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Reflections by
Comrade Fidel Castro
An
Uprising at the
United Nations
Part One | Part Two
The session of October 26 last at the United Nations General Assembly, which is supposedly the top political authority in the planet, was convened for the purpose of discussing an item that has been reiterated for so long that it even sounds familiar: “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.” This has been the most debated and approved – although never implemented – draft resolution in the history of the United Nations.
We all know that if such an accusation was to be made against Cuba or any other Latin American or Caribbean country and the latter did not bother to take the hint, a rain of fire and hail would certainly fall upon the country in question. The abominable act that has been so clearly and accurately attributed to the “United States of America”, the ceasing of which is being called for, has been described by International Law as an “act of genocide”.
It has been already nineteen times since this draft resolution was first approved in 1992 by the General Assembly, calling for an end to that abusive and criminal action. But, while the number of times this Resolution was put to the vote and approved has increased, the group of countries supporting it has also increased, and the number of those who abstained as well as the minute handful of those which voted against has grown ever smaller. Last time there were only two which voted against and the three which abstained were small States that are in fact US colonies.
We must bear in mind the fact that huge changes have taken place in the world since the times when the UN was found and the battles of the Second World War, which took a toll on fifty million human lives and caused an enormous destruction, had not yet ceased. Many countries which today account for the majority at the UN, were still colonies of the European powers, which had forcefully seized most of the territories of the world and, in some continents, they had virtually taken over all them. In quite a few cases, hundreds of millions of persons of more ancient civilizations and of superior culture were submitted to colonialism by virtue of the superiority of the aggressors’ weaponry.
Cuba was no exception.
Our country was the last Spanish colony in this hemisphere, given its wealth of the then scarce and highly demanded agricultural products, which emerged from the hands of hardworking free peasants and hundreds of thousands of African slaves. While all other Spanish colonies obtained their independence during the early decades of the nineteenth century, Spain still kept an iron grip and imposed its most despotic methods on its Cuban colony.
During the second half of that century, our Island, where Spain longed to have a stronghold for the re-conquest of its former colonies in South America, became the cradle of profound national and patriotic sentiments. The Cuban people began its struggle for independence almost seventy years later than the rest of the Latin American sister nations, its only weapons being the ‘machete’, used to cut the sugar cane, and the spirit and speed of indigenous horses. In no time the Cuban patriots became fearsome soldiers.
Thirty years later our long-suffering people were at the verge of attaining its historical goals in its heroic struggle against a decadent, though stubborn, European power. The Spanish army, despite its huge amount of soldiers, was no longer able to secure the Island, since it only controlled the main urban areas and was about to collapse. It was then when the booming empire, which never hid its intention to take hold of Cuba, intervened in that war after cynically stating that “the people of the Island of Cuba are, and of right ought to be, free and independent.”
After the war was over, our country was denied the right to participate in the peace negotiations. The Spanish government fully completed its betrayal against Cuba by placing it in the hands of the interventionists. The United States took over Cuba’s national resources, best lands, trade, banks, services and main industries. It turned us into a neo-colony. We had to put up with that over more than sixty years, but we gained back our independence and will never cease in our struggle. All these antecedents will help readers from other countries to better understand the words expressed by our foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez on October 26 this year.
The general debate began at 10:00 in the morning. The first speakers were the representatives of five countries who spoke on behalf of the Group of 77, the Non-Aligned Movement, the African Union, CARICOM and MERCOSUR, all of them in support of the Resolution.
Then, fourteen countries took the floor, two of them with more than one billion inhabitants each -China and India. They both account for almost 2.5 billion inhabitants. Others which also took the floor have more than one hundred million, such as the Russian Federation, Indonesia and Mexico. Another nine play an outstanding role in the international arena –so is the case for Venezuela, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Algeria, South Africa, Solomon Islands, Zambia, the Gambia, Ghana and Barbados. Nineteen speakers took the floor before Bruno.
His speech was lapidary. I will quote several times entire paragraphs of it. He began his speech by referring to the grave dangers of the war that threatens us, and added:
“In order to survive, it is indispensable for humanity’s awareness to take a leap, which would only be possible through the dissemination of truthful information about these issues which are hidden or ignored by most politicians, not published by the press, and found by people so horrible that seem to be unbelievable.”
“…the US policy against Cuba is devoid of any ethical or legal grounds and lacks credibility and support. So it has been evidenced by the more of 180 votes cast at this United Nations General Assembly which during the last few years have been calling for an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade.”
“Latin America and the Caribbean have vigorously and unanimously rejected such policy. The Summit of Unity held in Cancun in February 2010 resolutely stated the same. The leaders of the region have conveyed this feeling directly to the current US President. It could be assured that the express rejection against the blockade and the Helms-Burton Act, characterizes, as very few other items do, the political heritage of the region.”
“Equally unequivocal views have been endorsed by the Non-Aligned countries Movement, the Ibero-American Summits, the European Union and Latin American and Caribbean Summits, the African Union, the ACP Group Summits and virtually any other group of nations abiding by International Law and the observance of the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter.
“There is a broad and growing consensus within the United States society and the Cuban emigration in that country against the blockade and in favor of a change of policy towards Cuba. […] 71 per cent of American citizens favor the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States…”
“The sanctions against Cuba remain intact and are fully implemented.
“In the course of the year 2010, the economic siege has been tightened and its everyday impact continues to be visible ion all aspects of life in Cuba. It has particularly serious consequences in areas so sensitive to the population such as health and food.”
Then he described a series of cruel measures that seriously affect children with delicate health conditions. The US government could not give the lie to any of those measures.
Further on he pointed out as follows:
“The fines imposed by the Treasury and Justice Departments on American and European entities during the last year for their transactions with Cuba, among other States, have totaled more than 800 million dollars.”
He went on to report the following:
“The confiscation of a transfer of more than 107 thousand Euros that belonged to the Cuban company ‘Cubana de Aviación’, which was made through the ‘Banco Popular Español’ from Madrid to Moscow, was an outright theft.”
Our foreign minister then pointed out something of great importance about the effects of the gross crime committed against the Cuban economy, given the present trend of making reference to historical figures about the price in dollars of both movable and immovable properties, loans, debts or any other thing that could be measured in American dollars, without taking into account the ever decreasing value of that currency over the last four decades.
By way of an example I will refer to a well known soft drink: Coca-Cola –and I will not charge anything for the publicity. Forty years ago it cost 5 cents; now, its price in any country ranges from 150 to 200 US cents.
Bruno stated:
“The direct economic damage caused to the Cuban people by the implementation of the blockade during the last 50 years is worth more than 751 billion dollars according to the present value of that currency.”
That is to say, he does not fall into the same error of referring to the figure of losses caused by the blockade year after year as if the dollar value were exactly the same year after year. As a result of the global fraud meant by the unilateral suspension by Nixon of the gold pattern, whereby one Troy ounce of gold was equal to 36 US dollars, coupled with the unlimited printing of dollar bills, the purchasing power of that currency was dramatically reduced. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs took the trouble of asking a group of experts from the Ministry of Economy to make this calculation, the result of which being the total value of the economic damage caused by the blockade against Cuba all along these 50 years expressed in the current value of that currency.
Bruno continued to say:
“On September 2 last, President Obama himself ratified the sanctions against Cuba, claiming it was within the US alleged “national interest”. However, everybody knows that the White House continues to pay more attention to the well-funded “special interests” of an exiguous minority that has turned the policy against Cuba into a very profitable business.”
“Very recently, on October 19, President Obama described all the processes that are currently taking place in Cuba as ‘insufficient’ and conditioned any new step by his government to the internal changes they would like to see in our country.
“The President is wrong to believe he has the right to interfere and qualify the processes that are taking place in Cuba today. It is regrettable to realize he is so misinformed and ill-advised.
“The transformations we have embarked upon today are a result of the aspirations of Cubans and the sovereign decisions adopted by our people. […] They are not intended to quench the desires or satisfy the interests of the US government, which until today have always been contrary to those of the Cuban people.
“The superpower will find any process that is not conducive to the establishment of a regime subordinated to its interest to be insufficient. But that is not going to happen because many generations of Cubans have offered and continue to offer the best of their lives to defend the sovereignty and independence of Cuba.
“Quite on the contrary, the US government has continued with its arbitrary practice of adding Cuba’s name to spurious lists, including the list of States that allegedly sponsor international terrorism, produced by the State Department to qualify the behavior of other nations. That country has no moral authority to draft such lists. As a rule it is its name that should appear at the top of them all. There is no reason whatsoever to include Cuba in any of those lists.
“The US government likewise upholds the unjust conviction imposed on the Five Cuban Antiterrorists who have been imprisoned for more than twelve years in US prisons. Their cause has aroused the broadest solidarity within the international community.
“Cuba, which has been and still is a victim of State terrorism, calls for that government to put an end to double standards and the impunity enjoyed in its own territory by the confessed authors of terrorist actions which were organized under the auspices of the anti-Cuban policy of that country…”
At this point, Bruno dealt the US delegation the coup de grace, which was the famous memorandum by the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Lester Mallory that was declassified decades after it was written, which shows the repugnant cynicism of the US policy. It read as follows:
“The majority of Cubans support Castro […] There is no effective political opposition […] The only foreseeable means of alienating internal support [from the government] is through disenchantment and disaffection based on economic dissatisfaction and hardship.
Every possible means should be undertaken promptly to weaken the economic life […] denying money and supplies to Cuba, to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government.”
Bruno kept on saying:
“Although the economic harassment has been the main obstacle hindering the development of our country and the improvement of the living standards of our people, Cuba can show undeniable results in the eradication of poverty and hunger, in the fields of health and education -which have become a world referent…”
“A few weeks ago Cuba was able to declare here it had largely and exceptionally complied with the Millennium Development Goals. These results achieved by Cuba are still a utopia for a large segment of people in this planet.
“Cuba will never cease to denounce the blockade; it will never cease to demand its people’s legitimate right to live and work for its social and economic development under conditions of equality, in cooperation with other nations, without any economic siege or external pressures.”
“Cuba conveys its gratitude to the international community for its firm solidarity with our people, convinced that, some day, justice will be served and this resolution will no longer be necessary.
“Thank you, very much”, he said to conclude his first intervention.
To be continued tomorrow.
Fidel Castro Ruz
October 31, 2010
5:13 p.m.
After Bruno concluded his intervention around noon on October 26, the session, as usual, allowed some time for delegations to make an explanation of vote, before the draft Resolution was finally voted.
The first speaker was the US Ambassador Ronald D. Godard, Senior Area Advisor for Western Hemisphere Affairs, who was heading his country’s delegation. His unusual speech spares me the analysis that would show that the denunciations made by the minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba were strictly fair. His own assertions are sufficient to reveal the cynical essence of that country’s policy.
“The United States […] is firmly committed to supporting the desire of the Cuban people to freely determine their country’s future.”
“The United States of America […] has the sovereign right to conduct its economic relationship with another country. The U.S. economic relationship with Cuba is a bilateral issue […] meant to encourage a more open environment in Cuba and increased respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
“We should not lose sight of that in a debate mired in rhetorical arguments of the past and focused on tactical differences—a debate that does nothing to help the Cuban people.”
“My delegation regrets that the delegation from Cuba continues, year after year, to inappropriately and incorrectly label U.S. trade restrictions on Cuba as an act of genocide […] the United States holds no restriction on humanitarian aid to Cuba …”
“The United States in 2009 […] authorized $237 million in private humanitarian assistance in the form of gift parcels filled with food and other basic necessities, non-agricultural humanitarian donations, and medical donations.”
“In April 2009, President Obama stated “the United States seeks a new beginning with Cuba,” but “there is a longer journey that must be traveled to overcome the decades of mistrust.” […] we have initiated talks to re-establish direct mail service between the United States and Cuba, and we have increased artistic and cultural exchanges…”
“President Obama has stated publicly that the release of political prisoners and economic reforms are positive for the Cuban people. The United States hopes to see the fulfillment of these promises soon as well as a broader opening by the Cuban government to signal its willingness to engage constructively with its own people. […] it is the view of the United States that a new era in U.S.-Cuban relations cannot be fully realized until the Cuban people enjoy the internationally-recognized political and economic freedoms that this body has done so much to defend in other countries around the world.”
“My delegation will vote against this resolution. Indeed, the United States believes that it is high time for this body to focus its energies on supporting the Cuban people in their quest to freely decide their own future and move beyond the rhetorical posturing that this resolution represents.
”Thank you, Mr. President.”
Soon after that, the head of the Nicaraguan delegation, whose people deeply suffered the dirty war imposed by Ronald Reagan which took a toll on so many human lives, made her explanation of vote. She made a forceful speech.
The draft resolution was put to the vote and 187 countries voted in favor; two countries –the United States and Israel, its inseparable ally in the commission of genocidal actions- voted against and three countries –Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau- abstained.
Not even one of the 192 UN member States was absent from the vote.
After the voting was over, the representative of Belgium, on behalf of the European Union, an ally of the United States, was the first to speak among all the delegations that were willing to make an explanation of vote.
Then, sixteen countries with an outstanding role in international politics took the floor to explain why they had voted in favor of the Resolution. They spoke in the following order: Uruguay, Bolivia, Angola, Myanmar, Surinam, Belarus, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Laos, Tanzania, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Vietnam, Nigeria, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea.
Allow me to remind you that many countries abstained from taking the floor at the request of our own delegation, in order to avoid the voting process from taking too long -to the detriment of the best timing to report on the debate- and the exhausting effort meant by the participation of a higher number of speakers. In spite of that, 37 delegations spoke in crystal-clear and accurate terms in favor of the just draft resolution that had been adopted for the nineteenth time by the UN General Assembly. This was the longest and most vigorous debate on this delicate and important item.
Cuba’s reply was heard in the voice of the minister for Foreign Affairs of our country at 4:17 p.m.
The essence of what he said –although almost his entire speech was essential- was the following:
“Mr. President;
“I highly appreciate the words expressed by the thirteen speakers and the presence of all the delegations attending this unexpected afternoon session.
“Regarding what was said by the representatives of the United States and the European Union I have to say the following:
“This is the nineteenth time that the US delegation repeats the same argument. The blockade is an act of economic warfare and an act of genocide.
“Hasn’t the State Department done its homework? Hasn’t it examined this issue?
“Last year I read here the Articles of the relevant Conventions…”
“I already read here the famous Memorandum that was drafted by Mr. Mallory.
“These are not “ideological arguments” of the past. The blockade is an old ice floe reminiscent of the Cold War. The point is not the rhetoric but the act of aggression against Cuba.
“The purpose of the United States is not to support or assist the Cuban people. It is known that the blockade causes hardships and sufferings. It does not cause deaths because the Cuban Revolution prevents that from happening. How could anybody explain the fact that Cuban children are punished in the way that has been described here? If there is really a will to support or assist the Cuban people, the only thing that needs to be done is to lift the blockade immediately.
“Why are American citizens forbidden to visit Cuba and receive first-hand information? Why are there restrictions on the so called “people to people” contacts?
“The pretexts used to apply the blockade have been changing. First it was our alleged participation in the Sino-Soviet axis; then the so-called export of the Revolution to Latin America; then the presence of Cuban troops in Africa that were there to contribute to defeat the Apartheid regime, preserve the independence of Angola and attain the independence of Namibia.
“Afterwards there was a manipulation of the human rights issue. But the blockade is a brutal violation of the human rights of Cubans.
“We are ready to discuss about human rights violations. We could begin speaking about the concentration camp in Guantánamo, where inmates are submitted to tortures and there is no habeas corpus. That is the realm of “Military Commissions” outside the rule of law. Could the US delegation explain what happened at the Abu Ghraib, Bagram and Nama camps?
“Were the responsible indicted? Were the members of the European governments who authorized the creation of secret prisons in Europe and the secret renditions by the CIA indicted? Could the European Union representative shed more light on that issue?
“We could speak about Wikileaks. Why don’t you tell us something about the atrocities described in the more than 75 000 documents about the crimes in Afghanistan and in the 400 000 documents about Iraq?”
“The changes in Cuba are only incumbent to Cubans. We will change everything that needs to be changed, for the benefit of Cubans, but we will not ask the US government’s opinion. We freely chose our destiny. That is why we made the Revolution. Those changes will be made in a sovereign way; they will not be “gestures”. We know that the only thing the US would consider sufficient would be the establishment of a pro-Yankee government in Cuba; but that is not going to happen.”
Does the United States want to see cooperation between their universities and ours? Let them eliminate the restrictions on the exchange between academics, students, scientists as well as cultural exchanges; let them allow the signing of agreements between those institutions.
“Do they want to see cooperation against drug-trafficking, terrorism, traffic in persons, natural disasters and postal services? Let them respond at least to the proposals that we presented to them over a year ago without any condition whatsoever.”
“A USAID high official confirmed yesterday to the journalist Tracey Eaton that, during the last period, they have conveyed 15.6 million dollars to –and I quote- “individuals on the ground in Cuba”. This is how they call their mercenaries.
“Illegal radio and TV broadcasts remain the same.
“The Five Cuban Antiterrorists continue serving an unjust imprisonment sentence. Recently and for no reason Gerardo Hernández Nordelo was placed in solitary confinement and he was denied medical assistance.
“Confessed international terrorists like Orlando Bosh and Posada Carriles are walking freely down the streets of Miami and even carrying out their political activities there.”
“The blockade is abusively extraterritorial and affects all countries represented here. It is not a bilateral issue.
“Mr. President;
“I have very little to add to what was said by the representative of the European Union here.
“The European Union has no moral or political authority whatsoever to make any criticism regarding human rights.
“The EU would rather take care of its brutal anti-immigrant policy, the deportation of ethnic minority citizens, the violent repression against demonstrators and the increasing social exclusion of its unemployed and low-income sectors.
“The European Parliament, in a shameless and infamous way, devotes itself to reward the US government paid stooges in Cuba.”
“But the European Union is delusional when it thinks it could normalize relations with Cuba while the Common Position is still in place.
“Thank you, very much.”
We all expected to hear the rejoinder by the US representative to Bruno’s reply. The best thing he and his delegation –which did not engage in the contemptuous gesture of leaving the room- could do was to firmly withstand that volley of irrefutable arguments. Cuba’s reply left them paralyzed. I had the feeling that they were gradually fading away until they completely disappeared from the scene.
During the 50 years of blockade the superpower has not been able to defeat the Cuban Revolution- nor will it be. I did not focus on the exercise of counting the number of votes in favor of or against the “Resolution”. Instead I observed the warmth and the convictions of those who spoke against that unjust and arbitrary measure. It would be wrong to believe that this measure could stay in place forever. That was an uprising. Peoples are sick and tired of aggressions, plundering, abuses and deceptions.
Never had the attending delegations expressed more vigorously their protest against the mockery meant by the contempt against the just denunciation by the international community against an act of genocide that is reiterated year after year. They are aware of the fact that the most serious thing is the systematic plundering of their natural resources imposed on most of the peoples in this planet, the ever increasing lack of foodstuffs, the destruction of the environment, the increasing number of genocidal wars against other peoples, with the support of military bases placed in more than 75 countries and the increasing risk of a suicidal war for all peoples of the world.
The United Nations can not exist without the presence of the peoples that have been calling for an end to the blockade. What would be the use of that body, which was founded at a time when an overwhelming majority of countries were not even independent, without our presence?
What rights do we have if we can not even call for an end to the blockade imposed against a small country? One way or another they have subordinated us to the interests of the United States and NATO, a belligerent military organization that wastes more than one trillion dollars every year in wars and weapons, an amount of money that would be more than enough to satisfy the basic needs of all peoples of the world.
Many Third World countries are forced to find solutions regardless of what might happen to others; it is like walking on a treadmill that is moving in reverse at a higher speed.
We need a truly democratic United Nations, not an imperial domain where the overwhelming majority of peoples does not count. The United Nations, founded before the end of the Second World War, is already exhausted. Let us not allow them to impose on us the ridiculous role of gathering once again within 12 months so that they could laugh at us. Let us make our demand be felt. Let us save the life of our species before it is too late.
Fidel Castro Ruz
November 1st, 2010
5:53 p.m.
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