Fidel
Soldado de las Ideas
Last March, the U.S. government made public the "1998 Trade Policy Agenda of the United States" where it was literally indicated that it is set to be "aggressive, directed globally and at all key regions of the world"; that "as the most important and successful economy in the global trading system, the United States is in a strong position to use its powers of persuasion and influence to pursue this Agenda"; and that "despite the substantial market openings that have been achieved in recent years, there remain too many barriers to U.S. goods and services exports throughout the world". Such language is distressing.
I will try to be as concise as possible, speaking, if need be, telegram like. First of all, I would like to say in all frankness, as I always do, that in my opinion this has been an extremely fruitful meeting. I would go so far as to say that never before had so much been done, in such a short time, for our aspirations of integration, unity and development.
The World Health Organization deserves honor because together with UNICEF it has assisted in saving the lives of hundreds of millions of children and millions of mothers, and it has relieved the suffering of, and saved from death, many more millions of human beings! These two agencies together with FAO, UNDP, UNCTAD, the WFP, the World Population Fund, UNESCO and others - so resisted by those who would like to obliterate from Earth the noble ideas that inspired the establishment of the United Nations - have decidedly contributed to the creation of a universal awareness on the grave problems affecting the world today and the great challenges still ahead.
Today will surely go down in history. As was said here, the concept of creating employment¾and certainly one of the most important kinds of employment ¾ out of studying is being put into practice for the first time. But that’s not the only thing happening here today; at the same time a contingent of several thousand workers who have been made redundant as a result of the restructuring of the sugar industry is initiating an ambitious and grandiose program to retrain workers in that industry.
The economic crisis is not a consequence of the September 11 attacks and the war against Afghanistan. Such claims could only be made out of total ignorance or an attempt to hide the real cause. The crisis is a consequence of the resounding and irreversible failure of an economic and political conception imposed on the world: neoliberalism and neoliberal globalization.The terrorist attacks and the war did not give rise to the crisis, but they have considerably aggravated it. What had already been rapidly advancing was abruptly and untimely boosted even further. Humanity must now confront three extremely serious problems, which feed off of one another: terrorism, the war and the economic crisis.
I know I have come a little late, because the Brazilians have already left us. You wanted me to say a few words the first day and I made you a signal. It wasn't meant as a farewell, but rather to let you know that I meant to return. But, besides, I'm the least indicated person to deliver these final remarks, because I haven't participated in the meetings, nor in the scientific conferences, nor in the debates that you have held.
Presently, I share in the grief and sorrow of Pierre Trudeau’s family and of all Canadians’ . I cannot help but remember that only two years ago this family suffered another terrible tragedy with the passing of Michael Trudeau whom I had met at a very early stage of his life when as a four-month-old baby his father took him on a visit to Cuba and I held in my arms more than once. I have brought with me some photos of those dearly cherished days to leave to the family as mementos.
On March 22, 24 hours after Federal Court Judge Michael Moore announced his historic and fair verdict, we expressed to the U.S. authorities our concern and that of Elián González’s father and other close relatives on the risk of psychological and even physical harm that could be intentionally inflicted on the child, given the violent nature and the usual impunity and disdain for the law showed by the mob surrounding the family that was holding Elián captive, once they realized that their cause had legally, morally and politically failed.
It was through the American TV networks and press agencies that we first learned that 30 Cubans, 13 of them children, had perished in a human traffic operation on a fast boat registered in the United States, coming from that country and funded by people living there.
It is for me a source of special satisfaction that we can meet again, this time in the land of Errol Barrow, who was a very dear friend of Cuba. Three years have passed since we commemorated in Havana the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the four Caribbean countries that were then independent, a significant and seminal event Cubans will never forget.
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