Bush, Hunger and Death
Reflection by Cuban President Fidel Castro
For the first time, just before the UN discusses, as it does every year, the project of the Cuban resolution condemning the blockade, the President of the United States announces that he will adopt new measures to accelerate the "transition period" in our country, equivalent to a new conquest of Cuba by force.On the other hand, the danger of a massive world famine is aggravated by Mr. Bush’s recent initiative to transform foods into fuel while, calling on strategic security principles, he threatens humanity with World War III, this time using atomic weapons. Such crucially important issues are the ones attracting the attention of the representatives of the countries that will be meeting on Tuesday, October 30, to discuss the Cuban project condemning the blockade. In elections where voting is not mandatory, our people have just given their verdict, with more than 95 percent of the electorate casting their vote at 37,749 polling stations, in ballot boxes guarded by school children. That is the example provided by Cuba. Fidel Castro Ruz, October 22, 2007
Bush, la Faim et la mort
Réflexion de Fidel Castro
Pour la première fois avant que le projet de résolution cubaine de condamnation au blocus soit présenté aux Nations Unies, comme chaque année ; le Président des Etats-Unis annonce qu’il adoptera de nouvelles mesures afin d’accélérer chez nous, la « période de transition », ce qui équivaut à la reconquête de Cuba par la force. Par ailleurs, l’initiative récente de M Bush de transformer les aliments en carburant, aggrave le danger d’une famine mondiale, tandis qu'invoquant les principes stratégiques de sécurité, il menace l’humanité d’une troisième guerre mondiale, mais cette fois-ci, avec des armes nucléaires. Voilà les sujets, d’importance vitale, qu'intéressent les représentants des pays qui se réuniront le mardi 30 octobre afin de discuter le projet cubain de condamnation au blocus. Notre peuple, dans ces élections où l’exercice du droit de vote n’est pas obligatoire, vient de prononcer son verdict avec la assistance de plus de 95% des électeurs aux 37 749 bureaux de vote et en déposant leur bulletin dans des urnes protégées par des élèves. Voilà l’exemple offert par Cuba.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush is planning to ask international allies to offer money and political support in preparation for the day when Fidel Castro no longer rules Cuba. In remarks prepared for a State Department speech today, Bush will also suggest changes inside Cuba, like granting property rights.
Bush to urge Cubans to push for democracyBy Andrew Ward in Washington
George W. Bush will make on Wednesday a direct appeal to the Cuban military to side with the forces of democracy against Fidel Castro’s “dying regime”.The US president will also urge the international community to settle its differences over Cuba and unify behind efforts to bring change to the island.Mr Bush will make the remarks in a rare speech on Cuba policy at the US state department, amid signs that Mr Castro’s 48-year rule could be nearing its end.The ailing 81 year-old Cuban president has not appeared in public since handing day-to-day control to his younger brother, Raul, in July last year.Mr Bush will implore regime members, particularly those in the military and security forces, to embrace the opportunity for change as the country enters a period of leadership transition. He will tell regime members that there would be a role in a democratic Cuba for those who support the country’s evolution towards a free society.Details of the speech were provided in advance by a senior administration official.Mr Bush will propose the creation of an “international freedom fund” that would provide an incentive for Havana to embrace democracy. Donations would be sought from the international community and made available to Cuba once its government had proved its commitment to reform.The president will warn the international community against accepting continuation of communist rule in the country after Mr Castro has gone.“Life will not improve for Cubans under the current system,” said the administration official, previewing Mr Bush’s speech. “It will not improve by exchanging one dictator for another, and it will not improve in any way by seeking accommodation with a new tyranny for the sake of stability.”The speech signals US concern that what it views as an historic opportunity for change in Cuba risks being squandered by lack of international will.“Now is the time to put aside the differences that have existed amongst the international community,” Mr Bush will say, according to the US official. “The international community needs to be prepared for that moment of change.”Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic will be praised for their staunch support for pro-democracy forces in Cuba and other countries urged to follow suit.The president will declare that the US policy is to put freedom ahead of stability in a country that lies just 90 miles off the Florida coast. “The way to get to a stable Cuba is through the Cuban people being given their freedom and fundamental rights,” said the official. Mr Bush is expected to give a strong defence of the US trade embargo against Cuba, arguing that lifting of the restrictions would “further enrich and strengthen the regime and their grip on the political and economic life of the island”.Policy towards Cuba could become an issue in next year’s US presidential election as Mr Castro’s failing health focuses attention on the island.Cuba policy is watched most closely in Florida - one of the most pivotal battleground states in US presidential politics - because of its proximity to the island and its large population of Cuban exiles, most of whom strongly support the embargo.Mr Bush will tell Cubans that they have “the power to shape their destiny”, drawing parallels with countries in Europe and Latin America that have won struggles against totalitarianism. “One of the success stories of the last several years has been the overall advance of economic and political freedom across Latin America,” said the US official. “Juxtaposed against that is the fact that there is still one country that traps its citizens in a failed system, and that country is Cuba.”Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Bush to Warn Cuba on Plan for Transition
By GINGER THOMPSON - NYT
WASHINGTON — President Bush is planning to issue a stern warning Wednesday that the United States will not accept a political transition in Cuba in which power changes from one Castro brother to another, rather than to the Cuban people.As described by an official in a background briefing to reporters on Tuesday evening, Mr. Bush’s remarks will amount to the most detailed response — mainly an unbending one — to the political changes that began in Cuba more than a year ago, when Fidel Castro fell ill and handed power to his brother Raúl.The speech, scheduled to be given at the State Department before invited Cuban dissidents, will introduce the relatives of four Cuban prisoners being held for political crimes. A senior administration official said the president wanted to “put a human face,” on Cuba’s “assault on freedom.” In effect, the speech will be a call for Cubans to continue to resist, a particularly strong line coming from an American president. He is expected to say to the Cuban military and police, “There is a place for you in a new Cuba.”The official said Mr. Bush would make the case that for dissidents and others pursuing democracy in Cuba, little has changed at all, and that the country has suffered economically as well as in other ways as a result of the Castro rule.He will say that while much of the rest of Latin America has moved from dictatorship to democracy, Cuba continues to use repression and terror to control its people. And, the administration official said, Mr. Bush will direct another part of his speech to the Cuban people, telling them they “have the power to shape their destiny and bring about change.”The administration official said Mr. Bush was expected to tell Cuban viewers that “soon they will have to make a choice between freedom and the force used by a dying regime.”Some of the sharpest parts of the speech, however, will be aimed directly at Raúl Castro. Mr. Bush is expected to make clear that the United States will oppose an old system controlled by new faces. The senior administration official said that nothing in Raúl Castro’s past gives Washington reason to expect democratic reforms soon. And he said the United States would uphold its tough economic policies against the island.Mr. Bush would hold out the possibility of incentives for change, if Cuba demonstrated an openness to such exchanges, the official said. Those steps might include expanding cultural and information exchanges with Cuba and allowing religious organizations and other nonprofits to send computers to Cuba and to award scholarships. However, he is expected to reiterate the administration’s long-standing demands for free and transparent elections, and the release of political prisoners. John Kavulich, senior policy adviser at the U.S.-Cuba Trade andEconomic Council, said those demands would likely be non-starters for Cuba. He said the technology and educational opportunities Mr. Bush intends to offer are being provided to Cuba by Venezuela and China. He suggested that the real constituency for Mr. Bush’s speech was the politically-powerful exile community in Miami. Phil Peters, an expert on Cuba at the non-partisan Lexington Institute, said he saw Mr. Bush’s speech as an attempt to reorient a policy that had fallen behind the times. American policy, he said, had been centered around the idea that the Communist government would fall once Mr. Castro left power, and that Mr. Castro, 81, would be forced out of power only by death. Instead, Mr. Peters said, Raúl Castro’s rise caught the administration off guard. President Bush has remained largely silent, Mr. Peters said, while Raúl Castro consolidated his control over Cuban institutions by establishing his own relationships with world leaders, and opening unprecedented dialogue with the Cuban people about their visions for their own country. Meanwhile, all the doomsday scenarios predicted for Cuba once Fidel Castro left power — a violent uprising by dissidents and a huge exodus of Cuban refugees — never materialized.“The administration realized they had missed the boat,” Mr. Peters said. “Succession has already happened. They can no longer have a policy that keeps them waiting for Castro to die when the rest of the world has moved on.”
Castro: Bush seeks transition of rule in Cuba soon
Newsday, NY - Bush is expected to announce new strategies toward Cuba today. White House spokesman Tony Fratto said last week Bush would "emphasize ... the role the ...Bush rallying nations to help Cuba move toward democracy after ... International Herald TribuneBush Touting Cuban Life After Castro The Associated PressBush suggestions for a more open Cuba KGANThe Press Association - CBC.ca and 575 news articles »
La web de la Casa Blanca abre un foro para preguntar al Secretario de Comercio sobre la política de Bush contra Cuba
Aunque la web de la Casa Blanca afirma publicar íntegras todas las preguntas y respuestas, organizaciones sociales como Cubainformación.tv , han expresado su escepticismo y han solicitado a los internautas que les envíen copia de las preguntas enviadas a su correo (ver en la notica) para confirmar posteriormente si han sido publicadas y respondidas http://www.kaosenlared.net/noticia.php?id_noticia=43571,
Con Bush al timón, la guerra es inevitable
http://www.cubasocialista.cu/texto/000984532guerra.html,
Quiere Bush reconquistar Cuba por la fuerza: Castro
La Jornada (México) - Bush anunció "que adoptará nuevas medidas para acelerar el 'periodo de transición' en nuestro país, que equivale a la reconquista de Cuba por la fuerza", ...Bush pedirá al la comunidad internacional que se una a sus ... Terra EspañaBush instará a cubanos a presionar por cambio democrático Reuters América LatinaFidel Castro: Es posible que Bush desencadene la Tercera Guerra ... Pueblo en lineaPueblo en linea - La Crónica de Hoy y 619 artículos relacionados »
El terrorismo bueno de Bush
Bolivia: Ataques terroristas a médicos cubanos y diplomáticos de VenezuelaCanciller Nicolás Maduro: “Ataques de la oligarquía boliviana, no detendrán nuestra voluntad de apoyar al pueblo de Bolivia
http://www.insurgente.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=11462,
Del dicho al hecho, para Bush no hay trecho
http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/opinion/2007-10-24/del-dicho-al-hecho-para-bush-no-hay-trecho/,
¿Por dónde empezar?
Por: Armando Hart Dávalos
El proceso de análisis del discurso de Raúl Castro el pasado 26 de julio en Camagüey en el seno del Partido, la Juventud, las organizaciones de masas y las administraciones en todo el país nos ha permitido iniciar, con la participación activa del pueblo, el examen en profundidad de aspectos importantes relacionados con la situación actual de nuestro país con el objetivo de fortalecer nuestra economía, perfeccionar la capacidad defensiva de la nación y alcanzar la invulnerabilidad ideológica. Este examen y el debate necesario que lo acompaña tienen una enorme importancia.http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/opinion/2007-10-24/por-donde-empezar/,
X Congreso de la Federación Latinoamericana de Periodistas
Reclaman del sector periodístico nuevos modelos de comunicaciónEl principal reclamo del sector periodistico es crear nuevos modelos que potencien el derecho individual y colectivo a la informaciónhttp://www.juventudrebelde.cu/cuba/2007-10-24/reclaman-del-sector-periodistico-nuevos-modelos-de-comunicacion/,
Debate en comisión parlamentaria
En ascenso exigencias al sistema educativo cubanoIntervino Ministro de Educación en el intercambio con los diputados
http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/2007/10/24/nacional/artic05.html,
El delito no escapa
La oscuridad de la madrugada no fue obstáculo para que cuatro jóvenes combatientes del MININT esclarecieran con su pericia un sorpresivo acto delictivohttp://www.juventudrebelde.cu/cuba/2007-10-24/el-delito-no-escapa/,
No saldrán de Panamá vinculados con caso Posada Carriles
(AIN) Tres antiguos funcionarios del gobierno de la ex presidenta Mireya Moscoso que excarcelaron al terrorista Luis Posada Carriles, no podrán salir de Panamá según sentencia de un tribunal de ese país que mantuvo vigente dicha prohibición.El Segundo Tribunal Superior de Justicia rechazó la víspera un recurso de apelación interpuesto por el ex ministro de Gobierno (Interior) Arnulfo Escalona, y los ex directores de la Policía, Carlos Barés, y de Migración, Javier Tapia, informa un despacho de Prensa Latina.El impedimento de salida del país a los cuatro procesados fue impuesto por el Juzgado Duodécimo de Circuito, ramo penal, que les sigue proceso por abuso de autoridad en la excarcelación de Posada Carriles y tres cómplices, que fueron indultados por Moscoso.Posada Carriles y sus cómplices fueron condenados en el año 2000 por ingresar ilegalmente al país con armas y explosivos destinados a un atentado para asesinar el presidente cubano Fidel Castro durante un acto público en esa capital.Este connotado asesino es autor confeso del sabotaje en pleno vuelo a una nave de Cubana de Aviación en 1976 que costo la vida a las 73 personas a bordo, y también de atentados con bombas en hoteles de La Habana, en los que murió un turista italiano.Escalona, Barés y Tapia se escudan en el argumento de que cumplieron un indulto presidencial; sin embargo, evidencias en el expediente prueban que ellos actuaron antes de que la decisión de Moscoso se legitimara -mediante su publicación en la Gaceta Oficial- al margen de que el propio indulto se considera inconstitucional.
Gallery to prceed with Che memento auction
DALLAS (UPI) -- An auction gallery in Texas plans to go ahead with the sale of mementoes of revolutionary icon Ernesto "Che" Guevara, including a lock of his hair.Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas said it had received death threats over the sale in e-mails from Guevara's native country, Argentina. The gallery said that security has been tightened.The items belonged to Gustavo Villoldo, a native of Cuba who had become a CIA agent, the gallery said. He was in Bolivia when Guevara was captured and killed there, serving as a liaison between the CIA, the Bolivian government and U.S. Army Rangers.
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Cubans Want Role in Castro’s Succession (Angus Reid Global Monitor)
- A large majority of people in Cuba would like to choose who will succeed Fidel Castro as president, according to a poll by the International Republican Institute. 73.9 per cent of respondents think Cubans should vote to decide who will replace Castro. Castro has been the de facto leader of Cuba since 1959, following the conclusion of the revolution he led to overthrow Fulgencio Batista. In 1962, the United States imposed a trade embargo against Cuba. In May 2002, U.S. president George W. Bush introduced his initiative for a new Cuba, declaring, "The United States has no designs on Cuban sovereignty. It’s not a part of our strategy, or a part of our vision. In fact, the United States has been a strong and consistent supporter of freedom for the Cuban people. And it is important for those who love freedom on that beautiful island to know that our support for them will never waver." In July 2006, the Cuban government announced a "provisional transfer of duties" to vice-president Raúl Castro, Fidel’s brother, after the president suffered "an acute intestinal crisis, with sustained bleeding" which required immediate medical intervention. On Oct. 21, Cubans voted in the first round of local elections to renew the National Assembly and Cuba’s Council of State. Castro—who serves as leader of the Council—wrote in an editorial the day before the ballot: "Our elections are the antithesis of those held in the United States. (...) There, first you have to be very rich, or have an enormous amount of money behind you (...) to be elected president, you need hundreds of millions (of dollars), which come straight out of the coffers of the big monopolies. A candidate can win who actually got a minority of the popular vote. (...) There is fraud, trickery, ethnic discrimination and even violence."
Polling Data Do you think Cubans should vote to decide who succeeds Fidel Castro?
Yes, we should 73.9% No, we should not 26.1% Source: International Republican Institute Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 584 Cuban adults, conducted from Sept. 5 to Oct. 4, 2007. Margin of error is 4 per cent. http://www.angus-reid.com/uppdf/IRI_Cuba.pdf
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