HOT, HOT, HOT- FIDEL: "Cuba, A Terrorist Country?"

[magbana]

Reflections by Comrade Fidel

CUBA: A TERRORIST COUNTRY?

Thursday, April 30 was unlucky for the United States. On that day it
occurred to them to include Cuba yet again on the list of terrorist
countries. Committed as they are to their own crimes and lies,
perhaps even Obama himself was unable to untangle himself from that
mess. A man whose talent nobody denies must feel ashamed about the
empire’s cult of lie. Fifty years of terrorism against our Homeland
come to light in an instant.

What can one explain to those who know about the horrific event of a
plane blown up in mid-flight, with its passengers and crew, about the
participation of the United States in the events, the recruiting of
Orlando Bosch and Posada Carriles, and the supplying of explosives,
funds and the complicity of the intelligence agencies and the
authorities of that country? How can one explain the campaign of
terror that preceded and followed the mercenary invasion of the Bay
of Pigs, the attacks on our coasts, towns, transport and fishing
vessels, the terrorist actions inside and outside of the United
States? How can one explain the hundreds of frustrated assassination
plots on the lives of Cuban leaders? What can one say about the
introduction of viruses such as hemorrhagic dengue and swine fever
that genetically had never even existed in the hemisphere? I am
merely mentioning some of the acts of terror in which the United
States has played a part, the ones recorded in their own declassified
documents. Don’t these events embarrass the current administration?

I could put together an endless list of abhorrent activities.

At our request, Bruno Rodríguez, Minister of Foreign Affairs, sent me
the exact words used by a France-Presse reporter to ask him a
question on April 30, along with his compelling answer.

Rigoberto Díaz, of AFP: “Coinciding with the final moments of this
meeting and also on a subject that has been dealt with during this
event, the US government has once more included Cuba on the list of
countries sponsors of terrorism along with Sudan, Iran and Syria.
I would like to hear your opinion on this.”

Bruno’s reply:

“We do not recognize any political or moral authority to the US
government to make any list on any subject, or to “certify” good or
bad behavior.

The Bush government was “certified” by world public opinion as a
government violating international law; as being aggressive and
war-mongering; as a government that tortures and that is responsible
for extrajudicial executions.

“Bush has been the only president who has boasted in public, in the
US Congress, about having carried out extrajudicial executions. That
is a government which kidnapped people and transported them
illegally, created secret prisons that nobody knows whether they are
still in existence, and a concentration camp where torturing is going
on in the part of territory usurped from the Republic of Cuba.

“In the matter of terrorism, the US government has historically held
a long record of State terrorism acts, not only against Cuba.

“In the US, Orlando Bosch and Posada Carriles are free to come and
go; these two who are responsible for numerous terrorist acts
including the blowing up of a civilian Cuban plane in mid-flight.
There is no answer to Venezuela’s official request for the
extradition of Posada Carriles who is being tried for various
charges, but not as a notorious international terrorist.

“The US government held a travesty of a trial against the five young
Cuban anti-terrorist activists who are today being held as political
prisoners in its jails.

“The US government covers up acts of State terrorism committed by
Israel against the Palestinian people and the Arab peoples. And, it
kept silent before the crimes taking place in the Gaza Strip.

“Therefore one shouldn’t recognize that the United States has any
moral authority whatsoever, and I, frankly, believe that nobody pays
any attention or reads those documents, among other things, because
the author is an international outlaw in many of the matters which it
criticizes.

“Cuba’s position against all manifestations and forms of terrorism,
wherever they may be committed, against any state that may be
affected, in any form it may be carried out, for whatever purpose, is
clear and consistent with its actions.

“Cuba has been the victim of terrorism for many years and it has a
completely clean record in this matter. Cuban territory has never
been used to organize, fund or execute terrorist acts against the
United States of America. The State Department which issues those
reports cannot say the same.”

This declaration, issued at the ministerial meeting of the
Non-Aligned Countries, is not yet widely known by the population
which in these days has been receiving plenty of news of all kinds.
If the State Department wishes to discuss this with Bruno, there is
sufficient information to bury it in its own lies.

Fidel Castro Ruz
May 2, 2009
7:12 p.m.

http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=79729&Itemid=1

[roody]

1. Que viva Fidel!

[flamingdem]

2. Rather than rail on this issue it's important to note the additional notes

in the text that point to change.

There’s the statement that “Cuba no longer actively supports armed struggle in Latin America and other parts of the world.” There’s the acknowledgement that “some” Spanish ETA members and Colombian guerrillas in Cuba “arrived in Cuba in connection with peace negotiations with the governments of Spain and Colombia.” There’s a citation that “former Cuban President Fidel Castro called on the FARC to release the hostages they were holding without preconditions… also condemned the FARC’s mistreatment of captives and of their abduction of civilian politicians who had no role in the armed conflict.” There’s a statement that the U.S. government “has no evidence of terrorist-related money laundering or terrorist financing activities in Cuba.” There’s acknowledgement that “In keeping with its public declaration, the government has not provided safe haven to any new U.S. fugitives wanted for terrorism since 2006.”

One wonders if the door is opening to Cuba’s removal from the “sponsor” list, with this issue being the sticking point: “The Cuban government continued to permit some U.S. fugitives – including members of U.S. militant groups such as the Boricua Popular, or Macheteros, and the Black Liberation Army to live legally in Cuba.”

Philip Peters on cubantriangle.com

[magbana]

3. I think the "railing" part has been 50 years in the making so it naturally

comes with any discussion about Cuba. Yes, as you point out, changes were made in the 2008 report and these are CYA in nature and only means that the US stopped lying on a few topics. I agree that the sticking point is Cuba's "foreign guests," but this is about Posada Carriles, Orlando Bosch, etc. The US knows it has bona fide terrorists and to keep the see saw level it has to be able to say to the world that Cuba does too. Keeping Cuba on state sponsors of terrorism list is the US' extra cherry on top and a fallback position depending on what kind of shit the US decides to cook up.

[EFerrari]

4. Yes, the notes are significant. But the irony of a State Department that authorized

torture pronouncing on any other nation anywhere is both glaring and offensive.

[Mika]

5. Meanwhile, the US is funneling Posada money to "dissidents" in Cuba via the American Interests...

.. Section in Havana.

Funny that we don't see much press on the terrorist ops that Rodolfo Frometa, who resides in Miami, boasts about on exile radio interviews.

Imagine what the deal would be if Cuba was running/funding terrorist organizations (or allowing to run) from their shores who were running terror ops in the US.

[flamingdem]

6. I'm not thrilled with the slow pace of change but it looks like there is a warming

and Hillary is sounding better as in she accepted what Raul said last week rather than hurl it back at him.

They are owning US arrogance bit by tiny bit. Obama knows to go slow on this one due to the impacted issues
involved and it's just not worth his brain cells for the moment compared to other issues.

I'm primarily pissed off that they have not allowed the Cuban artists to return yet. The Orishas were not
allowed to attend a concert in New Orleans just a couple of weeks ago. Enough already on that one...

Plus why didn't they put people to people exchanges back on the list? I hope that means they are aware that
the whole shebang will happen once congress passes the end to travel restrictions. Hillary said O would sign.