Cuban leader speaks on Hurricane Katrina, Cuban 5

The survivors of Hurricane Katrina would have appreciated hearing how a government should function in a crisis had they heard the president of Cuba’s National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcón, speak before the solidarity movement here on Sept. 19 at a prestigious church in Harlem. The National Assembly is Cuba’s equivalent to the U.S. Congress.

Ricardo Alarcón

Alarcón and Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque were in New York for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly. Pérez Roque made opening remarks before Alarcón spoke.

Alarcón gave a two-hour presentation that addressed Cuban and international issues.

Hurricane Katrina was the first item on Alarcón’s agenda. He said that the Cuban people could not even fathom how 2,000 children could be missing as a result of the storm.

Cuba has extensive experience in handling powerful hurricanes. Its plans for evacuation and every aspect of hurricane response are based on first protecting its people, not property—as in the U.S. Hurricane crises are handled with humanity and compassion so that 2,000 children would never go missing.

Alarcón said that 1,586 Cuban doctors—mainly women—are still waiting to come to the U.S. to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The U.S. government has denied them entry.

Alarcón wanted the crowd of over 1,000 to know “why in the hell” the Cubans were here. He said Cuba does not operate with secret diplomacy. He pointed out how the people of New York are in the midst of UN visits, with traffic jams as limos drive here and there. But the people of the city do not really know what all the business is about. He passionately stated how UN business has everything to do with the lives of New Yorkers, despite the fact they aren’t informed about what is going on.

A main topic at the UN was eradicating poverty and hunger. The goal was to reduce hunger in half by 2015.

But Alarcón said that the UN session was hijacked and another agenda impos ed on the body. The main topic was the “Responsibility to Protect” concept, a U.S./UN concept that could be interpreted as justification for U.S. intervention around the world. Alarcón said the concept could be used so that the UN Security Council could intervene in any conflict or issue.

Other topics raised by Alarcón were the unjust and wrongful war in Iraq and the case of Luis Posada Carriles, who is presently being held in the U.S. He explained why Posada Carriles, who masterminded the mid-air bombing of a Cuban airliner, should be extradited to Venezuela for terrorist actions.

Alarcón moved the crowd with his review of the case of the Cuban Five, anti-terrorists imprisoned by the U.S. on phony charges of conspiracy. A recent report by the UN Working Group on Arbi trary Detention, as well as a ruling of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, confirmed that the Five did not receive a fair trial.

Alarcón said Gerardo Hernández, one of the five, expressed the current situation in baseball terms: “The game is zero to zero but we are next to bat.”

Alarcón closed his remarks by reaffirming that Cuba will make sure socialism will not only survive, it will thrive.

The event was co-chaired by Rev. Lucius Walker of IFCO/Pastors for Peace and Bonnie Massey of the Venceremos Brigade. It was opened by a stirring message from renowned author Alice Walker, who welcomed Alarcón and Pérez Roque to the U.S.

Washington delayed issuing a visa to Alarcón to attend the UN Summit, causing him to miss the official ceremony as well as meetings on development financing and current measures to fight hunger and poverty.