Cuba Vs. Terrorism

[Conghaileach]

(Transcript taken from Cuba's anti-terrorist website:
www.antiterroristas.cu and also available in Word:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/files/ )
======================

Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada
CUBA vs. TERRORISM
September 13th, 2002

Ricardo Alarcón, the President of the Cuban Parliament, was present at
the launching of this website on September 13th, 2002, and participated
in this forum answering questions put to him by the many people that
visited
www.antiterroristas.cu :

Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada: For those of you awaiting my
response to your questions, please be assured that I will
answer each and every one put to me - even after the
inauguration of this website is over.
---------
-------

Nicholas Barry: The war on terror was first undertaken by
Reagan, as a substitute for the Cold War -- that is, as a
vehicle for scaring the public and thus marshalling support
for programs contrary to the public's interest -- foreign
campaigns, war spending in general, surveillance, and so on.
Now we are seeing a larger and more aggressive attempt to
move in the same direction. Does the problem that we are the
world's foremost source of attacks on civilians auger
complications for carrying through this effort? Can the
effort be sustained without, in fact, a shooting war?

Alarcón: Unfortunately, Cuba has a lot of experience in
terms of having to defend itself and preventing terrorists
acts organized from abroad against our country. During the
past 43 years, we have managed to do this thanks to the
participation of the people that support a government whose
policies respond to the interests and needs of the
overwhelming majority. The war and the use of military force
is not the solution to the problem of terrorism.

It is necessary and possible for governments, civil
societies and people from all over the Planet who
unanimously reject terrorism to unite in a common front.
Terrorist groups, which account for a minor part of the
population, would be totally isolated and would not receive
support from anyone. But, in order to accomplish this,
governments should be required to adopt effective measures
against all forms of terrorism and against all terrorists
regardless the causes and motivations they may argue to try
to justify their actions.
------
---------

Camilo PF: I am a "Marielito" and already living in Miami,
Hero's Day was declared because of Dr. Bosch, the one who
planted the bomb on the Cuban airliner and who has been
speaking in different media outlets. Did you know that? What
do you think?

Alarcón: Yes, I did. I think it's shameful that Orlando
Bosch, who blew up a civil airliner while in flight and who
also committed other crimes with bombs and rockets in the
U.S., walks a free man and that five Cubans are in prison
for having tried to prevent crimes like Bosch's. The radio
and newspapers in Miami continue publishing daily statements
and announcements by Bosch, and other of his kin, about the
new acts they are planning. For example, his confessed
commitment to terrorism against Cuba published in the Miami
Herald on August 22nd last year. He reiterated this on June
16th this year in the Diario de las Américas, which
published a document he had previously read on Radio Mambí
on June 6th.

--------

"Nose Nada": Explain why you have the site and why you
chose to announce it on such an important and solemn day for
the free world?

Alarcón: We have been publicizing this site since September
2nd. September 11th is a very important day for the entire
world and not just for part of it.

Cuba has condemned, from the very outset, the atrocious
terrorist attacks suffered by the people of the United
States on 9/11. It is not just a strong and absolute
position officially taken by the government, but by all
Cuban people as well.

Cuban solidarity on this issue is profound and sincere,
since nobody can feel deeper the suffering caused on 9/11
than can Cubans, This is because Cuba has suffered more
terrorist acts and for a longer period of time - 43 years -
than anyone.

I lived in New York for fourteen and a half years and have
been visiting the city for fully half my life. I feel great
pain for the many, many friends I have there. I was in New
York on the 11th September 1974 when the terrorist group
Omega 7 was created. I take this date to also remember the
11th September 1973 in Chile and the coup d'etat, which
included the bombing of the presidential palace, planting
terror in the population with the assassination of thousands
of people.

Between 1974 and 1979, Omega 7 exploded bombs at the Cuban
Mission in New York as well as at other Cuban offices in
Manhattan. No one was ever arrested for more than 60 acts of
terrorism in which US citizens were killed and many other
lives put at risk.

On the 11th September 1980 my friend Félix García was
assassinated in full daylight on Queens Blvd. Those who
ordered his death walk the streets to this day planning new
crimes.

On the 12th September 1998 five Cubans were arrested for the
only "crime" of working to prevent and avoid these kinds of
terrorists actions against Cuba that have also caused the
deaths, as I said, of US citizens.

"All men are created equal," says the most famous document
in US history. This means that everyone has the right to
life and we should all fight together against those who seek
to kill - wherever they may be, whoever they may be and for
whatever motive they may have. Nobody should be imprisoned
for seeking to save lives at the great risk of their own.

------

Ken Bradstreet: If these five individuals were proved to
have carried out the espionage charges against them, on what
does their government base the accusation of unjust
imprisonment?

Alarcón: Not one of them had the accusations of espionage
proved against them - or anything resembling that. It is the
first time in the history of the United States that someone
has been condemned as a "spy" without witnesses or evidence
or any kind of material proof brought against them. No
"secret" documents taken, no recruits, nothing. Top military
personnel and official experts called onto the witness stand
testified that, on the contrary, the evidence presented
indicated absolutely no espionage activity.

------

Peter Filderman: If Cuba has been the victim of so many
terrorist attacks, why is it not cooperating with the United
States since September 11th? Why is it not part of the
Anti-Terrorist Coalition?

Alarcón: Both before and after September 11th, Cuba has on
numerous occasions attempted to cooperate with the United
States by passing along precise information on terrorist
groups that operate freely on US territory against Cuba, as
well as information, when we have it, on plans made by
others against the United States - specifically an
assassination attempt planned against former President
Reagan. Cuba has laws on its books that very severely punish
terrorism in any form and against whomever without
exception. We have ratified all international treaties on
this and cooperate with the United Nations Security Council
in the application of it's Resolution against terrorism.
Conforming to this Resolution, the Cuban government proposed
a bilateral cooperation agreement with Washington that the
State Department has completely ignored.

Soon after September 11th, we submitted to the United
States, upon request, all information that we had - although
this was logically scarce, for unlike Washington, Cuba never
had a relationship of any type with the Taliban regime nor
with al-Qaeda and therefore there was little we could
contribute. At the same time as immediately condemning the
September 11th attacks, Cuba put its airports at the
disposal of those who may need them and offered medical help
to the United States. Fidel Castro called for a broad and
real antiterrorist coalition to include all political,
religious, intellectual and social forces. However, the Bush
administration preferred to go to war - a position we
consider erroneous and unjustified.

----------

Gary Solomon: For how long were these five men spying for
the Cuban Government?

Alarcón: They never spied. The laws of the United States
define such a crime as "to obtain or to try to obtain secret
information from the government of the United States with
the express purpose of causing damage to the United States."
During the trial no evidence or witness was presented to
indicate such an act was ever carried out or even attempted.
On the contrary, several witness - including retired
military personnel of high rank, as well as Government
experts - testified they had not found any proof of
espionage after examining the documentation presented by the
Prosecution. It should be noted that two of the Cubans -
René González and Fernando González - were not accused of
anything that related to alleged espionage and the other
three were not accused of spying but of "conspiracy to
commit espionage."

-------------

Gennaro Carotenuto: Dear Mr President, September 11th was
two days ago. Except for the newspapers "Liberazione",
Italy, "Der Standard", Austria, and "The Independent",
England, the international and European media ignored the
Chilean event completely. Had it not been for the end of the
Ken Loach film "September 11th", starring Vladimir Vega, a
former political prisoner, I found almost no mention of such
an important and dramatic event in Chile, which was a clear
instance of state terrorism. Once more we are witnessing an
attempt to hide historical memory from the people. The
authors of "antiterroristas.cu" have taken the opposite
direction by trying to systematically publish valuable
information so the phenomenon known as state terrorism -
from the Condor Plan to the failed coup in Venezuela - is
exposed in its full dimension.

However, and here's my question, how do you envision from
your post and from Cuba the struggle between the
single-minded big media conglomerates and the alternative
media that, although quick to act, account for minimum
ratings compared to the avalanche of commercial TV?

Alarcón: Thank you for your comments.

It is a hard and difficult struggle. In 1969 Brzeziniski had
already anticipated the power that the media would acquire
in "manipulating the feelings and controlling reason" by
operating on isolated individuals. Preventing isolation,
connecting, and organizing itself is the big challenge for
the alternative media. That demands creativity, something
people will never renounce. "Que no haya soledad" (Away
with Isolation) as the Silvio Rodríguez song goes.

Gennaro Carotenuto: Mr. President, many signs indicate that
new forms of state terrorism are risking the democratic
system in Latin America at a crucial moment of crisis of the
neo-liberal model.

>From those murdered in Buenos Aires to the failed coup in
the Bolivarian Republic, the plan Colombia itself, the list
of signs is worrying. What is the position and the
perception from Cuba, especially concerning the need to
break the isolation that the island is being pushed into by
such policies?

Alarcón: I don't think Cuba is isolated. I'd rather say
that the U.S. policy toward Cuba is more isolated and so is
the model imposed on the [Latin American] continent. There
is another danger: resorting to force and the return to a
more repressive regime as the economic crisis and social
revolt intensify.

------------

Lucia Newman: Do you think it is possible to win what the
president of the American Lawyers Guild calls "the political
struggle" in favor of the five Cubans before the second
stage -"the legal struggle," that is, the appeal process -
begins?

Alarcón: The political struggle will be won as the truth
about the case is, I trust, known.

--------------

Francisco Aruca: Dr. Alarcón, generally the Cuban government
has accused the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF),
or people linked to it, of being committed to terrorist
actions against Cuba. What is the situation now after the
CANF divided?

Alarcón: Neither of the two CANF wings has renounced
terrorism against Cuba and both contain known terrorists who
are still active. In fact, we now face two CANFs committed
to terrorism. What happened was a case of fission.

--------------

Anya Landau, Center for International Policy: Does Cuba
continue to support the peace process in Colombia? How does
the FARC fit into the process?

Alarcón: Yes, we continue to support the peace process in
Colombia. We maintain contacts with the government of
Colombia and are prepared to contribute to that goal, which
of course depends on the Colombian participants involved.
The government of that country has recognized our commitment
to peace in Colombia.

Anya Landau, Center for International Policy: What is the
Cuban position on the violent tactics used by independence
groups like the ETA, IRA and FARC?

Alarcón: Cuba has always condemned and opposed terrorism of
any kind and believed in peaceful political resolution of
international conflicts.

Anya Landau, Center for International Policy: "Did Fidel
Castro really tell an audience in Iran in May 2001 that Cuba
and Iran could 'bring America to its knees?"

Alarcón: Fidel Castro did not say that. He has never used
such language. On the contrary he has praised America and
the American people time and again.

That invented phrase was a complete fabrication of the Cuban
American National Foundation that nobody else has sustained.

--------------

Thomas Larkin: Isn't embargos a form of terrorism? This is
especially true with a nation that has a low GNP. It is even
worse when it is a large and powerful nation against a small
nation whose only threat is a political system that provides
for more of its poor.

-------------

Sidney, from Raleigh (North Carolina): Do you believe that
these five Cubans were given every legal guarantee during
their trial?

Alarcón: For 17 months the five Cubans were held in
solitary confinement. The trial was held in Miami in a
completely hostile environment, which was aggravated by an
intense propaganda campaign stimulated by the Attorney
General's office. The supposed evidence was classified as
"secret", enabling the government to edit, select and
manipulate it at will. The Defense was denied the right to
present a number of documents and witnesses, and those who
did testify received threats quite openly in the courtroom.
The jury was subjected to coercion in the very courthouse
itself - even the judge complained of this. The Cubans were
condemned and sentenced - which is currently under review by
the Court of Appeals - and the requests of the Defense to
see the so-called "evidence" has still not been granted some
four years later.

-------------

Manuel Alberto Ramy. Radio Progreso Alternativa: President,
terrorism generally uses violence? How could one go separate
of the other? Is there a legal norm universally accepted and
compulsory to all countries?

Alarcón: There is not a legal norm accepted by every
country. Cuba has insisted in the UN that a definition
should be found, but I think there is a basic consensus
about some aspects of terrorism such as the use of violence
or the violence threat against defenseless people to obtain
certain demands by the terrorists. Wars for independence or
the resistance against the Nazi involved violence, but they
cannot compare to a bomb in a Miami theater or the barbaric
act of 9/11, terrorist acts, indeed.

-------------

Nils Andrey: The people of the US were deeply affected by
what happened on September 11th and the threat of new
terrorist attacks and seek the cooperation of the world to
punish those responsible. We're tired of just declarations
against terrorism. Is Cuba ready to act, to cooperate with
the United States in this?

Alarcón: We are doing everything we can. On September 11,
that very same morning, we opened our air space. We offered
our airports for any plane heading to the United States that
could not land there because the American airports were
closed as a result of the attacks. We also offered
humanitarian medical assistance, if necessary. When the
United States informed us that they were going to use
Guantánamo base, in Cuba, to accommodate prisoners who were
captured and accused of terrorism, we accepted. We have
facilitated the considerable increase in air traffic that
has taken place to and from that area of the Cuban territory
as a result of their transfer there. We have publicly stated
that on the very improbable event that one prisoner might
escape into territory under Cuban jurisdiction, we would
return him to the US authorities. Likewise we have offered
our cooperation to ensure adequate sanitary conditions on
the base.

We have made the proposal, and we stand by it, for bilateral
cooperation in the struggle against terrorism. We have
presented other proposals through the diplomatic channel,
but I would not like to elaborate on them because as of now
they have a restricted character.

-----------------

Nils Andrey: Thank you for the rapid reply. I have another:

According to Cuba there are a number of terrorist groups
that are allowed to act from US territory - do they just do
so against Cuba? Are other countries also targeted?

Alarcón: But not only against Cuba. On September 4th, a
week ago, Rodolfo Frometa, leader of terrorist group Comando
F-4, announced in a press conference plans against Venezuela
and threatened Brazil. That person is a confessed and
convicted terrorist. In 1994 he was arrested while trying to
purchase from an FBI undercover agent C-4 explosives,
anti-aircraft rocket launchers and anti-armor weapons. On
this occasion, he was "sentenced" in a plea agreement to one
year of house arrest. On March 27th, 2001, during the trial
against the five Cubans, Mr. Frometa offered detailed
information, as a witness, about the terrorist activities of
groups Comando F-4 and Alpha-66. The outcome of the trial
surely stimulated him to continue carrying out acts against
Cuba and extend their terrorist activities against other
countries.

And also against the United States: dozens of attacks have
taken place on US territory and in Puerto Rico - the
majority of which have been committed with impunity. Orlando
Letelier was assassinated along with a US citizen Ronni
Moffit by a car bomb placed in Washington DC. Those who
committed this act live in Miami freely and have even made
public comments about this. Noone was charge with the
killings for which Carlos Muniz Varela of Omega 7 in Puerto
Rico took responsibility. These crimes have caused great
losses of lives and property to people living in the US.

-------------

Albert A. Fox, Jr. President, Alliance for Responsible Cuba
Policy: There are many rumors in Washington, DC and Florida
that Cuba has secret training grounds for al Qaida
terrorists. Could you please comment?

Alarcón: I have never heard such a ridiculous accusation
before. Cuba does not have and never has had any connection
with al-Qaida. It is a fact that it was the CIA that helped
create and train them. By the way, the 9-11 hijackers were
not trained here, but in the U.S.

-----------

Tracey Eaton, The Dallas Morning News: There are fugitives
from the USA in Cuba. Some have been condemned for homicide
and the United States wants Cuba to return them to their
country to confront the charges. Is there a possibility of a
prisoner exchange - the Miami Five for the US citizens in
Cuba?

Alarcón: Cuba and the U.S. have had a bilateral extradition
treaty that was ignored and killed de facto by the U.S.
since Jan.1, 1959, before Fidel Castro descended from the
Sierra Maestra Mountains. The U.S. began receiving with open
arms each and every Batista fugitive. Since that time, the
U.S. has never sent back any criminal from Cuba.

We have proposed specific draft bilateral cooperation
agreements on terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal
migration that may cover that area. The U.S. has refused
even to consider our proposals.

------------

Nelson Valdes, New Mexico: 1) It has been said that the
Cuban government never officially requested U.S. authorities
that criminals and torturers who fled Cuba in 1959 be
returned to the island. What happened in relation to this?

2) Terrorist acts against Cuba by, or sponsored by, U.S
citizens are unknown in the United States. Can you provide
details about the first US citizens who participated in
terrorist acts in Cuba?

3) Even though Fidel Castro mentioned in a speech that the
FBI was given information concerning Cuban-born individuals
living in the U.S. who had been involved in terrorist
activities, this information is not public domain. Is it
possible to have access to it?

Alarcón: Nelson, I can assure you that the MINREX (Ministry
of Foreign Affairs) files with the diplomatic notes
requesting the return of the criminals plus attached
proofs -including court sentences given to these individuals
before 1959- are so bulky that can cover the distance from
here to New Mexico. Dr, Roberto Agramonte, Cuba's first
Foreign Minister in 1959, devoted a considerable part of
his tenure to this respect.

-----------

David Christian: I recently read an interview in which Noam
Chomsky claimed that Cuba was the country against which the
most terrorist acts had been committed. Is this true? If so,
why has its government not sought to cooperate with the
United States' authorities to avoid these acts?

Alarcón: Mr Chomsky's statement is true if one takes into
account the terrorism against Cuba that has been perpetrated
from overseas against the island. Especially as those that
attack us have the backing of a country as powerful as the
United States. Numerous declassified official reports and
documents have been published that thoroughly prove this.
And has been taking place since 1959.

Concerning the cooperation, this is precisely what we have
been trying to do for the last 43 years via numerous
diplomatic requests that have almost all been turned down by
Washington. This is why we have found the need to take our
case to the United Nations - the most recent instance being
in 1992 at the Security Council when I was the UN
Ambassador. At that time we made specific requests in an
attempt to obtain the cooperation of Washington to put a
stop to the terrorist activities of Orlando Bosch, Luis
Posada Cariles and the so-called organization, Brothers to
the Rescue.

---------------

Nestor Rius: In what stage is the appeal process at the
Court of Atlanta and what possibilities do the five Cubans
have? My name is Nestor Rius. I'm a journalist with AIN and
I would also like to know if I could publish your answer in
a news wire. Thank you.

Alarcón: The Court of Atlanta establishes a calendar for
the parties to present their arguments. The Court needs
first to receive the file of the trial held in Miami. This
file has not yet been sent from Miami because the problem
concerning the supposed "evidence" that is still kept secret
has not been solved.

-----------------

Ricardo Sánchez: Mr. President, it is known that Cuba has
repeatedly expressed, as you just indicated, its desire to
cooperate with the U.S. in the fight against terrorism.

If the U.S. State Department accepted your cooperation, what
measures would such cooperation entail? Would it only
concern the exclusive situation of both nations?

Alarcón: We have submitted to the U.S. a draftproject for
bilateral cooperation to fight terrorism that would
establish concrete measures to avoid and punish any
terrorist activities. The Security Council resolution
approved by a U.S. initiative after 9/11 asked member
nations to do exactly what we have proposed. If every
country did the same it would be very difficult that
terrorist actions occurred anywhere.

------

Anthony Boadle: What role has Otto Reich played in relation
to terrorist acts against Cuba?

Alarcón: Otto Reich has old and close relationships with
the worst anti-Cuban terrorists, in particular with Orlando
Bosch and Luis Posada Carriles. From his post in the State
Department, which he got thanks to the influence of the
extreme right wing in Miami, one should suppose that he is
supporting their actions as he's always done.

------------------

Francis: There has been much talk about whether or not
espionage took place. But the most important point,
especially here in Miami, was the murder they committed
against four young Brothers to the Rescue pilots.

Alarcón: Your question touches on a very important point,
which is the violation of the defendants' right to have the
trial moved to a city other than Miami. The right to a
change of venue is normally granted to any defendant. The
prejudice and hostility against Cuba in Miami is well known
and well documented. One only need recall the Elian Gonzalez
case, the bombs, the insults and the threats against those
attending concerts by Cuban artists. That's why the Latin
Grammy awards had to be moved to Los Angeles.

Amid this climate, the Prosecutor introduced the murder
accusation -by the way, not against the five, but only
against Gerardo Hernandez- and unleashed a campaign of
propaganda and mobilizations, which intensified the
prejudice and hostility.

It would take a lot of time to explain the long history of
provocations and violations committed by Brothers to the
Rescue. I just want to say that what occurred that day was
an action by the Cuban government that was justified and
legitimate, in defense of its sovereignty and on which it
had previously and publicly issued warnings. Neither Gerardo
nor any of the other four had anything whatsoever to do with
this action.

In addition, this accusation against Gerardo was never
proven. The prosecution itself acknowledged as much in
writing when the court's proceedings concluded and it tried
to modify the original charges, In this document, among
other things, the prosecution openly recognized that "in
light of the evidence presented in this trial, this presents
an insurmountable hurdle for the United States in this case,
and will likely result in the failure of the prosecution on
this count."

---------------

Anya Landau, Center for International Policy: What can you
tell us about the Havana hotel bombings in 1997?
Specifically, are there active terrorist cells operating in
Cuba?

Alarcón: If you want additional details you can read the
New York Times front page interview with Posada Carrilles on
12 and 13 of July 1998. He ordered and organized those
bombings that wounded some people and killed a young
Italian.

Obviously I don't know about their activities but according
to what they openly announce in Miami and the explicit
recognition of the US government during the trial of the
five, the Miami terrorist groups are very active in trying
to operate in Cuba.

-------------

Journalists in the Website Opening: I'm an American and I
worry constantly since 9-11. I have two small children and
worry about them because of clear threats to our safety. I
have no time to worry about 5 Cubans here. We have a lot of
other prisoners. I think this is something between the US
and Cuban governments and has little to do with 9-11.

At first glance I like your website.

Alarcón: I understand your concern but the problems between
Cuba and the US since 1959 have had EVERYTHING to do with
terrorism with both Cuban and US residents being the
victims. These five Cubans are in prison for fighting
against Cuban exile terrorist groups that freely operate in
Miami.

The best homage to the victims of the horrendous 9/11 attack
would be to eradicate all manifestations of terrorism.

During the trial of the five Cubans, it was clearly
demonstrated that the Florida authorities protect terrorists
and punish those who fight against them within the US.

For example, the US government petitioned that in addition
to his sentence of the 14th December 2001, that the
following be included in Rene Gonzalez' sentence:

"As a further condition of supervised release the defendant
is prohibited from associating with or visiting specific
places where individuals or group such as terrorists,
members of organizations advocating violence and organized
crime figures are known to be, or frequent."

Rene Gonzalez, a US citizen, was convicted exclusively for
penetrating terrorist groups in Miami in order to uncover
their plans and prevent their crimes. For doing so, he was
condemned to 15 years in prison and the addition prohibition
against acting against these groups. The government,
according to the sentence, knows who the terrorists are,
knows where they are but does nothing against them. On the
contrary, it protected them from Rene Gonzalez.

--

José Pertierra: Dear Mr Alarcón,

Thank you for spending your time with us. I would like you
to comment on the reasons the government of the USA
justified its denial of a visa to Adriana Pérez. With your
knowledge of international law, I ask that you comment on
the violations of international rights that the US has
committed by depriving Gerardo Hernández a visit by his
wife.

What possibilities do you see in the appeal? To my way of
thinking the fundamental problem of the trial is that the
anti-Cuban environment that exists in Miami necessarily
contaminates any jury selected there. The US government
itself has recognized this in a recent case involving an
agent of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Sincerely

José Pertierra
>>>>
Alarcón: Dear Mr Pertierra

Adriana was granted a visa, and with her passport arrived at
Houston airport where she was held for 11 hours before being
sent back to Mexico.

There are norms of International law, and the specific norms
relating to the treatment of prisoners prohibit "cruel and
unusual punishment", as does the United States Constitution.
This case is obviously cruel and unusual. Gerardo and
Adriana have been condemned never to see each other again.

As far as the appeal is concerned, if the judicial system is
to work then the trial should be annulled for the numerous
procedural violations that took place along with the very
severe penalties for supposed crimes that were never proved
to have been committed. The jury was contaminated and was
also the object of pressure, which the judge herself
acknowledged. The recent case of the INS agent proves that
the government knows and recognizes that a fair trial in
Miami is inconceivable.

-------------------

Michael Richardson: We all know that, despite several calls
by independent factions for peace, Cuba and the United
States aren't, shall we say, the, er, best of friends. What
about relations between other nations? What ties does Cuba
have to other nations and is there any attempt at gathering
support in conjunction with them to stop terrorism, at home
(wherever home may be to anyone) and abroad?

Thank you,

Alarcón: Cuba has normal relations with practically every
other country on earth, the US is the exception. With a
number of those countries - including some close US allies -
we cooperate and work together in fighting terrorism.

------------------

"Que Tal": Some simple questions: Is there an oficial Cuban
government website? Or is this the best place to find
official information on government perspectives relating to
various issues, including that of it's perception on
terrorism?

Also, is there information on how to get in touch with
government figures? For example, her in the USA any person
can write to the White House or a member of Congress via
e-mail or regular mail. Does this option exist for Fidel
Castro or government officials? Gracias

Alarcón: The Cuban government receives messages through
many routes - including personal contacts - and are replied
to by those who receive them.

-------------------

Rosa Mari Pesquera: I know of the manipulation that the
government of the United States carries out every time it
commits an injustice - doing everything to hide its real
role. It speaks of democracy and justice and at the same
time hides it's hand in murder. In Puerto Rico we have the
cases of Santiago (Chagui) Mari Pesquera, my brother and son
of Juan Mari Brás (the well-known independence leader),
Carlos Muñiz Varela (a Cuban who defended a policy of
openness with the government of Cuba), Angel Rodríguez
Cristobal (who fought to rid the island of Vieques of the US
Navy), and more, who were assassinated with the complicity
and participation of federal agents. None of these cases
have been solved and the FBI refuses to provide information
it has in its control. (For more information, see:
www.verdadyjusticia.org )

Initiatives such as this Forum are positive sources to
create consciousness and confront the United States with its
own terrorist acts.

Rosa Mari desde Puerto Rico

----

Gennaro Carotenuto: Mr President, Allow me to reflect on
the unique nature of this event (forum).

According to popular thought you are one of the leaders of
the so-called "Tropical Gulag" - a bloody, communist
dictatorship that does not respect human rights and the
freedom of opinion and the press.

Yet you, the President of the Parliament, are answering both
comfortable and uncomfortable questions from people that
have not been screened. Frankly, in no Western Democracy
would this be possible.

----

Ileana Luis, Nueva York: Buenos días compañero Ricardo
Alarcón. It is a pleasure and an honor to participate in
this Forum with you. My name is Ileana Luis and I am a
member of the Casa de las Américas in NYC.

The object of this message is to let you and Cuba know that
although far from our country there are those of us that
defend you. We fight for the release of the five courageous
Cubans and will not rest until we achieve this - just as we
did with Elian from here, as José Martí put it, "in the
belly of the beast".

These five Cubans give us energy to continue the fight to
defend our homeland. No matter the dirty campaign carried
out by the right wing here versus their fight against
terrorism - the more world opinion learns about their case,
the more it allies itself to the struggle for their freedom.

On September 12th we had a Forum in New York in the same
voice with many other countries. It is a lot of work but not
impossible and we will continue until justice has been done.

I do not want to go without inviting you to visit our
modest website that we built to inform the world from here
of the truth about Cuba and correct the disinformation that
is disseminated by dirty propaganda against our country and
its brave people. It also has a corner dedicated to the
Five.

The address is: www.cubasocialista.com

Un abrazo revolucionario,
Ileana Luis
¡¡¡HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE!!!

[pastradamus]

AMEN comrade.

[Frosty]

Interesting sites. Interesting paste-in.

Do they speak Spanish, Portuguese or Cuban in Cuba?