Cuban Diplomat Speaks in San Antonio

On November 15, the first Secretary of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, Dagoberto Rodriguez, visited San Antonio, Texas as part of a speaking tour of this state.

On November 15, the first Secretary of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, Dagoberto Rodriguez, visited San Antonio, Texas as part of a speaking tour of this state. Speaking in Spanish, he contrasted the gains of the Cuban revolution with the impoverishment resulting from demands made by powerful lending countries, such as the U.S. and Germany, in the wake of the special period. Extreme poverty worsens in countries such as Brazil, Mexico and India because of cuts in health care, food rations, and education forced upon them by the corporate-controlled World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In contrast, the people of Cuba, even under the harsh conditions of the economic embargo, fare much better.

Rodriguez acknowledged that the passing of the Helms-Burton Law has worsened relations between the U.S. Government and Cuba, and made life on the island even more difficult. However, he observed that Cuba doesn't want "favorable trade relations," wiht the U.S. so much as it wants, "to be left in peace and allowed to continue its internal reforems and normalize relations with Miami." He added that, "these are basic rights of any country that is sovereign and free."

He spoke openly about the "Brothers to the Rescue" incident in February when two aircrafts were shot down in Cuban territory. The plane were shot down as they approached a part of the island which was heavily populated by carnival revelers, and who were seen as being at risk of a possible terrorist act by the renegade aviators. The Brothers to the Rescue pilots had gone so far as flying over Havana dumping pamphlets, and had ignored all warnings to stop. The Miami airport claims that it had had no knowledge of the planes taking off, and therefore did not tell Cuban air traffic controllers of the planes impending arrival. This oversight on the part of the U.S. only made the flight look more suspicious.

The Cuban consul ended his talk by reminding his audience that "Cuba recognizes that it must adopt to the new times of the world, but it must be done by the Cuban people." He added that, "the Cuban people continue to struggle to maintain their accomplishments, and to construct the socialist society which they choose."