European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 26, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                May 1985 the stars and stripes Page 17 Castro mending fences in South America by Joseph Treaster new York times after More than two decades of rejection and Fidel Castro is building new relationships in South dispelling Many old suspicions and succeeding in dim Ming his image As a threatening revolution Many diplomats in the last Cuba has received a million loan from the rights Center president of dec Leon Febres made a formal visit to Cuba in and there have been signs that Peru and possibly Brazil May soon reestablish full Diplo Matic relations with Cuba remains without diplomatic relations with co but Western diplomats and cuban officials say that Castro has developed a personal relationship with president Belisario Betancur and that the two speak by Telephone several times a in Early Castro sent a shipment of medical sup plies to Bolivia and 15 buses to both were officials in Havana and in Washington acknowledge that relations Between Cuba and the coun tries of South America have been we Are fully aware of Cubas efforts in this a official in Havana Cubas efforts Are bearing some this does not come As a Surprise to it is a development that the United states clearly sees As unfavourable As one Washington official put Cubas position is fundamentally hostile to cuban officials do not speak much these Days of Revo Lution in South but officials in washing ton say that castros government continues to have very close ties with revolutionary leftist forces in these coun their said Kenneth Skoug the director of the state department office of cuban is to try to improve their state state relations while also working on another level to maintain Contact with subversives and potential subversives and to keep their options As far As South America is Skoug Castro has decided to play Down the revolution Ary aspects and play up his role As a Many Western diplomats say Cubas improved relations in South America coincide with a decline in influence in the they As an the fact that nearly All the countries of latin America have condemned the Trade embargo against Skoug disagreed with that there Are obviously temporary ups and he but i dont think influence is the latest reaction of latin american governments has been quite different from their response to the imposition of a Trade embargo against Cuba in the Early the countries of the organization of american states voted to expel and eventually All of them except Mexico joined in the Trade the embargo against Cuba remains in of but the Oas lifted its sanctions in and a few countries renewed diplomatic Castro began to gain renewed support and respect in a photo Castro is making friends in South America after years of the Region when he sided with Argentina in its War with Britain Over the Falkland islands three years and he has received favourable responses recently with sym pathetic statements on the debt Burden of latin Ameri can for More than 20 years the cubans were out of the social Circle of latin said a Diplomat from a country that has sometimes been critical of with the falklands they walked right into the living room and found almost everyone else when you have a common enemy you sometimes find a relationship Many Western diplomats say the position in the Region was set Back considerably by its decision to sup port Britain in the As an outgrowth of Cubas support in the falklands Argentina has surpassed Mexico As Cubas Prin Cipal supplier of goods in latin diplomats say which has grave financial problems of its agreed to lend Cuba million a year Over the next three years on condition that the Money be spent to buy Argentine they the argentines were Able to help Cuba while stimulating their own Western diplomats say an important Factor in castros advances in South America has been the change from military to civilian Rule in several countries in the last few Ricardo Alarcon de an alternate member of the Central committee of the communist party of with like who needs friends Cuba and a Deputy foreign minister responsible for said in an interview that Cuba had always hoped for Good relations with South but he said that in the 1960s Many governments in the Region followed a policy of trying to overthrow our government and that Cuba thus Felt justified in supporting revolutionary he said that at least some of Cubas recent Success in South America was a result of a shift away from Mili tary regimes and what he said was an apparent trend toward a collective approach to regional in this he Cuba is being seen As a part of the group and the United states is regarded increasingly As an Nicholas a latin american businessman who travels extensively in the Region and meets often with government officials and agreed with Alarcon adding that the level of fear of Cuba has been More and he Cuba is being seen As a part of the Aguirre said South americans fully recognize that Castro is under the Tutelage of the soviet but 1 think the feeling is that we can coexist and do business in the in speeches and recent Castro has made an Issue of the billion latin american owed mostly to Castro has said that in the face of such a crisis the developing countries must unite and seek regardless of their political stands and he has repeatedly said that the debt is unfair because of what he regards As the unequal terms of Trade Between the developed and underdeveloped that it cannot possibly be repaid and that if the Banks do not agree to cancel the the countries should simply refuse to so none of the countries of the Region have endorsed castros they know that if they dont pay they wont get any More a Western Diplomat but emotional they agree with officials Point out that Castro has recently renegotiated Cubas own foreign debt of Bil lion with european Bankers and pledged to meet pay the officials accuse Castro of hypocrisy and say that with Cubas unfavourable Trade balance they doubt that he can make the Cuba insists that its debt problem is proportionately less serious than that of its neighbors and not beyond its Alarcon the fact that we dont have the same problem Doest mean we  be sensitive to the some officials say they believe that Castro Hopes that improved relations in South America will help him in the efforts he has renewed in the last year or so to attain better relations with Hes trying to enhance his relations in latin America to bolster his one official this would enable some opponents of the administration in Congress to if the latin americans dont find anything objectionable in his Why should we