Lula mocks Cuban hunger strikers, rejects Iran sanctions

He rejects US efforts to secure sanction on Iran and brushed aside concerns about the future of the Amazon forests. But the president's remarks on the Cuban hunger strikers will bring broad smiles to the regime of Raul Castro. 

They indicate that the immensely popular Brazilian leader does not intend to use his considerable clout to help ease the way towards democracy in Cuba. Nor for that matter does he show much respect for the core principles of the Universal Declaration of Human rights . He takes the extraordinary position that sovereignty means that a country is entitled to abuse its citizens with impunity if it choses to do so. Not so Mr President.

 * Maira Cabrini, via Twitter, asked about the president's opinion on Orlando Zapata's death in Cuba. 

"Look, I don't think a hunger strike can be used as a pretext for human rights to free people. Imagine if all the criminals in Sao Paulo entered into hunger strikes to demand freedom. We have to respect the decisions of the Cuban legal system and the government to arrest people depending on the laws of Cuba, like I want them to respect Brazil, like I want to respect what the United States does to comply with its laws. 

But it's not just in Cuba that people died from hunger strikes. Everybody knows what happened in Ireland. How many people of the IRA died on hunger strikes? I see many people today criticizing Cuba for causing a death, and they said nothing about the deaths of the IRA. It's as if it were a normal thing to die in Ireland and not normal for people to die in other countries. I would like that it hadn't happened.

 But I cannot question the reasons why Cuba arrested him just like I don't want Cuba to question me about people who are arrested in Brazil."

 Frank Atyeo, via Facebook, wanted to know the president's recommendations if Iran continued on its current path, despite objections from the United Nations

. "What we're trying to demonstrate to others is that it's time to talk. It's not time for an embargo, not for sanctions. ... If one hour of conversation doesn't resolve it, we'll talk for two. If two doesn't resolve it, we'll talk for three. We're going to get the entire world around the negotiating table at the United Nations, with everybody involved to learn what people want to do. ... We're going to build peace and peace requires wisdom, more conversations and more dialogue. If the president of Iran does not agree with Brazil, we will take our decisions based on what was discussed. ... I want to talk with Obama, with Sarkozy, with Medvedev, with Hu Jintao, with Gordon Brown. I've already told them that we must avoid at all costs having a war. In whose interest is a war?" 

Andy Dale, also via Facebook, wanted to know about the president's thoughts on how to save the rain forest.

 "It's important to remember that Brazil had a very strong position in Copenhagen because Brazil assumed the promise of reducing deforestation of the Amazon by 80 percent by 2020, and to reduce global warming emissions by 36 to 39 percent by 2020. It was the strongest proposal that arrived in Copenhagen. We're in a moment in which all the big projects in Brazil have to consider the environmental question. There is no possibility of discussing development without discussing the environment. Brazil wants to be an example for the world how it's important to keep the forests standing -- to properly treat the environment so that the world won't be a victim of global warming." 

AP Brazil Chief of Bureau Alan Clendenning and AP Brasilia Correspondent Marco Sibaja sat down with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for the exclusive interview earlier today. AP asked its readers, to submit questions.