro temporarily handed over power last July to his brother Raul, the country's defense minister, while recovering from a gastrointestinal operation.

In the Granma article on Wednesday, Castro took note of recent discussions Bush held with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in which the subject of promoting biofuels from food crops arose.

"This colossal waste of cereals for producing fuel ... will save the rich countries less than 15 percent of the annual fuel consumption of their voracious automobiles," he wrote.

"Who and where is going to supply the more than 500 million tonnes of corn and other cereals that the United States, Europe and the rich countries need to produce all the ethanol that the big North American companies demand?

"Where will the poor countries of the Third World obtain the minimal resources to survive?" Castro asked.

"Bush in Camp David declared his intention to apply this formula around the world, which means nothing else but the globalization of genocide," he said.

The two articles over the past several days have come after an increase in comments by Cuban officials and Castro's friends that he is recovering from his ailments, the nature of which has never been completely clear.

Several officials have said over the past month that they expected him to come back to work soon, and even stand for re-election to the presidency in early 2008.

The Cuban strongman, who has led the Caribbean island for nearly five decades, wrote in Granma that he had been spending his recuperation period thinking about global problems like energy, the environment and the survival of man.

[El Presidente]

As much as I despise him...he is one tough cookie.

[Colt45]

I can't help but think, with Cuba on the verge, potentially, of becoming a player in

the oil game, that his larger concern is there not being as great a demand for

Cuban oil as he'd like.

I could be mistaken - perhaps he's just a great humanitarian.......

[cf2112]

» I can't help but think, with Cuba on the verge, potentially, of becoming a

» player in

» the oil game, that his larger concern is there not being as great a demand

» for

» Cuban oil as he'd like.

» I could be mistaken - perhaps he's just a great humanitarian.......

:-)

[Quint]

» I can't help but think, with Cuba on the verge, potentially, of becoming a

» player in

» the oil game, that his larger concern is there not being as great a demand

» for

» Cuban oil as he'd like.

» I could be mistaken - perhaps he's just a great humanitarian.......