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</font><img src="cid:6.1.0.6.2.20040601081619.02699418@66.103.156.66.1" width=624 height=217 alt="8e35f1.gif"><font face="arial" size=2><br><br>
<br><br>
<div align="center"><b>DECLARATION BY THE CUBAN REVOLUTIONARY
GOVERNMENT<br><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=2> <br><br>
</font><font face="arial" size=3>As everyone knows, since it has been
given wide coverage in the press, a very hard battle was fought
yesterday, Thursday 27 May, in the discussion of the final document in
Guadalajara. It was a battle against the stubborn intransigence of the
European Union, which obstinately opposed a paragraph that strongly
denounced and condemned the monstrous murder and torture practiced
against Iraqi prisoners.<br><br>
Humanity had not seen such disturbing images since the dismal days of
Hitler at the end of the Second World War. Billions of people were able
to see these images on movies and television screens, on the Internet and
in newspaper photos, and were particularly horrified by the ghoulish
delight and brutal sadism with which these acts were carried out. The
methods used showed contempt and disdain for the culture and feelings of
the Islamic peoples of whom there are 1.2 billion that through the Old
Testament share some ethical and historical roots with Christianity and
Judaism.<br><br>
The paragraph on this subject, initially proposed by Latin America and
the Caribbean, read:<br><br>
<i>“We strongly condemn all forms of abuse, torture and other cruel,
inhuman and degrading treatment used against prisoners of war or any
prisoner or against any one, no matter where or by whom it is committed.
We declare ourselves to be dismayed by the recently documented examples
of this behaviour which are completely unacceptable and deserve our
strongest condemnation. Such practices are and must remain forbidden at
all times and in all places. In this context, we call on the governments
concerned to impose all legal sanctions to all those responsible and call
on them to ensure compliance with the ban on torture and other cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment in accordance with the UN Convention
against Torture and with the Geneva conventions. Such practices
constitute a serious violation of these international
instruments”.<br><br>
</i>The European Union completely refused to mention the subject or to
include it in the Final Declaration. Then, as it found itself obliged to
give up some ground, it refused to mention the word “torture”, labelling
what had happened “mistreatment”. Later, it refused to talk about the
recent cases of torture of Iraqi prisoners using a non-specific formula
to condemn them, and most carefully avoiding any mention of the
governments responsible for this torture. The discussion between the
president of the European Union and deputy foreign minister Bruno
Rodríguez, the second head of the Cuban mission who was leading our
delegation at that point, was very heated and controversial.<br>
Resigned to defeat, they finally accepted the word “condemnation”, but in
a general not concrete sense, in reference to recent events, which they
called only “mistreatment” of prisoners.<br><br>
The fact that the subject was addressed at all and that much of the
initial paragraph was included is considered a huge moral defeat for the
European Union. <br>
Those who on this occasion were opposed to this condemnation represented
countries which witnessed the Nazi concentration camps where millions of
people died either because of their race or their religious beliefs. Now
leaders of these countries yield to neo-Nazi methods, ideas and dangers
which are a thousand times worse because of the almost infinite power of
those who propound them, that is, the extreme right which is in control
of the U.S. administration.<br>
The second big battle took place in the afternoon of Thursday 27; this
time between the Cuban delegation, headed by our foreign minister, Felipe
Pérez Roque, and representatives of the European Union on the thorny
issue for the Europeans of the Helms-Burton Act and the new, recently
announced measures against Cuba.<br>
The paragraph approved in the morning session yesterday Thursday 27 by
the Latin American and Caribbean countries read:<br><br>
<i>“We reiterate our strong rejection of the use of unilateral,
extraterritorial laws and measures that run contrary to international
law, the freedom of the market, shipping and world trade. We agree that
these measures represent a grave threat to multilateralism. We voice our
profound concern about additional measures which reinforce and expand the
scope of such policies and laws, for example, the Helms-Burton Act, and
we therefore urge the government of the United States of America to cease
using such laws and measures. We reject the use of coercive unilateral
measures by any state whatsoever, since they jeopardize the sovereignty
of other states and violate the principles and aims of the United
Nations”.<br><br>
</i>The European Union, acting once again as the U.S. government’s ally
and underling, responded to this clear and strong rejection of the United
States government genocidal Cuba policy by presenting this timid,
ridiculous proposal:<br><br>
“We reiterate our firm rejection of all unilateral measures that run
contrary to international law, including those which are extraterritorial
in scope and run contrary to the commonly accepted rules of international
trade. We agree that unilateral measures that run contrary to
international law represent a serious threat to
multilateralism”.<br><br>
In another fierce debate in which our foreign minister hurled accusations
at, argued against and rebutted the European Union representatives
position they, demoralized and devoid of authority, prestige and
arguments proposed a new formulation.<br>
This is how it then read:<br><br>
<i>“We reiterate our firm rejection of all unilateral measures that run
contrary to international law, including those (new measures) which are
extraterritorial in scope and run contrary to the commonly accepted rules
of international trade. We agree that unilateral measures that run
contrary to international law represent a serious threat to
multilateralism. We remind people of the stance taken in Resolution
UNGA-58/7 of 18 November, 2003”. <br><br>
</i>The Cuban delegation opposed this maimed, ridiculous and cowardly
proposition with all its might, since our country is today under threat
from the murderous plans and the set of interventionist and genocidal
measures announced by Mr. Bush last May 6<br><br>
The European Union then agreed to mention the title of the resolution
which Cuba introduces in the United Nations General Assembly and which
reads: “The Necessity to Put an End to the Economic, Commercial and
Financial Blockade Imposed on Cuba by the United States of
America”.<br><br>
The European Union representatives, seething with arrogance and
irritation at the strong Cuban response, threw down an ultimatum: either
this formulation was accepted or they would not allow the paragraph to be
included. The Cuban foreign minister rejected this ultimatum with the
utmost dignity and replied that Cuba held to its position that these
measures must be specifically condemned and that if the paragraph were to
appear as drafted by the European Union, Cuba would prefer that there be
no reference at all to the subject in the Final Declaration, but that the
European Union would have to take full responsibility for it not being
included. Here we are omitting various details in order to be
brief.<br>
What Comrade Fidel said in point one of his Message to the Mexican People
was fully confirmed:<br><br>
“The European Union’s complicity with U.S. crimes and aggressions against
Cuba as shown by its disgraceful, hypocritical behaviour in Geneva and
its shameful understanding and connivance with the Helms-Burton Act whose
unacceptable, ignominious extraterritorial nature make it unworthy of
being taken seriously by our people.”<br><br>
Another victory was to come later that evening and night. The European
Union, giving all sorts of reasons, had already refused a week earlier to
allow the principles of international law enshrined in the United Nations
Charter to be included in the Final Declaration of this 3rd summit,
although they had been cited and agreed to at the two previous summits.
At small, secret meetings Europe’s representatives had explained that
they could not put their signature to these principles because they were
unable to acknowledge that the principle of non-intervention was still
valid. There had been an earlier clash between Cuba and the European
Union over this issue.<br><br>
In fact, the most important discussions had been taking place around
these essential principles for several days. The European Union
consistently tried to offer to exchange our agreement to not mention
these principles in the Final Declaration for other of our interests,
including a reference to the Helms-Burton Act. They even went so far as
to state this publicly. They had requested that this paragraph be the
last one to be discussed. And that was agreed to. Yesterday, as the night
was drawing to a close they were so demoralized after the debate over the
Helms-Burton Act which lasted for hours that they lacked the strength to
enter into a second debate with our country’s delegation which might have
jeopardised the very existence of the whole document.<br><br>
It was under these circumstances that the European Union, unexpectedly
and just when it was the Cuban delegation’s turn to address this subject,
requested permission to make an announcement: it was withdrawing its
opposition to any reference to the abovementioned principles, which had
already been accepted in the previous two summits.<br><br>
It is the view of many delegations that this was the most important
battle at this summit.<br>
Our small country, which has been blockaded and attacked for 45 years, a
victim of all the crimes of which the empire is capable —the same that
rules the destinies of the world and consists of the most powerful state
in history— did not hesitate to resolutely oppose it and its allies in
the European Union. The latter have played a truly disgraceful and
shameful role year after year, seconding the lies, invectives and
perfidious resolutions the Empire uses in Geneva to justify the blockade
and to destroy that which can never be destroyed: our Revolution.<br>
It may be fair to indicate that not all the States that are members of
this Union are the same. There are countries with a long history and
influence, such as France and Germany, and other smaller states, such as
Belgium and Luxembourg and several others who were the driving force
behind a reasonable idea which was met with sympathy by the world: the
idea of encouraging a union of European peoples after the terrible
experiences they went through after the Fascist assault on humanity in
1939 that used methods and concepts which, by the way, differ very little
from those proclaimed in the doctrine of being ready to launch surprise,
pre-emptive attacks on 60 or more countries. There is nothing strange in
the maniacal opposition to an international court empowered to judge war
crimes nor in the terrifying, sadistic images of torture which recently
shook humanity.<br>
The United Kingdom was always reluctant to join this union and still is
not part of the common currency; it tries to get all possible advantages
and avoid any drawbacks. Today, it is the enthusiastic ally of the
current U.S. administration and joins in its adventures and wars of
conquest.<br><br>
<br>
Others, like the government of Italy —and until very recently that of
Spain— servilely put the empire’s plans before the true interests of the
rest of Europe. Today, the United States allies, who are opposed to the
group favouring greater independence, are getting reinforcements from new
members like Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Latvia,
Lithuania, Estonia and Slovenia that are now the staunchest allies of the
very empire which has hegemony over the world and intends to subdue
Europe completely to its political and economic interests.<br>
The European Union is in fact much divided and the United States has a
large majority there. The Union is still not a union. If this is not
understood, it would be very difficult to explain how a group of 25
nations, many of them with long-standing historical and cultural
traditions, could act in Guadalajara like a flock of lambs under
Washington’s thumb.<br><br>
We sincerely wish all their peoples a better fate. In fact, countries
like Cuba and other revolutionary third world countries that are prepared
to die defending our sovereignty, our dignity and our liberty are also
fighting for Europe’s union and its independence.<br><br>
The future will have the last word. <br><br>
28 May 2004<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
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