February 24, 2003	Monday	Zul Hijjah 22, 1423

HANOI, Feb 23: Cuban President Fidel Castro wrapped up his three-day visit to communist ally Vietnam on Sunday, saying US hegemony and globalization have plunged the world into its worst-ever crisis.

In a rousing 65-minute speech made without notes to students and government officials at Hanoi Polytechnic University, the aging revolutionary warned the US “empire” would eventually be brought to its knees.

“The world is facing a crisis, a moral and economic crisis. This world is a world of liberalism and globalization dominated by the US government,” he said in Spanish.

“We have never seen events like today. If you come to Latin America or anywhere else in the world you can see that the current situation is unbearable and unsustainable.” With a dramatic swipe of his hand, Castro added: “This means that we need a solution to bring change nearer.—AFP