kloMcKinsey a écrit : > Thanks for posting this speech Bill. I was hoping someone would. I put > in a request earlier and will now read it. You seem to have a good > method for obtaining current articles. > > Fraternally, > > Klo > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Objet: [MLL]Fidel Castro to the Venezuelan Parliament > Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 02:03:42 -0000 > De: "Bill Howard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Répondre-A: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > A: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;> > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Walter Lippmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: IRL32-ACTION list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Peace Center <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > Change Links <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; CubaNews <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2000 10:59 AM > Subject: [CubaNews] Fidel Castro to the Venezuelan Parliament > ______________________ > > October 30, 2000 > Our cooperation with Venezuela is inspired > by ideals which go beyond simple trade > > KEY ADDRESS BY DR. FIDEL CASTRO RUZ, > PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA, > TO A SOLEMN SESSION OF THE NATIONAL > ASSEMBLY MEETING IN THE FEDERAL > LEGISLATIVE PALACE. VENEZUELA, > OCTOBER 27, 2000 > http://www.granma.cu/ingles/no1/45discurso-i.html > > His Excellency, Mister Hugo Chavez Frías, > President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; > > His Excellency, Mister President of the National Assembly of the > Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; > > His Excellency, Mister President of the Supreme Court of Justice; > > His Excellency, Mister Chairman of the Republican Moral Council > and other members; > > His Excellency, Mister President of the National Electoral > Council; > > His Excellencies ambassadors, honorable chargé d'affairs and > representatives of the honorable deputies to the National > Assembly; > > High religious and military authorities; > > Ladies and gentlemen; > > Venezuelans: > > I am not here for protocol reasons or because tradition would > have it that official guests visit Parliament. I do not belong to > that stock of men who run after honors, ask for privileges or > live the slaves of conceit. When visiting a country, particularly > if it is a beloved sister country such as Venezuela, I respect > the wishes of those whom I feel represent it with great dignity > and courage. > > Regrettably, the very idea of my visit to the Venezuelan > Parliament, included in the itinerary by our hosts, was a source > of annoyance to some of its distinguished members. I offer my > apologies. > > It is my duty to be polite but I will equally avoid an > excessively refined language, too diplomatic or reeking of > affectation. I shall rather use deliberately clear and sincerely > honest words. > > It is not my first visit to the Venezuelan Parliament; the first > time was over 41 years ago. However, it would not be accurate to > say that I have returned to the same institution or that I am the > same man I was then. The closest thing to the truth is, in fact, > that this is a different man coming to a different Parliament. > > Personally, I have no merits to take credit for or apologies to > offer. At that time, I was a 32-year-old inexperienced man who by > mere chance had survived many risks. I was simply lucky and that > is not something I take credit for. Usually, human beings have > plenty of dreams and ideals which very few enjoy the elusive > privilege of seeing realized but even if they do that gives them > no right to boast. > > That Parliament, which I had the honor to meet with so long ago, > also had plenty of dreams and hopes. A popular uprising had > succeeded months before. Everything has changed since. Those > dreams and hopes were reduced to ashes and it is on those ashes > that new hopes and this Parliament have been built. All along the > evolution of history people have had dreams, a right that will > forever exist. The great miracle is that the hopes and dreams of > this noble and heroic people may come true. > > Like many of you, I also harbor such dreams starting from the > idea that extraordinary events have occurred in Venezuela at the > end of the last four decades. For example, Venezuelans who had > fought against each other in the past have become revolutionary > allies, the same as guerrilla men have become outstanding > politicians, and soldiers have turned into daring statesmen who > are raising high the banners that once filled this nation with > glory. > > It is not for me to pass judgement on those who moved from the > left to the right, or many who began as honest conservatives only > to end up plundering and deceiving the people. It is neither my > purpose, nor can I assume the right, to play judge of the > personalities involved in the dramatic experiences you have > endured. > > All men are ephemeral and often erratic, even those who act in > good faith. Then, I rather abide by the right that José Martí > bequeathed every Cuban and that is to feel an enormous admiration > for Venezuela and for that man who was the greatest among > dreamers and statesmen in our hemisphere: Simón Bolívar. He had > the capacity to conceive a united, independent and Latin American > homeland, and to fight for it. He was never in favor of > colonialism or the monarchy, not even at a time when the > Patriotic Juntas were created as an expression of rebelliousness > against the imposition of an alien monarch in the Spanish throne, > as proven in the Oath of the Sacred Mount. > > Virtually from adolescence Bolívar was resolutely on the side of > independence, that is, as early as 1805. Half of South America > was freed by his sword and, in the historic battle of Ayacucho > with his troops of victorious lowland fighters and brave soldiers > of the Great Colombia established by him and under direct command > of the immortal General Sucre, he ensured the independence of the > rest of South and Central America. > > The United States of America was then, as we all know, just a > group of recently liberated British colonies enmeshed in an > expansionist process. Still, the genius of the great Venezuelan > leader allowed him to guess, at that very early stage, that > "...they seem destined by Providence to spread calamities in the > Americas in the name of freedom." > > I perfectly understand the diversity of interests and criteria > that inevitably exist in Venezuela today. It has been said that > addressing his troops before the battle of the Pyramids, during > his campaign in Egypt, Napoleon Bonaparte said: "Soldiers, from > the top of these Pyramids, forty centuries are looking upon you." > > As a visitor greatly honored by the invitation to address this > assembly, I would dare say with absolute modesty: Venezuelan > brothers and sisters, from this rostrum, 41 years and 10 months > of experience in the restless struggle against hostility and > aggression, by the mightiest power that has ever existed on > earth, are looking upon you in admiration sharing the hard and > strenuous battle that you are fighting today on the inspiration > of Simón Bolívar. > > The much-touted argument that Venezuela intends to introduce Cuba > 's revolutionary model has been used to describe relations > between Cuba and Venezuela. There was so much talking about that > on the eve of the referendum on the draft of the new Venezuelan > Constitution, that I found myself in the need to invite a group > of outstanding local journalists who made us the honor of > visiting in representation of major journals, radio stations and > TV networks. Actually, those who were cynically invoking Cuba as > an evil ghost --the way the imperialists depict it in their gross > lies-- made us feel entitled to hold such a press conference. > > In a sleepless night as I had not lived one, not even in my > feverish youth as a student, I read and underlined the basic > concepts in that draft and compared them with those in our own > Constitution. Later, holding the Cuban Constitution in one hand > and the Venezuelan draft in the other, I pointed out the profound > differences between one and the other revolutionary concepts. And > I say revolutionary because they both are. They both intend to > provide a better life for their peoples; the wish for radical > changes; they are longing for justice; their mutual aspiration is > to attain a closer unity among the peoples of the Americas as > defined by José Martí when he said: "What else could be said when > it is not even necessary! There is only one people from the Bravo > River to the Patagonia." Both are steadily fighting for the > preservation of their sovereignty, their independence and their > cultural identities. > > Our Constitution is essentially based on the social property of > the means of production and the planning of development; on the > active, organized and massive participation of all the people in > political activities and the construction of a new society; on > the close unity of all the people under the leadership of a Party > that looks after norms and principles but that does not nominate > or elects the people's representatives to the state bodies, since > this is a task carried out fully by the people through their mass > organizations and the established legal procedures. > > The Venezuelan Constitution rests on a market economy scheme > where private property is extensively guaranteed. Montesquieu's > three famous powers proclaimed as the main pillars of the > traditional bourgeois democracy are complemented with new bodies > and the strength required to preserving the balance in the > political leadership of the society. The multiparty system is > also set forth as a basic element. Actually, one had to be really > ignorant to find any similarity between the two Constitutions. > > At that meeting with the Venezuelan media representatives I also > denounced the first steps of the terrorist Cuban American Mafiosi > in Miami to assassinate the President of Venezuela. Those > gangsters felt, in a way, that Venezuela could be a new Cuba. > > At the end of July this year, a few days before the latest > elections, another big lie began making the rounds in Venezuela > through the national and international media. The Venezuelan > connection of the Cuban American National Foundation had been > hatching a conspiracy. It was said: "A Cuban defector denounces > the presence in Venezuela of 1500 members of the Cuban > Intelligence services who have infiltrated the military and roam > the streets..." A host of other alleged details were added. This > infamous campaign was so well and timely planned to coincide with > the eve of the presidential elections that even senior government > officials spoke of the lies said by "the Cuban defector"; that > is, they were taking for granted that a Cuban intelligence > officer had defected. There was never such a defector. He was > simply a loafer who had left Cuba years before and wanted asylum > and protection. The conspirators already had five or six others > like him to repeat the story and the scandal day after day, > through the same mechanism, up until Election Day. > > Once again Cuba had been involuntarily dragged into Venezuela's > electoral process; again there was the need to set the record > straight for the press of this sister nation. The swift exposure > and dismantling of the gruesome story had the effect of tearing > the slander to pieces. > > On that occasion, I also described the generous flow of funds > coming from Miami to pay for the electoral campaign against > President Chávez. I offered accurate data and disclosed a few > indispensable names. They all denied it, of course. One of them, > a past government official reputed as well educated and > efficient, swore that he was absolutely innocent of the role > attributed to him. I avoided a reiteration of what we had > indicated although I had then, and I still do, accurate > information about where they met, the place where he received > half a million US dollars, who brought that amount to Venezuela > and who delivered the money to the final payees. I did not really > wish to go back over that murky and disgusting affair. It was not > even necessary. Those involved in the conspiracy had been crushed > by the people's vote on July 30. The information could be kept in > reserve in case it became necessary to use it any time in the > future. > > Cuba is continually being used as an element in Venezuela's > domestic politics; they keep trying to use it to attack Chávez, > an indisputable and outstanding leader and follower of Bolívar's > ideas, whose actions and prestige exceed the boundaries of his > Homeland. > > I am his friend and I take pride in it. I admire his courage, his > honesty and his clear vision of the problems in today's world as > > well as of the extraordinary role that Venezuela is called to > play in Latin American unity and in the struggles of the Third > World countries. And, I am not saying this now because he is the > President of Venezuela; I could guess who he was even as he was > in prison. Only a few months after his release I invited him to > Cuba, where he was properly welcome, running the risk that the > owners of power could sever relations with the island. I > introduced him to the University students whom he addressed at > the Main Hall of the University of Havana, and he was met with > great enthusiasm. > > His resounding popular victory obtained four years > later --penniless, lacking the handsome resources of the old > political clique whose campaigns were funded with large amounts > of money stolen from the people-- only with the power of his > ideas, his capacity to convey them to the masses and the support > of small organizations of Venezuela's most progressive forces > marked the end of his adversaries. Thus, a remarkable opportunity > was born not only for this country but for our hemisphere as > well. > > I have never asked anything from him. I never appealed to him to > include my homeland, criminally blockaded for more than four > decades, in the San José Pact. On the contrary, I always offered > Cuba's modest cooperation in any area that could be of use to > Venezuela. It was entirely his idea, and I heard it for the first > time when he publicly addressed the issue at a Summit of the > Association of Caribbean States held in the Dominican Republic on > April 1999. There, he expressed his wishes that several Caribbean > nations, which had not been part of the agreement, be included. > His profound identification with Bolívar's thought has inspired > him to act as a bridge between Latin America and the principled > Caribbean countries. > > I am aware that my visit to Venezuela has been the target of all > sorts of poisonous campaigns. President Chávez has been accused > of wanting to give us oil for free and of using the Caracas Pact > as a simple pretext to help Cuba. If that were the case he would > deserve a monument as high as Mount Everest because Cuba was > isolated, betrayed and blockaded by every government in this > hemisphere --except Mexico-- as they were subdued to the United > States, including that of Venezuela led by its first > constitutional President after the popular uprising of January > 23, 1958 and the inception of the Patriotic Junta which headed > the elections that same year. > > Despite the blockades, the dirty war, the mercenary invasions and > the threats of direct attacks, our people honorably defended > their Homeland in the frontline of the Americas as Martí had > foreseen it when, on the eve of his death in combat, he confessed > that everything he had done in his life was "...to timely prevent > with the independence of Cuba that the United States could expand > over the Antilles and fall with that additional force over our > American lands." > > None of those accusing Chávez in Venezuela of such intents has > ever waged any battle against the efforts to kill the Cuban > people of hunger and diseases, something that can only be > qualified as genocide. They seem to forget that when the oil > prices were exceedingly low and Venezuela's economic situation > was critical, it was Chávez who reinvigorated and spirited the > OPEC whose actions have tripled the prices in less than two > years. > > It is true that today's prices, perfectly tolerable for the > industrial and wealthy nations, are exacting a heavy toll from > over one hundred Third World countries, to a higher or lesser > degree, while Venezuela's incomes and those of the other oil > producing countries have grown considerably. This is something > that Chávez tried to compensate with the Caracas Pact which, as > you know, offers a group of Central American and Caribbean > nations facilities to pay part of the price on credit, with low > interest rates and on long term basis. That is a good example > that other oil exporting countries would do well to imitate. > > Those contesting him on this smart and fair step, which involves > only a small portion of Venezuela's incomes obtained due to the > current high prices, are exhibiting an extremely selfish and > shortsighted reaction. They overlook the fact that without the > support of the Third World nations, the OPEC would be in no > position to withstand for long the enormous pressures of the > industrial and wealthy countries basically affected by the > increase in the price of gasoline for their billions of cars and > other motor vehicles. They certainly show no concern for the > environment and the economic difficulties of the less fortunate > nations. > > On the other hand, they pretend to ignore that our country has > resisted and struggled with marked stoicism and an iron will > during ten awful years of a special period. After loosing its > markets and sources of varied supplies, our homeland performed > the exploit of not only surviving but also graduating more > medical doctors, teachers, professors, physical education and > sports trainers per capita than any other country worldwide at > the same time it raised other human and social rates higher than > those of many industrial and wealthy countries. Cuba's social > development constitutes an example for many but it is also the > focus of the hegemonic power's hatred and anger as it is an > unequivocal proof of what a united and revolutionary people can > do with little resources. > > The enemies and slanderers seemingly ignore that Cuba is rapidly > increasing its oil production and that, in a relatively short > period, it will be self-reliant in oil and gas. The cooperation > that Cuba will receive from Venezuela in the area of energy, by > providing advanced technology leading to higher levels of > extraction and the use of our own petroleum, will indeed be of > invaluable assistance. On the other hand, the oil supplied under > the conditions set forth in the documents to be signed in > compliance with the Caracas Pact, will be rigorously paid for in > hard currency as well as in goods and services which will > doubtlessly prove of great value to the Venezuelan people. > > Our cooperation with Venezuela is inspired in ideals much more > transcendental than trade exchanges between the two countries. We > share a mutual awareness of the need to unite the Latin American > and Caribbean nations and to struggle for a world economic order > that brings more justice to all peoples. This is no written Pact > but rather a community of objectives expressed in our common > actions at the United Nations Organization, the Group of 77, the > Non-Aligned Movement and other relevant international fora. > > The community of purpose of both countries in the international > political arena is eloquently expressed in their rejection of > neoliberal policies and their willingness to strive for economic > development and social justice. > > Those so fiercely bent on lying, slandering and conspiring > against the exemplary relations between our two countries, who > have tried to jeopardize the Cuban delegation's official visit > and to distort the meaning of economic cooperation between Cuba > and Venezuela, should explain to the Venezuelan people why is it > that in a country with huge economic resources and an industrious > and intelligent people poverty engulfs an incredible 80% of the > population. > > I will limit myself to a few examples. > > According to sources from ECLA and the Andean Community, the poor > sectors, which a decade ago already concentrated 70% of the > population, eight years later, grew to 77%, particularly absolute > poverty, which climbed from 30 to 38 percent. Meanwhile, > unemployment has reached 15.4% and precarious employment in the > informal sector involves 52% of the labor force. > > Previous official data showed illiteracy rates fewer than 10%. > Presently, official sources of the Venezuelan Ministry of > Education estimate that real illiteracy is affecting 20% of the > population. > > Fifty percent of students drop out from school for economic > reasons, 11% due to poor school performance and 9% for lack of > opportunities. These figures add up to 70% of affected students. > > Only in the last 21 years, the capital outflow from Venezuela > amounted to 100 billion US dollars, a real drain of financial > resources indispensable for the country's economic and social > development. > > Data provided by various sources, not always coincidental, are > really overwhelming. It would be impossible to cite all the > calamities inherited by the Bolivarian Revolution, although one > should inescapably be mentioned as it offers virtually > mathematical evidence of all the others: it is infant mortality, > an extremely sensitive human and social issue. > > The UNICEF data indicate that in 1998 infant mortality among > children under one year of age in Venezuela was 21.4 per 1000 > live births, but grew to 25 when children up to the age of five > were included. How many Venezuelan children would have survived > if following the political process initiated in 1959, almost > simultaneously with the Cuban Revolution, infant mortality had > been reduced in Venezuela at the pace and to the degree that it > was reduced in Cuba, from an estimated 60 to 6.8 for the first > year of life and from 70 to 8.3 among children under five? > > The data show that in the 40 years period between 1959 and 1999, > a total of 365,510 children died in Venezuela whose lives could > have been saved. In Cuba, whose population in 1959 was hardly 7 > million, the Revolution has saved the lives of hundreds of > thousands of children by reducing infant mortality rates which > today are better than those of the United States of America, the > wealthiest and most developed nation the world over. None of > these children is an illiterate by the age of seven and tens of > thousands of them are already qualified technicians or university > graduates. > > Only in the year 1998, which marked the end of the nefarious > stage that preceded the Bolivarian Revolution, 7951 children, > whose lives could have been saved, died in Venezuela in their > first year of life, a figure that grows to 8833 if children under > five are also included. In all cases I have used the exact > figures as officially reported by UN agencies. > > The number of Venezuelan children dead in a year is thus higher > than the soldiers from both sides fell in the battles of Boyacá, > Carabobo, Pichincha, Junín and Ayacucho, five of the most > important and decisive battles fought during the independence > wars waged by Bolívar, according to well known historical data > even if, for tactical reasons, the victors altered the figures in > their war reports overstating the enemy casualties and hiding > their own. > > Who killed those children? Which of the culprits was sent to jail > for that? Who was accused of genocide? > > The tens of billions of dollars embezzled by corrupted > politicians constitute genocide because the funds they steal from > the public coffers cause the death of an incalculable number of > children, adolescents and adults who perish from preventable and > curable diseases. > > However, that political and social order --truly murderous > against the people whose protests are forcibly suppressed with > real bullets and death-- is presented to the world public as a > model of freedom and democracy. > > The capital outflow is also genocide. When the financial > resources of a Third World nation are transferred to an > industrial nation, its reserves are depleted, the economy > stagnates, unemployment and poverty grow, public health and > education stand the brunt of the blow and that translates into > pain and death. I rather avoid making estimates since the toll in > material and human losses is higher than in a war. Is it fair? Is > it democratic? Is it humane? > > The face of that model of a social order can be seen in the > outskirts of large cities in our hemisphere overflowing with > marginal neighborhoods where dozens of millions of families live > in subhuman conditions. None of that happens in Cuba, a blockaded > and slandered country. > > If it were not taken as an interference, I would permit myself to > meditate and speak out my mind and I would say this: I have > always felt that if Venezuela had had an efficient and honest > administration in the last 40 years, it could have achieved an > economic development similar to that of Sweden. There is no > possible justification for poverty and the social calamity > reflected in official Venezuelan documents and reports and in > respected international organizations' magazines. Actually, those > who were leading this country when I first visited Parliament > created the proper conditions for the unavoidable emergence of > the current revolutionary process. Those who are longing for a > return to the lost years will never again win the people's trust > if the new generation of leaders in the country today pool their > forces, close ranks and do everything within their capabilities. > Is it possible to do it in the framework of the recently > elaborated and approved political and constitutional model? Yes, > I think it is. > > The immense political and moral authority emanating from what the > Bolivarian Revolution can do for the people would politically > crush the reactionary forces while the revolutionary and > patriotic culture and values that it would create in the > Venezuelan people would render it impossible to return to the > past. > > Another perfectly logical but more complex question could also be > asked: Can higher levels of justice than presently exist be > attained in a market economy? I am a convinced Marxist and a > socialist. I think that the market economy produces inequalities, > selfishness, consumerism, wastage of resources and chaos and that > a minimum planning of economic development and priorities is > indispensable. But, I also feel that in a country with the huge > resources of Venezuela, the Bolivarian Revolution can obtain, in > half the time, 75% of what Cuba --a blockaded country with > infinitely fewer resources than Venezuela-- has achieved since > the victory of the Revolution. > > I mean that this government could, in a few years, totally > eradicate illiteracy and provide a first class education to all > children, adolescents and youths and a high cultural level to > most people; ensure excellent medical care to every person; > create jobs for the youths; strike out embezzlement; reduce > criminality to a minimum; and, provide decent housing to all > Venezuelans. > > A rational distribution of wealth, through an adequate taxation > system, is possible in a market economy. Of course, that demands > a total devotion to work by all members of the revolutionary > forces. This is easily said but it can be an extremely hard and > strenuous task. However, in my view, on a short term basis > Venezuela would not have much choice. On the other hand, no less > than 70% of the wealth here is state owned, as neoliberalism did > not have enough time to give them all up to foreign capital, so > there is no need for nationalization. > > In the period we are going through, but progressively leaving > behind, in Cuba today we have learned that a great number of > variables are possible in the development of the economy and the > solution of problems. It can be done if the state plays its role > putting first the interests of the nation and the people. > > We have accumulated much experience in the practice of doing a > lot with little resources and having a strong political and > social impact. There is a solution for every problem and all > obstacles can be overcome. > > Being absolutely objective I should say that there is in > Venezuela today only one man who can lead such a complex process, > and that is Hugo Chávez. His death, either intentional or > accidental, would terminate that possibility and bring about > chaos. By the way, since I have come to this point and as I have > come to know him somewhat, I must say that he does not contribute > to his own security since he is reluctant to even a minimum of > adequate measures. You can help him, and also his friends and his > people, persuading him to be more cooperative. You should not > have any doubts that his adversaries, both external and domestic, > will try to have him physically removed. This I say because I > have been through the peculiar experience of being the target of > over six hundreds such attempts carried through to various > degrees of completion. An Olympic record! > > I know that enemy only too well; I know how they think and act. > This trip to Venezuela is no exception. I am aware that once > again they have toyed with the idea of finding a possibility to > carry to the end their so far thwarted designs. But, that is not > important. Contrary to the present situation of the Venezuelan > process, in Cuba there has always been and will forever be > somebody, actually many, who can take up my work. Furthermore, I > have lived many happy years of struggle and I have seen a good > part of my dreams come true. I am not like Chávez, a young lively > leader with great tasks still to undertake. He should take care > of himself. > > I have honored my word. I have spoken with absolute honesty, > avoiding excessive diplomacy or affectation. I have talked to you > as a friend, as a brother, as a Cuban, as a Venezuelan. > > I am deeply appreciative for your generous attention. > > Ever onward to victory! > > -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> > eLerts > It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! > http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/15/_/_/_/973162908/ > ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> > > Post comments to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Send an email to subscribe: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To unsubscribe from this CubaNews group, send an email to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > _______________________________________________ > Marxist-Leninist-List mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/marxist-leninist-list -- Les "Editions Democrite" publient un mensuel en francais : > "Les dossiers du BIP" avec des traductions d'articles provenant de la > presse communiste(grecque, allemande, anglaise, turque, russe, espagnole, > portugaise...)sur des evenements qui interessent des lecteurs communistes. > Editions Democrite, 52, bld Roger Salengro, 93190 LIVRY-GARGAN, FRANCE > e-mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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