Cuban President Raul Castro

There is no reason why Latin America and the Caribbean should not have their own body of political consensus. Read more….

From  Cuban President Raul Castro, GRANMA newspaper

There is no reason why Latin America and the Caribbean should not have their own body of political consensus Speech by General of the Army Raúl Castro Ruz, president of the Councils of State and Ministers, at the plenary session of the Summit of Latin America and Caribbean Unity, February 23, 2010 Most Honorable Señor Felipe Calderón, president of Mexico: Esteemed presidents, prime ministers and heads of delegations: I wish to begin with a fraternal message to the sister Mexican people, whose land gave shelter to many Latin American fighters, among them the initiators of the Cuban Revolution, and to whom we are linked by close ties of friendship. Thank you for the warm hospitality with which you have received us. Esteemed colleagues: The decision that we have just adopted to create the Community pf Latin American and Caribbean States is of great historical significance. Cuba considers that the conditions are present to rapidly advance toward the constitution of a purely Latin American and Caribbean regional organization, comprising and representing the 33 independent nations of Latin America and the Caribbean. The majority of the world’s regions have their own organization, independently of the fact that some of their members belong to other subregional groupings or to bodies that cover more than one geographical area. There is no reason why Latin America and the Caribbean should not have their own body of political consensus, economic coordination and cooperation and integration. There would be no sense in delaying that process. Let us be consistent with the disposition expressed at the Salvador de Bahía Summit. The next summit, in Caracas in 2011, will be a propitious moment for concluding the preparatory work for the new organization and setting it in motion. In that context, we consider it advisable to undertake efforts to promptly define its statutes and modus operandi in such a way that these contain the collective interests in relation to the greater integration and unity of our region. It corresponds to Venezuela to preside over the preparatory labors, including the drafting of the documents. Being an independent nation of Latin America and the Caribbean is an essential condition for joining the new body, which must be characterized by respect for cultural diversity, for distinct geographic and economic dimensions, for the political system that each country adopts, for disparities in natural wealth, and for different levels of social development. Cuba considers that the Declaration proposed on this theme is positive. It contains the necessary elements to open up a period of work and preparation. Our aspiration is that the constitutional document of the new body will be drawn up with efficiency and agility in order to be able to approve it at the next Summit. Cuba will work with dedication to that effect. I am profoundly grateful for the adoption of a special communiqué which demands an end to the unjust economic, commercial and financial blockade of my country by the United States, as well as the statements of solidarity made here by some of the speakers who have preceded me. Poverty in Haiti is a product of colonialism and subsequent neocolonial domination. It was in that long-suffering nation that the first social revolution was produced, which made it, during that period, into the only independent territory of Latin America and the Caribbean. As we all know, it was moreover the sole victorious social revolution led by slaves in the history of humanity. The response of the international community to the earthquake, and particularly of the Latin American and Caribbean countries, has been commendable. But, the major challenge begins now, when the press headlines abandon Haiti, the moment of emergency is over, and the supposed “threat” of a wave of emigration is diminishing. Aid in solidarity in the face of the disaster must not go down in history as a fleeting and sudden gesture of generous “charity.” That sister country requires and deserves a major international effort for its reconstruction; altruism, and full respect for Haiti’s sovereignty and its government, and urgent, long-term determination, under the authority of the United Nations, with the sole presence of the MINUSTAH. The solidarity of the Cuban people did not arrive in Haiti with the earthquake. It has been present there for more than a decade. During that period, Cuban doctors have given 14 million consultations, performed 200,000 surgeries, attended 100,000 deliveries, and performed 45,000 ophthalmological operations. A total of 165,000 Haitians learned how to read and write; 917 young people graduated at higher education levels, and 660 Haitians were studying on scholarships in Cuba. At the moment of the disaster, more than 400 Cuban international cooperation workers were there. Our doctors immediately began to provide their services. At the present time, 1,429 health collaborators are providing medical services on the ground there, including 406 Haitian resident physicians, interns and fifth-year medical students who were studying in Cuba; 224 doctors from 22 Latin American and Caribbean nations, and seven doctors from the United States who are graduates of the Latin American School of Medicine in Cuba, all of whom comprise a large international contingent. Venezuela, President Hugo Chávez — with his special sensibility and generosity — Cuba, and the other ALBA countries, are proposing to maintain and increase that effort and are prepared to cooperate with all nations — without exception — to help the Haitian people and government, based on what we have in terms of human resources, experience and the appropriate initial infrastructure on the ground. I would like to share with you a Chinese proverb engraved in the Chapel of Humankind, created by the great Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo Guayasamín, which left a strong impression on me when I visited it last August during the investiture of our friend Rafael Correa. I quote: “I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a child who had no feet.” This profound reflection made me think with pride of our people, of Martí, who taught us that “homeland is humanity.” I am also thinking of the Cuban Revolution in these 50 years of struggle, and of Fidel, who with his teachings, has educated us in the generosity and strength of solidarity. I assure you that Cuban collaboration and its modest efforts will remain in Haiti for as many years as necessary, if the government of that nation so chooses. Our country, subjected to an ironclad blockade, has no surplus of resources; rather, it is lacking in everything, but it is disposed to share its poverty with those who have less; in the first place, with those on the continent who need it the most at this time. Esteemed presidents and prime ministers: Cuba, together with the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean, has always supported the just demand of the Republic of Argentina in relation to the Malvinas Islands and other territories in the vicinity. Now, we firmly back the legitimate right of that sister nation to the natural resources of its continental platform, and the demand for an end to foreign activities of hydrocarbon prospecting and exploitation. These actions, which have the authorization of the British government, entail serious violations of international law. The Argentine people will not lack our support in this noble struggle. Cuba likewise supports the Ecuadorian government in its just claim against the Financial Action Task Force and its attempt to award itself the authority to qualify or disqualify sovereign governments without any basis whatsoever. It reminds us of the spurious U.S. Department of State lists of countries which allegedly sponsor terrorism. Another issue that claims our attention is climate change, which constitutes the principal threat that humanity is confronting. What happened in Copenhagen was antidemocratic, lacking in transparency and imposed via an exclusive negotiations format which ignored the majority of the states party to the Convention. Our country proposes to work with dedication and a constructive spirit in the process of preparing for the 16th Conference of the Parties, defending the position that this should be a transparent and inclusive negotiating process which gives rise to a broad and legally binding agreement. Cuba sustains that we must safeguard the Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol; we must defend the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, and respect the negotiating mechanism stipulated in the Bali Road Map. We believe that the Latin American and Caribbean countries, despite our diverse characteristics, are committed to these principles and that we have the strength to defend them. Thank you very much, Mr. President and other colleagues.

Adolph Hitler

Will the volatile oil market trigger a Third World War? Will anti-Jewish sentiment be involved?

Another major global recession can trigger the Third World war with some Western European states and the Arabs taking on the United States and Israel.

This is the scenario of a novel written by academic Adrian Gomez who believes that Russia will make common cause in a conflict triggered by a volatile oil market.

Such a conflict would make the current political squabbling in Trinidad and Tobago seem like tea parties for old ladies.

“The world is headed for a new showdown between Nazis and Jews,” a leadng Trini artist told me some years ago.

Durng the hectic 1960s, I had a close first hand view of international power politics.

In 1972. I flew from London to Germany to take a test for a job at Radio Free Europe.

The station, based in Munich, offered me the job but I turned it down to remain working with Reuters News Agency in London.

Reuters assigned me to Argentina in mid-1974 and I travelled to Venezuela to get some personal documents I needed.

I visited relatives and friends in Caracas, among them Clemente Cohen, a US citizen and former editor of the English language Daily Journal newspaper for which I used to work.

“What the hell have you been up to?” Clem asked me abruptly.

“What do you mean?” I asked him? “I have been working for the past few years with Reuters in London.”

“Is that all?” he asked.

“Yes, why do you ask?” I said, feeling puzzled.

“The CIA has been asking questions about you,” he replied. ‘They contacted me and asked me about your background. What did you do?”

“Oh that,” I replied. “They were doing a background check because I had applied for a job in Munich, Germany with Radio Free Europe. And what did you tell them?”

“I told them that I considered you a loyal subject of the British Queen since you were educated in Trinidad.”

“Hey thanks,” I told him. “They agreed to give me the job but I turned it down.when I was told the CIA funded the station.”

“I was impressed by their interest in you,” Clem said.

I had little knowledge of German history and the language.

I knew only that Germany had taken on the rest of Europe in two world wars and had lost them both.

I also knew about Adolf Hitler’s fury against the Jews.

The Great Depression of 1929 had battered the German economy, fuelling hyper- inflation and political unrest.

Hitler formed the National Socialist (Nazi) Party and managed to convince the German people to elect him Chancellor.

Hitler stressed national pride and blamed the Jews for his country’s socio-economic problems.

He believed that the Jews were determined to rule the world through their control of the global financial system and cared nothing for the nations in which they lived.

He also considered Marxism a Jewish materialist ideology and believed that charity and compassion were virtues only for the weak.

His paganistic Nazi movement was ultranationalist and he decided to impose his ideology on the world through brute force.

His “final solution” to the Jewish problem would be to murder the entire race.

The western allies amnd Russia won the war and Hitler commited suicide.

Unike the victorous allies of the first world war, the United States did not demand reparations from the defeated Axis powers.

Instead, it provided financial and other assistance to rebuild the economies of Japan and the battered European counriees, including Germany.

US troops had occupied Munich while the Rusians virtually colonised Eastern Europe.

The Americans set up Radio Free Europe there to broadcast news and propaganda to Eastern Europe.

While in Munich, I visited popular sites like the famous Oprahaus where Gemans drink gallons of beer during the Oktoberfest.

I found the people of Munich very courteous and many of them spoke English.

I noted that many of them looked more Latin than German with darker hair and complexions.

After the test at the radio station located in the Eglishergarten, I visited a nearby pub with some of the American and Canadians who worked there and they gave a rundown on local history, politics and culture.

I learned that Hitlet had established his Nazi party in Munich, was born in neighouring Austria and was raised a Catholic.

The lads told me that many Austrians had Italian genes and that many people considered Munich the most northern Italian city.

Northern Germany became Protestant after the Reformation but the south remained Catholic.

Hitler admired Italy’s Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and adapted their raised open palm salute as his own.

“Ave Caeser” (long live Caesar) became “Sieg Heil.”

Hitler’s madness led to the creation of a Jewish state in what used to be Palestine creating a political problem there which threatens to engulf the rest of the world.

Germany is now united and is a major power in Europe but now keeps a low profile in world politics.

The Nazi movement has been badly discredited and Communism seems passe.

Germany now has a responsible social democratic system and is a close ally of the United States.

But ancient grievances die hard snd some analysts believa that another anti-Jewish pogrom is inevitable if the global economy sinks into a major recession.