>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: Louis Proyect <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: Castro statement to UN Millennium conference : > >REPUBLICA DE CUBA >MISION PERMANENTE ANTE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS >ADDRESS BY DR. FIDEL CASTRO RUZ, >PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA >MILLENNIUM SUMMIT > >New York, September 6, 2000 > >Excellencies: > >There is chaos in our world, both within the countries' borders and beyond. >Blind laws are offered like divine norms that would bring peace, order, >well being and the security our planet so badly needs. That is what they >would have us believe. > >Three dozen developed and wealthy nations that monopolize the economic, >political and technological power have joined us in this gathering to offer >more of the same recipes that have only served to make us poorer, more >exploited and more dependent. > >There is not even discussion about a radical reform of this old institution >over a half century ago when there were few independent nations-- to turn >it into a true representative body of the interests of all the peoples on >Earth-, an institution where no one would have the irritating and >anti-democratic right of veto and where a transparent process could be >undertaken to expand membership and representation in the Security Council, >an executive body subordinated to the General Assembly, which should be the >one making the decisions on such crucial issues as intervention and the use >of force. > >It should be clearly stated that the principle of sovereignty cannot be >sacrificed to an abusive and unfair order that a hegemonic superpower uses, >together with its own might and strength, to try to decide everything by >itself. That, Cuba will never accept. > >The poverty and underdevelopment prevailing in most nations as well as the >inequality in the distribution of wealth and knowledge in the world are >basically at the source of the present conflicts. It cannot be overlooked >that current underdevelopment and poverty have resulted from conquest, >colonization, slavery and plundering in most countries of the planet by the >colonial powers and from the emergence of imperialism and the bloody wars >motivated by new distributions of the world. Today, it is their moral >obligation to compensate our nations for the damages caused throughout >centuries. > >Humanity should be aware of what we have been so far and what we cannot >continue to be. Presently, our species has enough accumulated knowledge, >ethical values and scientific resources to move towards a new historical >era of true justice and humanism. > >There is nothing in the existing economic and political order that can >serve the interests of Humankind. Thus, it is unsustainable and it must be >changed. Suffice it to say that the world population is already 6 billion, >80% of which live in poverty. Ages-old diseases from Third World nations >such as malaria, tuberculosis and others equally lethal have not been >eradicated while new epidemics like AIDS threaten to exterminate the >population of entire nations. On the other hand, wealthy countries keep >investing enormous amounts of money in the military and in luxurious items >and a voracious plague of speculators exchange currencies, stocks and other >real or fictitious values for trillions of dollars every day. > >Nature is being devastated. The climate is changing under our own eyes and >drinking water is increasingly contaminated or scarce. The sources of man's >seafood are being depleted and crucial non-renewable resources are wasted >in luxury and triviality. > >Anyone understands that the United Nations basic role in the pressing new >century is to save the world not only from war but also from >underdevelopment, hunger, diseases, poverty and the destruction of the >natural resources indispensable to human life. And it should do so promptly >before it is too late! > >The dream of having truly fair and sensible rules to guide human destiny >seems impossible to many. However, we are convinced that the struggle for >the impossible should be the motto of this institution that brings us >together today! > >Thank you. > >Louis Proyect > >The Marxism mailing-list: http://www.marxmail.org _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
