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Europe and the Americas
The Iberoamerican summit at Oporto
You will remember that, since travel
broadens the mind, Alice was sent on
a grand tour. Her first stop was Washington where, at the time
of the
Clinton-Monica duet, she hearned things she had never heard of in
Wonderland. She was also surprised to read in the newspapers that Texas
Governor George Bush had founded an oil company called Zapata. She
was as
puzzled as Zapata would have been, but then, in oil, politics, and
Texas,
all is possible.
From Washington, Alice went to the Iberoamerican
summit in Oporto. It was
obviously an important event, as was evident from the extensive TV
coverage
in Iberoamerica, especially in Spain and Mexico. The Iberoamericans
were
naturally pleased that Spain was to set up a secretariat to promote
trade
and would provide aid. It was proper that King Juan Carlos should be
treated with great respect by the ex-colonials, but it was a little
suprising to see him and Fidel Castro having a tete-a-tete breakfast.
Fidel, who had dressed up in a dapper way, was woodenly effusive in
his
praise of the monarch, expressing the hope that the King could arrive
in
Havana a little early for next year's summit so that they could spend
more
time together. Fidel took off for a popular meeting, at which anti-U.S.
speeches were made, the crowd waved banners showing Che Guevara, and
the
new Communist Nobel literary laureate Saramago put as much fire as
he could
into a speech. Meanwhile in London Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet
was
arrested at the request of the Spanish government. Chilean President
Eduardo Frei angrily denounced Pinochet's arrest, saying that he was
travelling on a diplomatic passport and as a Senator had diplomatic
immunity. Spanish Foreign Minister Abel Matutes purred that Spain
was
merely following the law. Pinochet was the target of demonstrations
in
London and in Spain. Alice thought that the Spanish government was
supposed
to be conservative, and did not understand was Pinochet should be reviled
for his crimes while Castro was so eulogized. Alice was puzzled by
a grand
ceremomy at which the dignatories were honored by a crowd dressed in
strange costumes. She was told that they were being inducted into the
Port
Wine Fraternity. Dons drink lots of port at Oxford, but Alice had never
seen anything like this. Travel broadens.
Ronald Hilton - 10/18/98
More on The Iberoamerican Summit at Oporto
Of the British-American relationship, it used to
be said that blood is
thicker than water. It would be more correct to say that now language
and
culture are more importance than distance. European empires overexpanded,
but modern communications have remedied that. The British feel closer
to
the United States than to France, as do Spain and Portugal to Iberoamerica,
to judge by the summit in Oporto, Portugal.
It was important in many ways. It was evidence that
the old Spain-Portugal
animosity has almost dissolved in the new Iberoamerican conviviality.
Clearly sensitive to general complaints that such confernces are a
waste of
time and money, the Portuguese hosts cut formal speeches to a minimum
and
stressed frank, informal meetings. Even though Cuba was not supposed
to be
the main item on the agenda, wooden Fidel Castro in military fatigues
(why?) got most of the attention. Spain and Mexico were most active
in
courting him. The next meeting will be held in Havana, and King Juan
Carlos
said he was looking forward to it. The Helms-Burton act was attacked,
but
there was little indication that Castro intended to democratize his
regime.
Like Yeltsin, he seemed to want to show that he was still competent
and in
charge.
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