Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (l

Managua, NICARAGUA: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (l) is decorated by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega with the "Order Augusto Cesar Sandino", 14 January 2007, during a visit to a workers neiborhood called "Cuba Libre" in Managua, Nicaragua. Ahmadinejad, on a Latin American tour to round up anti-US allies, promised on Sunday closer ties to Nicaragua, led by a one-time anti-US foe, President Ortega. "Rest assured that we will improve our relations to the point of fulfilling every wish and thing that we desire. It is our will to walk hand in hand," Ahmadinejad said through a translator after meeting Ortega. Ortega said Ahmadinejad's visit was "not merely a matter of protocol." The Iranian president came from Venezuela, where he signed business agreements with President Hugo Chavez, an outspoken critic of US President George W. Bush. Each proclaimed the other an ideological "brother." AFP PHOTO/Miguel ALVAREZ (Photo credit should read MIGUEL ALVAREZ/AFP via Getty Images)