FIGHTING TERRORISM AND WAR

On the same day of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the President of the Councils of State and of Government of the Republic of Cuba, in the context of his statement at the inauguration of a teacher training school, made the following remarks

"… Today is a day of tragedy for the United States. You know very well that hatred against the American people has never been sown here. Perhaps, precisely because of its culture, its lack of prejudice, its sense of full freedom - with a homeland and without a master - Cuba is the country where Americans are treated with the greatest respect. We have never preached any kind of national hatred, or anything similar to fanaticism, and that is the reason for our strength, because our conduct is based on principles and ideas. We treat all Americans who visit us with great respect, and they have noticed this and said so themselves.

Furthermore, we cannot forget the American people who put an end to the Viet Nam war with their overwhelming opposition to that genocidal war. We cannot forget the American people who - in numbers that exceeded 80% of the population - supported the return of Elián González to his homeland (applause) We cannot forget their idealism, although it is often undermined by deception, because - as we have said many times - in order for Americans to be misled to support an unjust cause, or an unjust war, they must first be deceived. The classic method used by that huge country in international politics is that of deceiving the people first, so as to have their support later. When it is the other way around, and the people realize that something is unjust, then based on their traditional idealism they oppose what they have been supporting. Often these are extremely unjust causes, which they had supported in the belief that they were doing the right thing.

Although we do not know the exact number of victims, we have seen those moving scenes of suffering. Therefore, faithful to the line we have always followed, we feel profound grief and sadness for the American people.
We do not go around flattering any government, or asking for forgiveness or favours. Nor do we harbour in our hearts a single atom of fear. The history of our Revolution has proven its capacity to stand up to challenges, its capacity to fight and its capacity to withstand whatever it has to; that is what has turned us into an invincible people. These are our principles. Our Revolution is based on ideas and persuasion, not on the use of force. I hope there is not anyone in the world crazy enough to say that 1.2 million people were forced to march along the seafront drive on July 26.

That has been our reaction, and we wanted our people to see the scenes and watch the tragedy. We have not hesitated to express our sentiments publicly, and right here I have a statement, which was drafted as soon as the facts were known and handed out to the international media around 3:00 p.m. In the meantime, our television networks were broadcasting news of the events. This statement was scheduled to be read to the Cuban public tonight during the evening TV newscast.

I am going to move the time up a few minutes by reading to you here and now the official statement of the Government of Cuba on the events that took place in the United States:

"The Government of the Republic of Cuba has learned with grief and sadness of the violent surprise attacks carried out this morning against civilian and official facilities in the cities of New York and Washington, which have caused numerous deaths.

"Cuba's position against any terrorist action is well known." Our history proves that, and those who know the history of our revolutionary struggles know it well. "It is not possible to forget that for over four decades our country has been the target of such actions fostered from within the United States territory.
"For both historical and ethical reasons, the Government of our country strongly rejects and condemns the attacks against the aforementioned facilities and hereby expresses its most heartfelt sympathies to the American people for the painful and senseless loss of human lives resulting from these attacks."

"In this bitter hour for all Americans, our people express their solidarity with the American people and their full willingness to cooperate, to the extent of their modest possibilities, with the health care institutions and other medical or humanitarian organizations in that country in the treatment, care and rehabilitation of the victims of this morning's events." (Applause)

This message has not only been made public, but it was also officially delivered this afternoon, especially since we started to hear of the huge numbers of possible casualties, and knew that hospitals were full of injured.

Although it is not known whether the casualties are 5,000, 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000, it is known that the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers and into the Pentagon were carrying hundreds of passengers, and we have offered to provide whatever help we can, if necessary.
The United States is a country of great scientific and medical development and resources, but at some point in time there might be a need for blood of a specific type or plasma - any other product that we could donate, we would be most willing to give - or medical support or paramedics. We know that many hospitals are short of specific technicians and professionals. In other words, we want to express our willingness and readiness to be helpful in relation to these tragic events.

There is a history to all of this, because as I said, we have been affected by terrorism for more than forty years. We have even stated publicly that on specific occasions we have informed the United States Government of serious risks to the lives of Americans. Here is an example; it is a page and a quarter long.

After the terrorist attacks against our hotels by the terrorist mob in Florida that organized and paid for the terrorist attacks against Cuba, as well as the assassination plots organized against me when I have needed to travel abroad, a group headed by that monster Posada Carriles - we had already caught some of his accomplices, who were foreign mercenaries, when they entered our national territory - intended to repeat the sophisticated procedure used with the bombs planted in hotels or places frequently visited by foreign tourists, like La Bodeguita del Medio Restaurant, that could explode up to 99 hours after being set up. They could travel here, plant the bomb on the plane, party for three days, and go back to their country before the bomb exploded. There was the case of a Salvadoran mercenary who planted five bombs in hotels and other public places and attempted to make them blow up almost simultaneously, one after the other. You can see how far they had gone.

We contacted the U.S. Government more than once through confidential channels, and here I have one of the direct messages that we sent to the President at that time. These were messages sent through confidential channels, not official ones, through fully trustworthy friends of ours who were also friends of the United States, and we explained in detail everything that we wanted them to convey. Part of this information has already been released to the public, but I will give you an example:
"An important issue.

"Number one: Plans for terrorist actions against Cuba continue to be hatched and paid by the Cuban American National Foundation, using Central American mercenaries. Two new attempts at setting up bombs in tourist resorts have been undertaken both before and after the Pope's visit.

"In the first case, those responsible failed. They were able to escape and return to Central America by plane, leaving behind the technical means and explosives, which were then seized.

"In the second case, three mercenaries were arrested with explosives and other means. They are Guatemalans. They would have received US$ 1,500 for every bomb exploded." (These were among the first caught, not the one who planted the most bombs.)
"In both cases they were hired and supplied by agents of the ring organized by the Cuban American National Foundation. Now, they are plotting and taking steps to set up bombs in planes from Cuba or any other airline carrying tourists between Cuba and Latin American countries.

"The method is similar: to hide a small device at a certain place inside the plane, a powerful explosive with a fuse controlled by a digital clock that can be programmed up to 99 hours in advance, then easily abandon the plane at its destination. The explosion would occur either on the ground or while the plane is in flight to its next destination. Really devilish procedures: easy-to-handle mechanisms, components whose detection is practically impossible, minimum training required for their use, almost absolute impunity. Extremely dangerous to airlines and to tourist facilities or of any other type. Tools suitable for crimes, very serious crimes.

"If these tactics were revealed and their potential became known" (we did not want to reveal the technology used) "they could become an epidemic, as was the case previously with the hijacking of planes. Other Cuban extremist groups living in the United States are beginning to move in that direction.

"The American investigation and intelligence agencies are in possession of enough reliable information on the main people responsible. If they really want to, they have the possibility of preventing in time this new modality of terrorism. It will be impossible to stop it if the United States doesn't discharge its fundamental duty of fighting it. The responsibility to fight it can't be left to Cuba alone, since any other country of the world might also become a victim of such actions."

We passed this information on to them, and they were so concerned that they even consulted with us on the advisability of sending the airlines a text issued by the U.S. Government.
They sent us the text in which the airlines were informed of the following: "We have received unconfirmed information of a plot to place explosive devices aboard civilian aircraft operating between Cuba and Latin American countries. Those involved in the plot plan to plant a small explosive device on board an aircraft..." (Basically, they explained what we had reported to them.)

"We cannot discard the possibility that the threat could include international air carrier operations from the United States.

"The United States Government continues to seek further information to clarify and substantiate or refute this threat."

We told them we were opposed to publicizing this warning because one of the objectives of the individuals was to sow panic, and we explained that there were other ways to deal with the situation, as we had done: we place the necessary guards wherever there was a risk that these bombs would be planted, we checked and we knew who might plant them and who were involved in the plots. We were watchful, which is what has to be done, in order not to sow panic or create an uproar and give the perpetrators what they wanted, which was to affect the economy of the country and spread terror.

They published the information anyway. That's okay, we had already considerably reinforced our mechanisms for capturing the individuals, and after that they were not able to place one little bomb more, and we have the guards where they are needed. When they went to try that attack there in Panama, we knew more than they themselves did about what they were plotting. That is perfectly clear.

There is the mob in Miami trying to gain freedom for the terrorists who were caught red-handed and arrested in Panama. They are already planning how to do it, which country to evacuate them through and how to do it, by pretending to be sick and moving around. They receive visitors from Miami freely. They even took part in sending armed infiltrators to Cuba a few months ago, by way of Santa Clara.

Thanks to our many friends everywhere and to men like those who are there [he is referring to the Cuban patriots imprisoned in Miami for seeking information on terrorist plans against Cuba], the country has defended itself from that terrorism.
I point this out because there is a reality, there are other papers and notes. Sometimes we have sent them messages verbally, and sometimes we have put it in writing; one of the arguments we have used is irrefutable: the United States is the country that has the greatest number of organized extremist groups, and 400 of them are armed.

Airplane hijackings, a method that was invented against Cuba, became a universal plague, and it was Cuba which finally solved the problem when, after repeated warnings, we returned two hijackers to the United States. It was hard - they were Cuban citizens - but we had warned them. They came and we sent them back, keeping the word we had given in public, but never, not even afterwards, did they ever give us any news for their family members. They have their own modus operandi. Nobody knows. I know they were sentenced to 40 years, and that was what finally ended the airplane hijackings.

But listen, there they have 800 extremist groups. Some of them have shut themselves up somewhere for some reason, they have set fire to themselves, they have all died. These are groups that for one reason or another - many of them for political reasons, sometimes for religious reasons, but violent groups - they are prone to use force or prepare poison, things to act against the American authorities themselves. I'm not talking about the mob; I'm talking about hundreds of organized extremist groups that are acting inside the United States. Not long ago they blew up that building in Oklahoma.

The country that is most vulnerable to terrorism is the United States. It is the one that has the most airplanes, that relies most heavily on technical resources, electric power systems, gas pipelines and so forth. And many members of those groups are fascists, they don't mind killing; mentally they must be much closer to madness than to balanced intelligence. We have told the American authorities: you need to avoid publicizing those methods - we used that argument -, they are so easy to use, it's dangerous for you.
Right now, when I came here, there were no grounds for saying who might have placed those bombs, because it might be an action that was planned and carried out by some of those groups, which have already done it before, like in Oklahoma, or it might be groups from abroad. But it is obvious, from the details we have received, that this was organized very effectively. I would say there was plenty of organization and good timing; this is characteristic of people who know, who are trained, who had pilots that were able to handle those big Boeings, who coordinated the exact times when they would act. They undoubtedly hijacked the plane on the air route they were travelling, and they had pilots who could fly those airplanes directly into a tower or other targets, and a few minutes later, almost at the same time, aim another one at the Pentagon.

In other words, these are people who are well-trained technically; they are well organized and they don't necessarily have to operate in large groups. Nobody knows how much damage small groups can do, say 20, 25 or 30 fanatics or people committed to certain ideas, and the place where they can do the most damage is the United States. You can tell they figured out at what time there would be more people in the offices, around 9 o'clock, they knew the damage they could do, the thousands of victims they could cause.

Actually, it will be important now to look for clues, some clue, because this event has special characteristics. That is why it seems to me that the most important duty of the leaders in the United States is to fight against terrorism. These tragedies are partly a consequence of their having applied terrorist methods, in the case of Cuba for a whole lot of years, and in other countries. Because they have spread the idea of terrorism, and there is no power in the world today, no matter how big, that can avoid such acts, because they are carried out by fanatics, people who are completely indifferent to death. So it is hard to fight against such methods.
There is one idea we can get out of all this: none of the problems facing the world today can be solved by the use of force. No global power, no technological power, no military power can guarantee full immunity against such acts, because they can be carried out by small groups that cannot easily be discovered. The problem is complicated by the fact that the perpetrators are prepared to commit suicide. So the international community must make a concerted effort to put an end to a number of conflicts that are going on throughout the world, at least in that field. To put an end to world terrorism (applause), to create awareness throughout the world of the need to fight terrorism. And I am speaking on behalf of a country that has lived the Revolution for more than 40 years and has gained a lot of experience, a country that is united and has a high cultural level. We are not fanatics; we have not sown fanaticism, but rather ideas, convictions, principles.

We would be better able to defend ourselves, and we have proven it - how many lives have been saved! - even when faced with so much money and so many resources to spread terrorism in our country! We have lived 40 years of experience, we are ten times more prepared to prevent such acts than even the United States.

It is very important to know how the United States Government will react. There may be dangerous times ahead for the world; I'm not talking about Cuba. Cuba is the calmest country in the world, for a number of reasons: because of our policies, our methods of struggle, our doctrine, our ethics. And especially, fellow citizens, because there is absolutely no fear here.

Nothing disturbs us, nothing intimidates us. It would be hard to fabricate a slander against Cuba, not even the person who invented it and held the patent to it would believe it, it's very hard. And Cuba today is not just a nobody in the world (applause), it is in a very strong moral position, a very solid political position. I can't even imagine it, even if it came from one of the simpletons in the mob trying to cook up a plot, and I think he even mentioned Venezuela and Cuba, one of the many despicable bigmouths in the mob. Nobody is going to pay the least bit of attention to them. But there are bound to be tense situations, risks, depending on how the United States Government acts.

The next few days will be tense ones within the United States and outside the United States. A whole lot of people will start saying what they think.

Whenever a tragedy like this occurs, no matter how difficult it sometimes is to prevent it, I see no other way but to keep calm. If I one might be allowed to make a suggestion to an adversary that has been tough with us for so many years, but knows we are tough too, that we can withstand anything - we are not stupid, and they may even have some respect for our country - there are many problems in many places, but if it were all right to make a suggestion to the adversary, for the sake of the American people, I would suggest, based on the arguments I have just mentioned, that those who are leading the powerful empire should keep calm, act with equanimity, and not let themselves be carried away by rage or hatred, nor start a manhunt and throw bombs all over the place.

I repeat, none of the world's problems, not even terrorism, can be solved through force, and any action of force, any foolish action using force, anywhere, would seriously aggravate the problems of the world.
The way to deal with this is not through force or war. I say this here with the authority of someone who has always spoken with honesty, who has strong convictions and has lived through the years of struggle that Cuba has experienced. Only through reason, only through an intelligent policy that relies on the strength of consensus and international public opinion can the problem be eliminated at its roots. This unprecedented act should give rise to an international determination to fight terrorism. But the international struggle against terrorism cannot be conducted by getting rid of an occasional terrorist here and there, killing one here and another one there, applying their own methods and sacrificing innocent lives in the process. The battle must be waged by putting an end, among other things, to State terrorism and other abhorrent types of killing, by putting an end to genocide, by loyally following a policy of peace and respect for moral and legal norms which must not be broken. There is no hope for the world outside of international peace and cooperation."