-DATE- 19870319 -YEAR- 1987 -DOCUMENT_TYPE- INTERVIEW -AUTHOR- F. CASTRO -HEADLINE- CASTRO CALLS FOR THIRD WORLD SUPPORT FOR BRAZIL -PLACE- CUBA -SOURCE- HAVANA PRENSA LATINA -REPORT_NBR- FBIS -REPORT_DATE- 19870325 -TEXT- CASTRO CALLS FOR THIRD WORLD SUPPORT FOR BRAZIL PA200240 Havana PRENSA LATINA in Spanish 1012 GMT 19 Mar 87 -- FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY [Text] Havana, 19 Mar (PL) -- Cuban President Fidel Castro has stated that Brazil must be given as much support as possible cause it is waging a struggle that benefits all Third World countries. In referring to Brazil's decision to suspend interest payments on its debt with international creditors, the Cuban leader said last night that "the debt has become a dancer that keeps growing." I believe, he said, that we have to unite in support of Brazil and give that country all the support of the nonaligned, the Group of 77, the socialist countries, and the United Nations. We must do it because as I see it, Brazil is waging a struggle not only for its own benefit but also because its struggle is our struggle and we are waging a struggle that will benefit all Third World countries, Fidel Castro said. The Cuban leader cautioned: "A Brazilian defeat would be a terrible defeat for us all" and "a Brazilian victory would be a great victory for us all." Speaking to journalists who form part of the delegation headed by Brazilian Foreign Minister Roberto de Abreu Sodre -- who today will conclude his official visit to Cuba -- Fidel Castro noted that his position on the foreign debt is not new. I have spent 3 years, he said, analyzing this problem and events are demonstrating the validity of what we have stated. Regarding the Brazilian case, the Cuban leader said that in addition to the unity of all Third World countries in support of the South American country, it is necessary to have internal unity in Brazil on the debt issue. Fidel Castro reiterated that the foreign debt is both uncollectable and unpayable and that its causes are underdevelopment, unfair trade, protectionism, and the exploitation that [Third World] countries have endured since colonial days. He said: For centuries they exploited us, took billions in gold, accumulated wealth, and left us poor. He stated: "From a historic and moral point of view we are creditors, not debtors." Fidel Castro also noted that if the debt were to be erased but the conditions were to remain as they now stand, or deteriorate, in 10 or 15 years, if there is no change in trade patterns, if there is no end to [words indistinct] agreements by Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, a road I think is a correct one. During his talk with the Brazilian media during the reception offered by Sodre for his Cuban counterpart, Isidoro Malmierca, Fidel Castro characterized the contact established with various Brazilian sectors as excellent. He said: We have had the privilege of having received the visit of the foreign minister with whom we have held spiendid, very friendly and fraternal talks. I am proud of the way relations with Brazil have developed, Fidel Castro stated after pointing out the similarities between the people from the two nations. Later, the Cuban leader referred to the possibility of cooperating with Brazil in the cure of vitiligo to make the treatment less expensive for Brazilians who suffer that illness. Fidel Castro also said that Cuba could become a market for many Brazilian industrial products. Several private businessmen are currently in Havana, and they are interested in commercial relations with the Caribbean island. At a given moment during the unscheduled news conference at the conventions Palace of Havana, the Cuban president said that he will visit Brazil only when the government of that country decides it is both suitable and useful. He noted: "It should be realize that a visit by me would not be a tourist visit. I am a politician and any visit mine would always have political connotation." -END-