'Let Cuba In!' Sixth Summit of Americas sends ultimatum to US

Barack Obama (L) and Juan Manuel Santos (AFP Photo / Saul Loeb)

Source: Russia Today
http://rt.com/news/summit-us-cuba-democracy-175/

When the heads of both Americas met for their Sixth Summit in Colombia, a key issue was finally put squarely on the table: either Cuba is invited to the next Summit or… there will be no next Summit.

Officially sponsored by the Washington-based OAS – Organization of American States – these “Summits” are held every three years or so since 1994.For the most part, they have been instruments promoting US hegemony over its “backyard” South of the Rio Bravo.

As with most multilateral political, economic and financial institutions – the UN, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, NAFTA, or the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) – the OAS is one of many instruments used by the Global Power Masters deeply embedded inside the public and private power structures of the United States, to wield political, financial, even legal control over all of the Americas.

During this Summit in Colombia, however, at least some key issues were addressed which is why no final official declaration could be agreed upon by all participants, mainly because the United States and its few regional allies fully oppose even addressing these issues.

Cuba

Cuba had been barred from attending because it was thrown out of the OAS back in 1963 at the height of the Cold War – right after the Kennedy-Khrushchev Cuban Missile Crisis that brought the Bi-Polar World of yore as close to nuclear confrontation as it ever got.

During the cold war years, the US imposed regional security strategies on Latin America centered on “the fight against communism”; today this has shifted to our region’s role in the “global war on terror”.

The fact that there is a British nuclear military base on the Falklands since 1982, or that George W. Bush reactivated the US Fourth Fleet in the South Atlantic in 2008 or that for decades, there are official and un-official US, British and Israeli military operatives in Colombia, Paraguay, Mexico and Argentina, is completely ignored.

As the heads of state of the Americas met for the sixth time, things are not looking so well for the US in our Region: to begin with, hostingPresident Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia – a traditional US ally – opened the Summit saying that “it would be unacceptable to have any future Summit in which Cuba is not present”.A long throw from Colombia’s staunchly pro-US President Alvaro Uribe who opened up his country to US military operations.

Sadly, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez who has been the rallying voice in the region when it comes to openly speaking out against illegitimate US bullying was absent while he continues medical treatment for cancer in Cuba. Presidents Daniel Ortega and Rafael Correa of Nicaragua and Ecuador respectively, both boycotted the Summit over the Cuba issue.

Democracy

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said that before Cuba can rejoin the OAS, “there should be an opportunity for a transition to a full democracy in Cuba”.

“Full democracy”?No one denies that Cuba does not have an ideal democracy (whatever that is), but then again neither does the US.Does the US (or the UK, or Europe, or Argentina, Brazil or Mexico) have a “full democracy”, when election of all their presidents, vice presidents, governors, senators, representatives and mayors is systematically, directly, and proportionally linked to how many hundreds of millions – even billions – of dollars go into their electioneering and campaigning?What kind of “democracy” is that?

Even President Barack Obama is feeling the heat of 'Money Power' this election year when he will measure himself against Mitt Romney whose greatest virtue is to have amassed a formidable personal fortune of over 250 million dollars.Clearly, political clout is not about ideas, but about huge amounts of money sloshed around Washington and New York halls of power and boardrooms – whether your personal money, as with Romney or the Bushes, or corporate money from the coffers of Halliburton, Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Enron, AIG, JPMorganChase coffers; or both.Is that what US “full democracy” is all about?

As the case of Argentina clearly shows, US-style “democracy” more often than not results in grossly corrupt governments peopled by crooks and thieves.Is the best thing that Clintonite “full democracy” can offer just “government by the rich, for the rich and of the rich”?Clearly, US “full democracy” is nothing but “the best democracy that money can buy”.

In the case of Cuba, if you consider almost half a century of US aggression against Cuba – which includes military invasion and repeated assassination attempts against Fidel Castro – then one can understand the highly defensive national security strategy of that island-country, limiting all hope for Democracy.

Can we really say that Cuban “democracy” is less “full” than US “full democracy”.Actually, many would add strong adjectives as to what US “democracy” is really “full” of…

When it comes to sins against True Democracy, who out there can throw the first stone?

War on Drugs

And it’s not just about the unjust and irrational exclusion of Cuba.It’s also about key topics like the regional security threat posed by British (and US) militarization of the South Atlantic in the Falkland/Malvinas, or worsening social problems arising from poverty, hunger, unfair and lob-sided trade relationships, or perverse cultural domination and the so-called “war on drugs”.

Narco-violence has gripped drug-producer countries like Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia and most others throughout the region.The US approach is to tackle these as military, policing and security problems inside producer countries, thus justifying US “military and security assistance” to client regimes in Colombia or Mexico.They play down, however, the fact that the key problem lies with gigantic US, UK and European demand for drugs.All coupled with huge mega-banker profits as they recycle and regurgitate trillions of dollars through their global financial system.

This not only reflects how very sick US, UK and European societies really are, but also how their so-called “soft power” – Hollywood flicks, TV series, rap music, MTV and other instruments of global Psychological Warfare – promote and install a global pro-drug culture, particularly amongst the young.

Latin America’s Sovereign Debt

Take hunger, poverty and related social problems, for example.In Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Mexico – even Brazil – they are intimately linked to the many decades of gross exploitation by the global mega-banking financial structure that engineered, consolidated and macro-managed enormous unnecessary and illegitimate Sovereign Debt frauds.They have thus skimmed hundreds of billions of dollars from our Region, thanks to local puppet and caretaker governments, financed into power through US-style money-controlled “democracy” that ensures that nothing ever changes; nothing is ever resolved.

Adrian Salbuchi for RT

Adrian Salbuchi is a political analyst, author, speaker and radio/TV commentator in Argentina. www.asalbuchi.com.ar

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the story are solely those of the author and do not necessarily

Castro announces political term limits

Cuban President Raul Castro addresses the Sixth Communist Party Congress in Cuba, April 16, 2011. Reuters Pictures

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/175336.html

Cuban President Raul Castro has proposed a series of reforms including term limits for politicians and economic changes during a Communist Party summit.

Castro told 1,000 delegates that public office terms should be limited to two 5 years in an opening speech at the Sixth Party Congress in Cuba on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.

"We have arrived at the conclusion that it is advisable to limit the fundamental political and state offices to a maximum period of two consecutive periods of five years," Castro said.

Promising to launch a “systematic rejuvenation” of the government, Castro also proposed the elimination of food ration coupons and other subsidies, saying they represented an "unbearable burden ... and a disincentive for work."

He also suggested changes to the country's socialist economy, such as decentralization and a new reliance on supply and demand in some sectors.

At the same time, Castro dismissed changes that would allow the privatization of property, and affirmed his commitment to free healthcare and education.

The term limits will not likely effect Castro's position, who was appointed as president by his older brother, former President Fidel Castro, who fell ill in 2006. Formally taking over in 2008, the younger Castro would most likely be termed out in 2018 when he is 86 years old.

The senior Castro was not able to attend the congress, but later wrote that he fully supports his brother's proposals.

Last year, Castro announced layoffs of 500,000 government workers making up 80 percent of the country's entire labor force. Earlier this month, however, he announced that the cuts would be delayed indefinitely.

Fidel says illness almost killed him

Fidel Castro

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/140751.html

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro has spoken of his illness, which forced him to leave power, for the first time, saying he "was at death's door."

"Several times I asked myself if doctors were going to let me live in those conditions or if they'd let me die,'' he told Mexico's La Jornada newspaper during a five-hour interview published on Monday, The Miami Herald reported.

"I want to tell you that you are looking at someone who has come back from the dead," he said in the interview.

The 84-year-old former president, however, stopped short of identifying the illness.

"This morning I succeeded in walking 600 steps alone, without a cane, without help," he said.

Castro went on to say that his weight fell to 66 kg (145 lb) at the lowest point, adding that he weighed almost 86 kg (190 lb) at the time being.

"Stretched out on that [hospital] bed, I could only look around me, ignorant about those medical devices. I didn't know how long that torment would last and the only thing I hoped for was for the world to stop,'' he added.

Castro officially stepped down in February 2008, and Cuba's National Assembly elected his brother Raul Castro as the new president.

Castro returned to public life on July 7, 2010 after four years of convalescence from illness.

According to the article appeared in the Mexican paper, the former leader "devours" books and reads up to 300 news articles per day.

Cuba's Castro addresses parliament

Castro spoke on the threat of nuclear war and a
subsequent change in the world order [EPA]


Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/08/20108715838881948.html


Fidel Castro, the former president of Cuba, has addressed the national assembly for the first time since stepping down as leader.

The ailing Castro, who remains head of the Communist Party, last made an official government appearance four years ago, before falling seriously ill and having to hand over the presidency to his brother Raul Castro.

In his address on Saturday, Fidel Castro, 83, talked of the threat of a nuclear holocaust and an end to the current world social order.

Castro has been warning that the world is on the brink of nuclear war for some time, stating the administration of Barack Obama, the US president, is planning to attack rivals Iran and North Korea.

World order

"When the president [Barack Obama] would give the order ... it would be tantamount to ordering the instant death not only of hundreds of millions of people including an inestimable number of residents of the United States as well, but also the crew member of all of the United States navel craft in the seas heading towards Iran," Castro said.

"Simultaneously with this, the conflagration would break out in the Middle East and Eurasia."

Castro said that the current world order "cannot last and will inevitably collapse".

He asserted that foreign exchange reserves, which have created wealth by taxing hard working publics, would also fall apart.

But he warned that were nuclear war to break out that change would be hastened.

"If war were to break out, the current world order would disappear abruptly and the price would be much greater," he said.

Al Jazeera's Latin America editor Lucia Newman said: "He looked certainly a lot better than he has in a long time and that was one of the points that he was trying to make - that although he has been out of the public eye he is still in the picture.

"It was a message to the Cuban people and the world that he should be listened to. And he was talking directly to the president of the United States."

'Long live Fidel!'

Wearing his trademark olive green military uniform, Castro had entered the chamber to cheers of "Fidel, Fidel, Fidel", and "Long live Fidel! Long live Raul!".

Castro had an assistant with him when entering the assembly, but stood independently at the podium.

He spoke for 11 minutes - a relatively short time considering his typical lengthy speeches - and Raul Castro was also present in parliament.


It is the first time the pair have been seen together in the same room since the change of power.

Castro emerged from private seclusion earlier this week, meeting with a Communist youth group among other public appearances.

He has not been able to appear publically since undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006. He renounced the presidency in 2008.

Cuba has been a one-party Communist state since 1959 when Castro ousted Fulgencio Batista, a dictator supported by the US.