[News] Fidel - the truth of what happened at the summit

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Reflections by comrade Fidel

THE TRUTH OF WHAT HAPPENED AT THE SUMMIT

Sender: activistas at cubanmission.com

The youth is more interested than anyone else in the future.

Until very recently, the discussion revolved 
around the kind of society we would have. Today, 
the discussion centers on whether human society will survive.

These are not dramatic phrases. We must get used 
to the true facts. Hope is the last thing human 
beings can relinquish. With truthful arguments, 
men and women of all ages, especially young 
people, have waged an exemplary battle at the 
Summit and taught the world a great lesson.

It is important now that Cuba and the world come 
to know as much as possible of what happened in 
Copenhagen. The truth can be stronger than the 
influenced and often misinformed minds of those 
holding in their hands the destiny of the world.

If anything significant was achieved in the 
Danish capital, it was that the media coverage 
allowed the world public to watch the political 
chaos created there and the humiliating treatment 
accorded to Heads of States or Governments, 
ministers and thousands of representatives of 
social movements and institutions that in hope 
and expectation traveled to the Summit’s venue in 
Copenhagen. The brutal repression of peaceful 
protesters by the police was a reminder of the 
behavior of the Nazi assault troops that occupied 
neighboring Denmark on April 1940.

But no one could have thought that on December 
18, 2009, the last day of the Summit, this would 
be suspended by the Danish government –a NATO 
ally associated with the carnage in Afghanistan-- 
to offer the conference’s plenary hall to 
President Obama for a meeting where only he and a 
selected group of guests, 16 in all, would have the exclusive right to speak.
Obama’s deceitful, demagogic and ambiguous 
remarks failed to involve a binding commitment 
and ignored the Kyoto Framework Convention. He 
then left the room shortly after listening to a 
few other speakers. Among those invited to take 
the floor were the highest industrialized 
nations, several emerging economies and some of 
the poorest countries in the world. The leaders 
and representatives of over 170 countries were only allowed to listen.

At the end of the speeches of the 16 chosen, Evo 
Morales, with the authority of his indigenous 
Aymara origin and his recent reelection with 65% 
of the vote as well as the support of two-thirds 
of the Bolivian House and Senate, requested the 
floor. The Danish president had no choice but to 
yield to the insistence of the other delegations. 
When Evo had concluded his wise and deep 
observations, the Danish had to give the floor to 
Hugo Chavez. Both speeches will be registered by 
history as examples of short and timely remarks. 
Then, with their mission duly accomplished they 
both left for their respective countries. But 
when Obama disappeared, he had yet to fulfill his task in the host country.

 From the evening of the 17th and the early 
morning hours of the 18th, the Prime Minister of 
Denmark and senior representatives of the United 
States had been meeting with the Chairman of the 
European Commission and the leaders of 27 nations 
to introduce to them --on behalf of Obama-- a 
draft agreement in whose elaboration none of the 
other leaders of the rest of the world had taken 
part. It was an antidemocratic and practically 
clandestine initiative that disregarded the 
thousands of representatives of social movements, 
scientific and religious institutions and other participants in the Summit.

Through the night of the 18th and until 3:00 a.m. 
of the 19th, when many Heads of States had 
already departed, the representatives of the 
countries waited for the resumption of the 
sessions and the conclusion of the event. 
Throughout the 18th, Obama held meetings and 
press conferences, and the same did the European leaders. Then, they left.

Something unexpected happened then: at three in 
the morning of the 19th, the Prime Minister of 
Denmark convened a meeting to conclude the 
Summit. By then, the countries were represented 
by ministers, officials, ambassadors and technical staff.

However, an amazing battle was waged that morning 
by a group of representatives of Third World 
countries challenging the attempt by Obama and 
the wealthiest on the planet to introduce a 
document imposed by the United States as one 
agreed by consensus in the Summit.

The representative of Venezuela, Claudia Salerno, 
showed with impressive energy her right hand 
bleeding from strongly slamming on the table to 
claim her right to take the floor.  Her tone of 
voice and the dignity of her arguments will never be forgotten.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba made a 
vigorous speech of approximately one thousand 
words from which I have chosen a few paragraphs to include in this Reflection:

“The document that you, Mister Chairman, 
repeatedly claimed that did not exist shows up 
now. [
] we have seen drafts circulating 
surreptitiously and being discussed in secret meetings
”

“
I deeply resent the way you have led this conference.”

“
Cuba considers the text of this apocryphal 
draft extremely inadequate and inadmissible. The 
goal of 2 degrees centigrade is unacceptable and 
it would have incalculable catastrophic consequences
”

“The document that you are unfortunately 
introducing is not binding in any way with 
respect to the reduction of the greenhouse effect gas emissions.”

“I am aware of the previous drafts, which also 
through questionable and clandestine procedures, 
were negotiated by small groups of people
”

“The document you are introducing now fails to 
include the already meager and lacking key phrases contained in that draft
”

“
as far as Cuba is concerned, it is incompatible 
with the universally recognized scientific view 
sustaining that it is urgent and inescapable to 
ensure the reduction of at least 45% of the 
emissions by the year 2020, and of no less than 80% or 90% by 2050.”

“Any argument on the continuation of the 
negotiations to reach agreement in the future to 
cut down emissions must inevitably include the 
concept of the validity of the Kyoto Protocol [
] 
Your paper, Mister Chairman, is a death 
certificate of the Kyoto Protocol and my delegation cannot accept it.”

“The Cuban delegation would like to emphasize the 
preeminence of the principle of ‘common by 
differentiated responsibilities,’ as the core of 
the future process of negotiations. Your paper 
does not include a word on that.”

“This draft declaration fails to mention concrete 
financial commitments and the transfers of 
technologies to developing countries, which are 
part of the obligations contracted by the 
developed countries under the UN Framework 
Convention on Climate Change [
] Mister Chairman, 
by imposing their interests through your 
document, the developed nations are avoiding any concrete commitment.”

“
What you, Mister Chairman, define as ‘a group 
of representative leaders’ is to me a gross 
violation of the principle of sovereign equality 
consecrated in the United Nations Charter
”

“Mr. Chairman, I formally request that this 
statement be included in the final report of the 
works of this regrettable and shameful 15th 
session of the Conference of the Parties.”

The representatives of the countries had been 
given only one hour to present their views. This 
led to complicated, shameful and embarrassing situations.

Then, a lengthy debate ensued where the 
delegations from the developed countries put a 
heavy pressure on the rest to make the conference 
adopt the above mentioned document as the final result of their deliberations.

A small number of countries firmly insisted on 
the grave omissions and ambiguities of the 
document promoted by the United States, 
particularly the absence of a commitment by the 
developed countries on the reduction of carbon 
emissions and on the financing that would allow 
the South countries to adopt alleviating and adjustment measures.

After a long and extremely tense discussion, the 
position of the ALBA countries and Sudan, as 
President of the G-77, prevailed that the 
document was unacceptable to the conference thus it could not be adopted.

In view of the absence of consensus, the 
Conference could only “take note” of the 
existence of that document representing the 
position of a group of about 25 countries.

After that decision was made, --at 10:30 in the 
morning Denmark’s time-- Bruno, together with 
other ALBA representatives, had a friendly 
discussion with the UN Secretary to whom they 
expressed their willingness to continue 
struggling alongside the United Nations to 
prevent the terrible consequences of climate 
change. Their mission completed, our Foreign 
Minister and Cuban Vicepresident Esteban Lazo 
departed to come back home and attend the 
National Assembly session. A few members of the 
delegation and the ambassador stayed in 
Copenhagen to take part in the final procedures.

This afternoon they reported the following:

“
both, those who were involved in the 
elaboration of the document, and those like the 
President of the United States who anticipated 
its adoption by the conference
as they could not 
disregard the decision to simply ‘take note’ of 
the alleged ‘Copenhagen Agreement,’ they tried to 
introduce a procedure allowing the other COP 
countries that had not been a part of the shady 
deal to adhere to it, and make it public, the 
intention being to pretend such an agreement was 
legal, something that could precondition the 
results of the negotiations that should carry on.”

“Such belated attempt was again firmly opposed by 
Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia. These countries 
warned that a document which had not been adopted 
by the Convention could not be considered legal 
and that there was not a COP document; therefore, 
no regulations could be established for its alleged adoption
”

“This is how the meeting in Copenhagen is coming 
to an end, without the adoption of the document 
surreptitiously worked out in the past few days 
under the clear ideological guidance of the US Administration
”

Tomorrow our attention will be focused on the National Assembly.

Lazo, Bruno and the other members of the 
delegation will be arriving at midnight today. On 
Monday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will be 
able to explain in details and with the necessary 
accuracy the truth of what happened at the Summit.

Fidel Castro Ruz
December 19, 2009
8:17p.m.



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