Cuba conference hits U.S. gov’t terror
By
Teresa Gutierrez
Havana, Cuba
Published Jun 7, 2005 10:11 PM
The U.S. capitalist class has a tremendous ability to
turn everything into its opposite: night into day, up into down. It is allowing
right-wing terrorists to walk freely on the streets of Miami. It has jailed those
fighting this terror.
But now Cuba has put the issue of "Who are
the REAL terrorists?" squarely on the agenda of the revolutionary and working
class movement.
In less than a week's time, the Cuban government
organized the "International Encounter against Terrorism, for Truth and
Justice," that took place in Havana from June 2-4.
It was a
phenomenal feat in such a short period of time. As several Cuban leaders pointed
out, an event of this magnitude would often require a year to organize. But in
just six days and five nights, more than 1,500 Cubans and international
guests were brought together to discuss this critical
topic.
Representatives from 63 countries took part. A prestigious
group of scholars and journalists, who had just been invited days before, led
seven panels on various aspects about terrorism.
Presenters and
delegates delved into the theme of U.S.-sponsored terrorism in Latin America and
the Caribbean. Of course, high on the agenda was the role of
counter-revolutionary Cuban commandos operating out of the U.S., particularly
the group led by Luis Posada Carriles.
From "Operation Condor" to
the bombing of a Cubana airliner in 1976 that killed 73 people, all roads lead
back to this neo-fascist group--trained, aided and abetted by the U.S.
government.
Developments around the case of Luis Posada Carriles
led to the organizing of this emergency conference. Posada Carriles entered the
U.S. in March. U.S. government officials hinted they would grant him political
asylum.
This created a political uproar. The Bush administration
announcement led to a worldwide condemnation of the U.S. government and exposed
the incredible hypocrisy of imperialism.
Posada Carriles is an
avowed terrorist. He has boasted about his actions to several Miami news
agencies and to the New York Times. Since 1959, his entire life has been
dedicated to carrying out acts of sabotage against the Cuban Revolution,
including assassination attempts against the life of Cuban President Fidel
Castro.
Posada Carriles, along with co-conspirators like Orlando
Bosch, has masterminded or known about and supported acts such as the bombing of
tourist hotels in Cuba. An Italian tourist was killed in Havana in 1997 as a
result. Several Cuban missions have been bombed--from Mexico to Spain to the
U.S.--resulting in the deaths of distinguished diplomats.
A breadth
of well-researched and documented information about these acts of terror was
provided to participants at the Havana conference. A dispassionate and objective
analysis presented a wealth of information. It was a thoroughly historical view;
not a single participant could have left the event without grasping the full
significance of the actions of Posada Carriles and his
ilk.
Bloody hands of CIA
Journalists and
victims of U.S.-sponsored terrorist actions gave poignant and heart-rending
testimony. Manuel Guerrero from Chile talked about the bloody events of the
CIA-led 1973 coup against the Socialist Party leader and president of Chile,
Salvador Allende. Guerrero’s father was killed as a result of this
massacre.
Hebe Bonafini brought the crowd to their feet when she
talked about her Argentine movement, "Mothers of the Revolution." Her
organization is made up of a group of women whose children were "disappeared" as
a result of CIA-backed atrocities during the "dirty war" by the military regime
in Argentina during the 1970s. She gave a stirring talk, inspiring the crowd
with the spirit of the revolutionary period of the 1960s and
1970s.
Irma González, the daughter of René
González, one of the Cuban Five heroes, made a moving presentation that
left few with dry eyes. Irma read a statement to the conference from the Cuban
Five, now behind bars in the United States serving long, long sentences. Their
crime? They tried to monitor and stop anti-Cuba terror attacks being plotted
from U.S. soil. The case of the Five was a running theme throughout the
conference as an example of how those who fight terrorism are incarcerated by
the empire while the real terrorists are allowed to carry out their venomous
operations.
Other speakers included such notables as authors Alicia
Herrera and Eva Golinger of Venezuela, Martín Almada of Paraguay and
Pascual Serrano of Spain. Special guest speakers included Commandantes Shafik
Handal of El Salvador and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, revolutionary leaders of
struggles for national liberation.
U.S. plan to
assassinate Chávez exposed
One of the most important and
inspiring panels was from Venezuela and included the president of the National
Assembly, Nicolás Maduro, and the vice-president of the country,
José Vicente Rangel.
Vice President Rangel brought testimony
about well-documented plans of U.S. sabotage against the Bolivarian Revolution
of Venezuela, including a plot to assassinate President Hugo Chávez. But
Vice President Rangel made it clear that Venezuela would defend itself from all
forms of U.S. intervention--and would succeed. He stated that the people of
Venezuela would respond with the same kind of anger and dignity that the people
of Iraq, Cuba and elsewhere are responding to U.S. aggression.
The
event was closed by remarks from Cuba’s beloved president, Fidel Castro.
The fact that over 500 international delegates dropped their own plans on just a
few days' notice to travel to Cuba is a small example of the kind of support and
love Cuba has earned around the world. Much of that support is attributed to the
leadership of Fidel Castro. He continues to inspire the world in a show of
defiance against the monstrous U.S. imperialism.
The international
guests were treated to a magnificent concert late Saturday night at the end of
the conference. World-renowned musician and revolutionary Silvio
Rodríguez was joined by Sara Gonzáles and younger Cuban artists,
such as Amaury Pérez. Revolutionary artists from Puerto Rico--such as Roy
Brown--and from Mexico, Argentina, Chile and elsewhere also dropped their plans
on short notice in order to join the guests at the encounter.
The
concert paid tribute to Victor Jara, a Chilean revolutionary killed at the hands
of the CIA-backed fascist coup in 1973. The revolutionary sentiments of
Victor’s music live on, revived anew in the Bolivarian Revolution in
Venezuela and throughout the continent.
The revolutionary class
struggle in Latin America and the Caribbean is rising on the horizon in glorious
splendor. And the sun of history is setting on the empire of U.S.
imperialism.
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