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McCain Warns of Latin American 'Anti-Americanism'
The United States has been neglecting Latin America, allowing militants to gain a foothold there and compromise national security, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain said on Wednesday. The Arizona lawmaker cited as evidence the alleged plot to attack New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport by individuals from Guyana and Trinidad and the increasing presence of Hamas, Hezbollah and other groups in the region. "Anti-Americanism is on the rise in much of the region," McCain said in remarks to be delivered to the Florida Association of Broadcasters. "As we have devoted attention and energies to other regions, other dangerous forces have moved into the breach." While the election is not until November 2008, McCain has trailed in early national polls behind former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, in part because of his steadfast support for President George W. Bush's Iraq war plan.
Story Continues Below In his speech, McCain called for more U.S. assistance to Latin American governments for bolstering security over land, sea and air as well as taking steps to improve their electoral systems and trade ties with the region. "Our security priority in this hemisphere is to ensure that terrorists, their enablers and their business partners, including narcotraffickers, have nowhere to hide," he said. McCain also singled out longtime American foe Cuba for criticism, saying the U.S. embargo would remain in place until political prisoners were freed, all political parties were legalized and there were unfettered elections. "Cuba's transition to democracy is inevitable and we need to begin planning now for that day," he said in the prepared remarks. McCain, a supporter of a bipartisan plan to overhaul U.S. immigration laws despite criticism from some fellow Republicans, called on Mexico to help with the flood of people crossing the border into the United States. "Mexico must be a vital partner in stopping illegal immigration," he said. The bill supported by Bush ties tough border security and enforcement of workplace rules to a temporary worker program and a plan to legalize most of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.
© Reuters 2007.
Editor's note:
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
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