Castro praises Chavez for his 'dignity' in defeat

FE Team | Published: December 05, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

HAVANA, Dec 04 (AFP): Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro
Monday hailed his ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for his 'courage' and 'dignity' in facing defeat of a referendum that would have expanded his authority.
"Dear Hugo: I send you revolutionary congratulations for your speech today, which was a 'Veni, vidi, vici' of dignity and ethics," Castro said in a message relayed by state television, referring to the Latin phrase uttered by a victorious Julius Ceasar -- "I came, I saw, I conquered."
The 81-year-old leader, who has handed over power to his brother Raul Castro since undergoing surgery in July 2006, said Chavez had shown "courage and wisdom" in his reaction to the referendum setback.
Chavez's referendum, which would have allowed him to be re-elected president indefinitely, went down to defeat by a narrow margin of 51 per cent to 49 per cent Sunday.
Known for his anti-US rhetoric, Chavez was uncharactistically subdued when he emerged early Monday to accept his loss after he campaigned hard for approval of the referendum.
He said he recognized his plans to enshrine his vision of a socialist economy in Venezuela's charter had been thwarted 'for now' -- but stressed he would not give up.
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said Monday that Cuba had time to weigh the implications of the 'narrow vote' and praised Chavez's handling of the result.