Fidel Castro at 75

- File

Castro

Rickey Singh, Contributor

CUBA, perennially militant in defence of its right to self-determination and defence of its sovereignty, has gone on the offensive against claimed acts of aggression by the United States as it prepares for the new session of the United Nations General Assembly in October.

Its Foreign Ministry and diplomatic missions were circulating two documents dealing with: 1) the necessity to end America's economic blockade of Cuba, and 2) a summary of "main terrorist actions" against the country, as President Fidel Castro was marking his 75th birthday last week, vowing that the Cuban people would not bow to the dictates of Washington.

The document on the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the U.S. some 40 years ago, has been submitted as a Report to the Secretary General of the United Nations, and outlines developments since the General Assembly's approval by an overwhelming 167 votes some nine years ago when the first resolution called for an end to the blockade.

Shared also with member-Governments of the UN, the report points to Cuba's resolve in resisting the policies of the current administration of President George W. Bush which is accused by Cuba of having cynically indicated its intention of maintaining the blockade and to strengthen attempts to make its actions against the Castro Government more effective and comprehensive.

Cuba is a Caribbean nation of some 11 million people and it is estimated that six out of 10 Cubans have been born and have lived in Cuba under the punishing conditions associated with the U.S. embargo, imposed in opposition to "Castroism" and without any precedent in America's foreign policy.

The other document, reflecting a statement on August 3 by the Cuban National Assembly, catalogues specific acts of terrorism against Cuba over a 10-year period ­ 1990 to 2000. Some of those named include elements connected with the bombing of a Cubana passenger aicraft over Barbados in 1976 killing 73 people, mostly Cubans but including 11 Guyanese and five Koreans.

While successive U.S. administrations have been anxious for Fidel Castro to fade away ­ either be toppled from power, get sick enough to be replaced, or worse ­ with military invasion not a practical option for Washington ­ the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has been steadily strengthening its relations with Havana and supporting Cuba's membership in regional/international organisations.

Last week, the Cuban President and leader of the 1959 revolution was marking his 75th birthday with an official visit to the birthplace of Simon Bolivar, the legendary Latin American liberator, accompanied by his host and ideological comrade, Venezue-lan President Hugo Chavez.

The anti-Castro, anti-Cuba lobby in the U.S. and their subversive allies will have to continue nursing their disappointments while the old revolutionary ­ against whom there have been a series of assassination attempts in his 42 years in power ­ remains very much in their face, physically and intellectually active as ever, even after his recent fainting spell at a rally in Havana.

Castro has already outlasted nine United States Presidents, starting with General Dwight Eisenhower. He continues to defy the policies and strategies of President George W.Bush to isolate and punish his Government and people.

But Cuba remains the small Caribbean "David" that has refused to genuflect to the American "Goliath" some 90 miles south of Florida, even in the face of the unprecedented U.S. trade, financial and economic embargo against the nation.

The Cuban leader has never missed an occasion of relevance to underscore Cuba's appreciation of the role played by CARICOM countries back in the 1970s, to bring his country out of the diplomatic cold and to then move methodically and meaningfully in having Cuba as an ally in regional developments and involved in the membership of important regional associations and organisations.

What originally started as a bold joint initiative on December 8, 1972 by four independent English-speaking countries to have non-resident diplomatic relations with Cuba, has since expanded into full-fledged diplomatic ties between Havana and all of the nations of the Caribbean, including Suriname, Haiti and, finally, the Dominican Republic.

Founding member

Cuba is today a founding member of the 25-nation Association of Caribbean States (ACS), an idea spawned by CARICOM; member of the Caribbean Tourism Organi-sation, (an admission won in the face of pressures from the U.S.); and a full member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group that resulted primarily, also, from a CARICOM initiative.

There is a CARICOM-Cuba Mixed Commission that ex-plores various avenues for co-operation; also a recently-signed limited free-trade agreement between Cuba and CARICOM. Cuba is involved in the support of the Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM), and is an observer at annual meetings of the Caribbean Development Bank.

As a member of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU), Cuba this month is hosting the CBU's annual assembly which is scheduled for August 30 to 31. Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados is expected to deliver the keynote address with President Castro among the dignitaries attending.

The Caribbean Community, all of whose heads of Government, save for the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, have made official visits to Cuba, has made known its position that Cuba should be invited as a participant for the Fourth Summit of the Americas, having been kept out from the previous three as a consequence of U.S. political manoeuvres.

For the next Caribbean-United Kingdom Forum which is being organised for Guyana in February 2002, Cuba will be invited, for the first time, to be an observer with a view to becoming a participating member.

In the meantime, President Castro's Government is again on the offensive to sensitise the international community about the damaging consequences to the Cuban economy and people, of America's blockade. In the past it has included restricting even medicine and foodstuff from the U.S. being sent to that Caribbean nation, and barring American nationals from freely travelling there. But these restrictions appear to be changing.

In welcoming Castro as "our brother, our friend, our revolutionary soldier" last week to Venezuela to mark his 75th birthday, President Chavez warmly embraced "this 75-year-old boy".

In so doing he further removed any doubt about their ideological bond ­ much, of course, to the concerns of a U.S. administration that, like nine others before it, would like the Cuban President to simply fade away.

But in his own inimitable style, the bearded revolutionary has jocularly pledged to not even "faint again" as he keeps going, like that battery jingle. Perhaps, strangely as it may seem, he finds some inspiration also from that most travelled of pontiffs on his own crusading mission around the globe ­ Pope John Paul ­ who was his guest just a few years ago in Havana.

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