<html>
<body>
<font face="arial" size=2><br>
<b>THE EMPIRE’S FEARS, LIES AND INANITIES<br><br>
</b>January 8 2004<br><br>
<b>The Permanent Mission of the Republic Cuba to the United
Nations<br><br>
</b> <br><br>
The behavior of some U. S. government officials makes one feel sorry for
them. There is a swarm of liars running around in the top echelons of
power who rarely say anything serious or come close to the
truth.<br><br>
Barely 48 hour ago, according to various reports from
Washington-based press agencies, “The U.S. Under Secretary of State for
Hemispheric affairs, Mr. Roger Noriega, criticized Cuba for supporting
destabilizing elements in several democratic countries in the Americas”.
“He said that his country and some of its neighbors are keeping a close
eye on what the Cuban leader, Fidel Castro is doing in ‘his latest
ventures’”. ”He indicated that the United States has its own information
about, ‘for example, Cuba’s involvement in supporting elements in several
countries that want to destabilize democratic governments’”.<br><br>
“It is
clear that Fidel Castro’s actions have attracted the attention of Latin
American leaders’ Noriega said, referring to these actions as
“increasingly provocative” for the inter-American community and to which
the United States has responded with explicit support to countries
allegedly affected by these acts, such as Bolivia’”.<br><br>
</font><font face="arial" size=3>
One of the cables went on to say that according to Noriega, Castro ‘is
trying to take advantage of the situation’ adding that ‘he is consciously
and destructively fomenting discord and discontent’ and is making
democratically elected governments vulnerable”.<br><br>
</font><font face="arial" size=2>This Mr. Noriega, a hypocritical and
mediocre type was one of those chiefly responsible for drafting and
promoting the anti Cuban Helms-Burton Acts. He is a bosom friend of the
Miami Cuban American terrorist mob. He was given his current position as
undersecretary when the Senate refused to allow the job to be given
to the bandit Otto Reich, whose terrorist past history in the dirty war
in Nicaragua is common knowledge.<br><br>
Noriega’s declaration, made almost immediately after a State Department
spokesperson announced that migration talks were being suspended, using
as an excuse the fact that Cuba would not acquiesce to some absurd
unacceptable demands, shows that this is a well thought out act of
provocation with dubious motives connected with November’s elections; the
supporters of this administration hope to ensure that they win these,
even at the cost of provoking a conflict —any will do. <br><br>
It can be shown that Noriega’s statements are barefaced lies, as
usual.<br><br>
Where
did he get the idea that Cuba has adopted a provocative stance aimed at
destabilizing Latin America? With the exception of the contemptible cry
baby who governs Uruguay, an abject United States lackey and “the breath
of fresh air”—as Mr. Bush so poetically referred to the person who
governs El Salvador where Posada Carriles, following orders from Miami,
organized the terrorist actions against Cuban hotels and cooked up the
attempt on the life of the president of the Cuban State Council— the
government of our country maintains normal, respectful diplomatic
relations with every other country in our region. None of them has
complained or uttered a single word about plans supposedly hatched by
Cuba to destabilize their governments. <br><br>
Our relations with diverse Latin American and Caribbean political trends
are absolutely legal, normal and public. Many events, sponsored by
institutions and centers of a political, social, educational, cultural,
scientific and economic nature, are held every year in full view of
the domestic and international press.<br><br>
What does destabilize mean? Sending thousands of doctors to collaborate
with governments in giving care to the poorest and most needy? Have we by
any chance destabilized Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Belize, Paraguay and
various other countries in the Caribbean, Central or South America? Could
it be that destabilize means sending 15,000 Cuban doctors to 64 countries
where millions of people are given medical care and tens of thousands of
lives are saved? Since when has promoting literacy campaigns that use new
modern and highly effective methods meant destabilizing democratic
regimes anywhere in the world? How can anyone call giving scholarships to
study in our universities to 12,000 Third World youths a subversive
action? Isn’t it somewhat stupid to label as subversive the efforts of
thousands of sports instructors who are promoting the most wholesome of
activities which helps to reduce crime, drug use and make millions of
young people healthier. Since when is to promote education and culture to
destabilize nations? <br><br>
After Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America, didn’t we offer to
send doctors who saved the same number of lives each year as were
lost during the hurricane, and also all the scholarships they needed to
train young men and women from those countries so that in the future they
could do the job that our doctors were doing? Could anyone in his right
mind say that this was an attempt to destabilize democracy in Central
America, at a time when we didn’t even have diplomatic relations with
some of the countries there? Why deny that Cuba has given emergency aid,
with no exceptions, whenever there is a natural disaster, sometimes these
were in Latin American countries, but also in other parts of the world?
Why not remember that, in 1970, when there was a terrible earthquake in
Peru that left more than 50,000 dead, the people of Cuba sent 100,000
blood donations, built hospitals and supplied medicines? Why not also
acknowledge that when the Uruguayan people fell victim to a serious
cerebrospinal meningitis epidemic, Cuba, the only country making a
suitable vaccine, sent millions of doses to protect the lives of
Uruguayan children, even when their government, apprised of the existence
of this vaccine, did not want to purchase it precisely because it was
Cuban? <br><br>
And these are not the only examples. The Cuban authorities did not
hesitate in sending human and material resources which were a decisive
factor in eradicating the disease when El Salvador was in the grips of a
serious dengue epidemic, even though its government was a bitter enemy of
Cuba, a haven for terrorists and a center of operations from which gross
crimes against our people were launched. A similar spirit of cooperation
was to be seen there a short time afterwards when a devastating
earthquake racked this sister nation.<br><br>
So what’s all this meanness about now? It has a history and it can
be explained.<br><br>
In his cynical January 6 denunciation, Mr. Noriega made special mention
of Venezuela, pointing to it as one of Cuba’s partners in the
destabilizing efforts because of our support for the health, education,
cultural, athletic, social work and other programs that the Bolivarian
process is undertaking for the benefit of the Venezuelan people; our
country has accumulated some experience in these areas which it has
placed at the service of the Third World nations. We have given thousands
of scholarships to young Venezuelans to study medicine, sports, social
work, technical training and have offered whatever forms of technical or
social cooperation as we are asked for.<br><br>
In the eyes of the Cuban people, president Chávez embodies the
ideas and the Bolivarian spirit of independence, unity and
patriotism of the Latin American peoples who share ethnic origins,
culture, religion and language much more than any other group of
countries in the world. They have the right and duty to unite, not only
for economic reasons, but also for their very survival. Cuba supports
this right with all its might.<br><br>
Mr. Noriega’s insolent, threatening rant on January 6 has its roots in
the statements which Mr. Otto Reich, ambassador extraordinary to Latin
America had made two weeks earlier, on December 19 and which were
published in a cable that read: “Otto Reich acknowledged today that the
continent ‘is not in good shape’ and pointed to Venezuela as the country
facing the ‘gravest crisis’”, before going on to say: “’Unless the
two parts calm down, there could be a problem’. He also said that the
United States is “really worried by constant reports that there are Cuban
agents in Venezuela’”.<br><br>
“He
said —according to the wire service report— that ’according to many
people in Venezuela’, they had received reports that ‘there are hundreds,
if not thousands of Cubans of military age and aspect in
Venezuela’”.<br><br>
“’Chávez has the force of arms and he is also the constitutional
president’ but ‘ all the polls we have seen indicate that two thirds of
the population is against Chávez and they also have the force of the
constitution and of the referendum’.<br><br>
“He added that, according to his sources, ‘there are more than three and
possibly up to four million valid signatures in favor of going ahead with
the referendum against Hugo Chávez.<br><br>
“’All the Inter-American community has the responsibility to accompany
the Venezuelan people in this challenge for democracy and against a
possible trick by whosoever tries to prevent Venezuelan law from being
upheld’”, he added.<br><br>
“Reich said that the United States ‘along with all its friends in the
hemisphere, is keeping a close eye on what is happening in
Venezuela’”. The people of military age and aspect were the Cuban
doctors, 52.4 percent of whom are women.<br><br>
It is very obvious that the most extremist group in the U. S. government
realizes that the regime of exploitation and savage looting Latin
American peoples have been subjected to can no longer be sustained nor
put up with.<br><br>
If the United States has it own information about Cuba’s involvement in
supporting elements who are trying to destabilize democratic governments
in several countries, why doesn’t he give specific details? Why doesn’t
he say where, when and how these actions came about, in which countries?
What did Cuba do in Bolivia that caused the social turmoil that took
place there? Who is trying to take advantage of the situation? Who is to
blame for the swollen rivers that most of the countries in this region
have become as the result of a huge and insuperable foreign debt,
constant pillaging, poverty, unemployment, hunger, the sorry state of
health and education and the demands of the International Monetary Fund?
<br><br>
Why doesn’t that fool Noriega say a word about the FTAA, in other words,
the annexation they are trying to force on Latin American and Caribbean
nations? Who installed neoliberal globalization? Who shoved forced
privatization of resources and assets down the throats of the helpless
peoples of this continent? Who sells weapons instead of educational
materials? Who sends young Latin Americans as cannon fodder to die on the
sands of Iraq? What need does Cuba have to fish in troubled waters if
the very troubled rivers have swollen and are threatening to sweep
away all the rottenness and the injustices they have suffered for
centuries?<br><br>
New, vulgar lies:<br><br>
“…’some sources’ are aware of ‘a group of disturbances with Cuban
involvement’…’it is very clear that (Castro) is increasingly active in
the region.’”<br><br>
Of course, Mr. Noriega, things are changing. Fewer and fewer people
believe in your traditional fictions, the peoples are less willing to put
up with it all. The Cuban president is invited when new governments take
office and to other functions. He was able to go when new governments
were inaugurated in Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina and Paraguay. With a heavy
heart he had to decline invitations to other government inaugurations and
important events because we in Cuba need to work hard and travel is
expensive and complicated because of the plans that you, your government
and its terrorist mob cook up to kill him. We understand that so many
failed attempts must be very frustrating for all of you.<br><br>
“It is very clear that (Castro) is increasingly active in the region”,
you said, and that ”this caused great concern among Latin American
leaders”.<br><br>
Why don’t you say who these leaders are, why do you take it upon yourself
to speak for them, why do you try to make them seem envious and
cowardly? There have never been hostile looks nor disgruntled faces
from most of those whom our president meets when he attends the
ceremonies mentioned above, apart from the exceptions we talked of, to
whom he is indifferent. He is always treated with respect, in spite of
the fact that, in some cases, which grow increasingly less common, there
are profound ideological differences. It is common knowledge that the
people in the countries he visits enthusiastically show their affection
and admiration for the President of the Cuban State Council. It is not in
vain that the Cuban people and their leaders have gone through very
difficult trials and have never yielded to the unjust actions,
aggressions and threats of the most powerful nation that has ever
existed.<br><br>
The anger and hatred that drips from Mr. Noriega’s deliberately
untrue words is understandable, because he knows that, dead or alive,
Castro’s memory will follow him like a ghost, following his insulting and
amazingly mediocre lies and the usual bully threats that he spewed forth
at him:<br><br>
“’It must be quite obvious to Fidel Castro that his acts have attracted
the attention of Latin American leaders and that his efforts to
destabilize Latin America are increasingly provoking to the
Inter-American community, including the United States’”. “’Those who
continue to destabilize democratically elected governments by intervening
in the internal affairs of other governments are playing with fire’”.
What does playing with fire mean?<br><br>
You don’t have the what it takes to intimidate any Cuban patriot. You
speak the way you do without committing a drop of your own blood but only
that of young officers and soldiers of the U.S. armed forces.<br><br>
You said that both ”your country and other neighbors are closely
following what the Cuban leader does in his latest ventures” that he is “
on his last legs and feels a little nostalgic for the days when he had an
important role to play in the Americas”. You lie. If you really believed
that you would not be so alarmed by the alleged destabilization
plan.<br><br>
We should also ask you: Has Mr. Bush already given the order to eliminate
the Cuban president extrajudicially?<br><br>
When Mr. Noriega made these pronouncements he not only attacked and
threatened Cuba but he also tried to tell off Argentinean president,
Néstor Kirchner —a man who indisputably drips dignity from every pore—
and wanted to order him to immediately pay $21 billion of his foreign
debt: furious with foreign minister Bielsa he declared himself to be
dismayed that the minister had not met with the United States’ paid
agents when he visited Havana. What an imperial
arrogance!<br><br>
He didn’t refrain from intervening in Venezuela’s internal affairs,
either. He accused President Chávez of being Cuba’s accomplice in its
destabilizing efforts in Latin America. He urged him to respect the rules
in place for a possible referendum revoking his mandate. He not only took
over the role of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council, but he also
certified the number of signatures collected against Chávez and gave
strong support to those behind the April 11, 2002 military coup and the
oil coup of the following December and January.<br><br>
We are quite familiar with Mr. Noriega’s ideas, and those of others of
his ilk, which are all for murdering Cuban doctors in Venezuela, with the
help of Colombian paramilitary soldiers, to teach them a lesson and make
them withdraw their cooperation from the wonderful health plans which the
Bolivarian government is implementing in its <i>Into the
neighborhoods!</i> (Barrio adentro) program, under which more than 12.5
million poor Venezuelans are receiving medical care.<br><br>
We have made it known that for every doctor, teaching or athletic
cooperant who falls, there are many ready and willing to take their
place. All responsibility will lie with the government of the United
States.<br><br>
Those who think the Cuban people could ever be intimidated are defeated
before they even begin!<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
</font><font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
</font><font size=3><a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">www.freedomarchives.org</a></font></body>
</html>