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  • Via Workers World News Service
  • Reprinted from the March 7, 1996, issue of Workers World newspaper

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    MOOREHEAD & LA RIVA STAND WITH CUBA

    On Jan. 26 Workers World Party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates, Monica Moorehead and Gloria La Riva, denounced the U.S. government's escalation of hostilities against Cuba.

    Moorehead and La Riva both said the airplane incident is part of a series of provocations and sabotage by right-wing Cuban organizations that has been encouraged and supported by the U.S. government. The goal, they said, was to create incidents that would enable Washington to justify the blockade and increase U.S. acts of aggression.

    Moorehead, who traveled to Cuba with the Venceremos Brigade in 1987, said: "We fully support Cuba's right to defend her national security. Cuba was acting in self-defense when it shot down the planes that invaded the country's airspace."

    Moorehead said the incident "must be seen in light of the history of U.S. military actions against Cuba. There have also been numerous plane incursions into Cuban airspace from Florida, including two planes in January that flew directly over Havana to drop anti-government propaganda."

    According to the Cuban Foreign Ministry, since May 1994 there have been 10 separate incidents involving 29 planes that flew from Florida and violated Cuba's sovereignty. Each time a protest was directed to the U.S. State Department.

    La Riva, who just returned from Cuba in early February, said: "The organization `Brothers to the Rescue,' far from humanitarian, is linked with other counter-revolutionary groups in Miami that have carried out many acts of sabotage, murder and bombings against Cuba and those who oppose the U.S. blockade.

    "They are closely linked to fascist groups like Alpha 66, which in turn receive funding and training from the U.S. government, particularly from the CIA."

    La Riva added: "These right-wing terrorists in Miami were given a boost by President Clinton's policy decision of Oct. 2 giving aid and encouragement to those who oppose the Cuban government. For example, he granted $500,000 to the notorious right-wing group Freedom House to distribute counter-revolutionary literature in Cuba.

    "The U.S. corporations and former Cuban capitalists who now reside in Miami have never reconciled themselves to the fact that Cuba's people carried out a socialist revolution. They will go to any lengths to return Cuba to its pre-1959 colonial status. Therefore, we fully understand and support Cuba's determination to act firmly to defend the gains of the Revolution."

    Moorehead concluded: "We consider the U.S. government and the Pentagon by far the biggest threat to Cuba. The 1992 Torricelli Law openly states its aim to overthrow the Cuban government. And the Helms-Burton Bill, which President Clinton now promises to support, threatens to tighten the blockade further.

    "The bellicose statements by Clinton and the State Department are clearly an attempt to absolve the U.S. government of its criminal blockade, condemned by the international community. Eleven million Cubans have been under the gun of the 30-year economic blockade and unceasing U.S. violations of international law regarding Cuba's sovereignty.

    "We demand an immediate end to U.S. hostilities against Cuba, and the lifting of the blockade."

    (Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if source is cited. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: ww@wwpublish.com. For subscription info send message to: ww-info@wwpublish.com. Web: http://www.workers.org)