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Fidel Castro's Speech to TH£ Cuban Council of State International Socialist Review, Pages 9- 21

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Fidel Castro's Speech to TH£ Cuban Council of State International Socialist Review, Pages 9- 21 Fidel Castro's speech to TH£ Cuban Council of State International Socialist Review, Pages 9- 21 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 53/NO. 30 AUGUST 11, 1989 $1.00 Puerto Rico independence Castro: 'We will not march set forAug.12 sugarcoat the truth' in New York 'Historic tnotnent' poses challenges for Cuba BY MAREA HIMELGRIN NEW YORK - Preparations for the BY LARRY SEIGLE "March for Independence for Puerto Rico," AND SELVA NEBBIA to be held here August 12, are in their fmal CAMAGUEY, Cuba - At a time of stage. The march will begin at noon at 14th growing "difficulties in the world revolution­ Street and Avenue C and proceed up First ary movement," said Cuban President Fidel Avenue to the United Nations, where a rally Castro here July 26, "we have to call things will take place. The action is set for the by their right names." weekend before hearings on Puerto Rico's "We will not sugarcoat the truth," he status will be held before the UN Commis­ added. sion on Decolonization. Addressing a crowd of 150,000 people here, and a nationwide television audience, Since 1972 the UN commission has held the Cuban Communist Party leader stressed that Puerto Rico is a U.S. colony and that the that "we need to know where we are, what Puerto Rican people have the right to self­ world we live in, what problems threaten the determination and independence. This year creative efforts of our people." the U.S. government is seeking to have the discussion on Puerto Rico tabled until after ''The future carries threats because of the a proposed plebiscite on the status of Puerto political course of the imperialists," Castro Rico is held on the island, probably in 1991. added, "their beliefs, their euphoria that so­ Both Rafael Hernandez Col6n, the governor cialism is in decline and that the time is of Puerto Rico, and the George Bush admin­ coming when Cuba will have to pay the price istration have called for the plebiscite, and for more than 30 years of revolution. But they the U.S. Senate is currently discussing the won't collect anything here!" rules that will govern how it is worded and The Cuban leader spoke at a rally marking organized. the 36th anniversary of the 1953 attack on the Moncada military barracks led by young The August 12 demonstration is to de­ revolutionaries who later formed the July 26 nounce these moves by the U.S. government Movement. to mask its domination of Puerto Rico. In his speech, Castro reviewed in detail the The demands of the demonstration are a impressive gains in economic and social de­ Crowd at July 26 rally listens to Fidel Castro describe imperialist threats and growing set of minimum requirements for a plebiscite velopment that have taken place in the prov­ "difficulties in the world revolutionary movement." Cuba knows ''what we have, what ruled by international law and under the ince of Camagtiey since the revolution, and we can do, and what we can count on," the Cuban president said. supervision of the UN. They include the in particular since the process known here as transfer of all powers to the people of Puerto "rectification" got under way in 1986. Deci­ Rico; the release of all Puerto Rican political sive in the recent advances, Castro empha­ unteer labor that had been advocated by revolution," Castro said. He added that in prisoners; the withdrawal of all federal sized, has been the revival and spread of Ernesto Che Guevara in the 1960s. Camaguey Province so much has been ac­ troops, armed forces, and police; and the volunteer labor brigades. This reflects a deep­ "Voluntary labor had collapsed, but the complished because of the leadership by ex­ economic reparations necessary for the tran­ ening of the communist revolution and a process of rectification has raised it to levels ample in voluntary labor being provided by sition from colonialism to independence. renewed understanding of the place of vol- never before reached in the history of the Continued on Page 22 In June independence supporters in Puerto Rico organized the biggest demonstration for independence - some 80,000 people - in nearly 20 years. The spirit of unity that Eastern strikers protest new flights marked that action has helped inspire the coalition organizing the August 12 demon­ stration in the United States. BY SUSAN LaMONT officials passed through their areas, they fell Airport, 1,000 strikers, unionists, students, A regional organizers' meeting held in Striking Eastern Airlines' workers - de­ in line behind, two abreast. and others picketed and rallied to protest the New York on July 29 heard reports from termined to win wider support for their fight The action had a big impact on passengers start-up of Eastern flights there for the first several cities on progress in building the and to respond to the airline's start-up of more and other airport workers, many of whom put time since the strike began. demonstration. flights - organized rallies and expanded on "Stop Lorenzo" stickers to show support Jose L6pez reported that a press confer­ picket lines in a number of cities in late July for the march. Strike activists had organized The bigger picket lines during the day be­ Continued on Page 25 and early August. In some cases, these were marshals and prepared participants well to fore the rally got a favorable response from the largest strike-support actions held since maintain the legal, peaceful character of the travelers, and especially from other airline the walkout began five months ago. walk-through and to avoid provocations­ workers. "All airline workers' futures are ri­ Eastern's strike-breaking "reorganization" especially from the cops who were out in ding on the outcome of the Eastern strike," plan calls for 350 flights August 1, up from force -and from Eastern management. said one American Airlines flight attendant. 'March Aug. 12,' 226 July 1. The added July flights marked the On August 1 at the Detroit Metropolitan Continued on Page 6 first stage in the airline's attempt to resume urges socialist operations. Eastern had been virtually grounded since the strike by 17,000 Machin­ Celebrations of Cuban revolution's ists union members, flight attendants, and pilots began March 4. In Miami, more than 1,300 strikers and 30 years held in citi~s across U.S. supporters from other unions held a "walk­ BY PETER THIERJUNG In introducing Mvemve, Joel Schwartz, through" at Miami International Airport July The 30th anniversary of the Cuban revo­ president of Local 446 of the Civil Service 30 in the biggest show of strength there since lution was celebrated by hundreds of people Employees Association and co-chair of his the strike began. The walk-through was led across the United States during the last week union's statewide Committee Against Apart- by Transport Workers Union Local553 Pres­ of July. ident Mary Jane Barry, International Associ­ One of the largest New York meetings in ation of Machinists District 100 President support of the Cuban revolution in recent Prison officials deny defense Charles Bryan, and local union officials. years took place on July 29. More than 260 committee mailings to Mark Because airport restrictions banned picket people filled the Casa de las Americas hall. Curtis. See page 4. signs or chanting, protesters wore red strike "We are convinced," Rafael Pizzaro, a T-shirts or other union shirts to identify them­ national committee member of the selves as they ringed the half-mile-long ter­ Venceremos Brigade, told the meeting, "that heid, urged the audience to step up its south­ minal for more than an hour. Members of the time has come for decisive action for our em Africa solidarity work, remembering that Militant/Selva Nebbia many other unions took part, along with Hai­ right to travel to Cuba, and against U.S. "whatever work we do around southern Af­ James Harris, Socialist Workers tian community leader and Catholic priest attacks against the Cuban people." rica we must talk about Cuba and Cuba's role Party candidate for New York Gerard Jean Juste and activists from the Hai­ Saluting revolutionary Cuba on behalf of in the struggle." mayor, calls for broad participa­ tian group Veye-Yo. the African National Congress (ANC) of Esmeralda Brown, a Panamanian-born ac­ tion in Puerto Rico independence Walk-through participants, who were fer­ South Africa, Nozizwe Mvemve hailed the tivist in New York, hailed Cuba's principled march. See statement on page 25. ried on buses from the strike headquarters, country's rectification effort as a "necessary defense of Panama's sovereignty against U.S. scattered throughout the airport. As union process of deepening socialism." Continued on Page 24 Managua book festival draws big crowds BY PET~ CLIFFORD A booth organized by the Palestinian Lib­ a selection of Pathfmder books by Guevara, known in the Bluefields area. MANAGUA, Nicaragua - "Big re­ eration Organization with material about Castro, Rosa Luxemburg, and leaders of the sponse to book festival" ran the headline to their liberation struggle in Spanish and by Nicaraguan revolution. Mark Curtis defense one of many articles in Barric ada, daily paper Editorial Sistema Venceremos from El Sal­ A display about frame-up victim Mark of the Sandinista National Liberation Front, vador were popular. The Salvadoran booth Curtis attracted attention and spurred discus­ during the International Bookfair held here was crowded out several times by Nicara­ 'Nelson Mandela Speaks' sion about politics in the United States. Sev­ July 20--26. guans watching the video film Tiempo de A total of 324 books, pamphlets, and mag­ eral copies of the pamphlet 50 anos de guerra Some 450 publishers from 42 countries Victoria (Times of Victory) of the FMLN.
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