Statement by the President of the Councils of State and Ministers of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, in the general debate of the 73rd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. New York, September 26, 2018.

MIL OSI Translation. Region: Spanish / Latin America / UN –

Mr. president:

Impossible to be here, speak from this podium on behalf of Cuba and not evoke historical moments of the General Assembly that are also of our most beloved memory: Fidel Castro, Ernesto Guevara, Raul Castro Ruz and the chancellor of dignity, Raul Roa, just to mention the most transcendental, they brought this far, not only the voice of our people, but also of other Latin American and Caribbean peoples, Africans, Asians, non-aligned, with whom we have shared more than half a century of battle for an international order just, that is still far from being achieved.

It is absurd, but coherent with the irrationality of a world in which the richest 0.7% of the population can appropriate 46% of all wealth, while the poorest 70% only access 2.7% of it ; 3 460 million human beings survive in poverty; 821 million suffer from hunger; 758 million are illiterate and 844 million lack basic drinking water services, all figures, of course, that are usually developed and managed by global organizations, but which apparently do not yet sufficiently mobilize the conscience of the so-called international community.

Mr. president:

Those realities, Madam President, are not the fruit of socialism, as the President of the United States affirmed yesterday in this room. They are a consequence of capitalism, especially imperialism and neoliberalism; of selfishness and the exclusion that accompanies this system, and of an economic, political, social and cultural paradigm that privileges the accumulation of wealth in a few hands at the expense of the exploitation and misery of the great majorities.

Capitalism strengthened colonialism. With it was born fascism, terrorism and apartheid, wars and conflicts spread, the breaches of sovereignty and self-determination of peoples; the repression of workers, minorities, refugees and migrants. It is opposed to solidarity and democratic participation. The patterns of production and consumption that characterize it promote looting, militarism, threaten peace; they generate violations of human rights and constitute the greatest danger to the ecological balance of the planet and the survival of human beings. Let no one deceive us by saying that humanity does not have enough material, financial and technological resources to eradicate poverty, hunger, preventable diseases and other scourges. What does not exist is the political will of the industrialized countries, who have a moral duty, historical responsibility and abundant resources to solve the most pressing global problems.

The truth is that at the same time that insufficient funds are alleged to meet the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda or face the growing impact of climate change, in the year 2017, $ 1.74 trillion were spent on military expenses, the figure highest since the end of the Cold War.

Climate change is another inescapable reality, and a question of survival for the human species, in particular for Small Island Developing States. Some of its effects are already irreversible. The scientific evidence indicates an increase of 1.1 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial, and that 9 out of every 10 people are breathing polluted air.

However, the united States, one of the main pollutants of yesterday and today, refuses to join the international community in the fulfilment of the Paris Agreement on climate change. Thus compromising the life of future generations and the survival of the species, including the human.

Even more, as if not sobraran threats on humanity and their dazzling creations, it is a fact that it perpetuates and expands the hegemony military and nuclear, at the expense of the aspiration of the majority of the peoples to a general and complete disarmament, an ideal that Cuba shares and, as a proof of their commitment to this goal, the 31 of January last, became the fifth State to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

In this institution, born of the human will to overcome the destruction left by a terrible war with the dialogue between the nations, it is not possible to silence the danger that looms over all, with the exacerbation of local conflicts, wars of aggression disguised as “humanitarian interventions”, the overthrow by force of sovereign governments, the so-called “soft blows”, and the intervention in the internal affairs of other States, recurrent forms of action of some powers, with various pretexts.

The international cooperation for the promotion and protection of all human rights for all is an imperative

Cuba rejects the militarization of outer space and cyberspace, as well as the disguised employment, and illegal use of information technologies and communications for invading other States.

The exercise of multilateralism and full respect to the principles and rules of International Law to advance towards a world of multi-polar, democratic and equitable, are required to guarantee the peaceful coexistence, to preserve international peace and security, and to find lasting solutions to systemic problems.

Against such logic, the use of threat and force, unilateralism, pressure, reprisals and sanctions, which have characterized ever more frequent the behavior and the rhetoric of the u.s. government and its abusive use of the veto in the Security Council, to impose their political agenda, pose enormous challenges and threats within the United Nations itself.

Why don’t we just realize the promised strengthening of the General Assembly as the principal organ of deliberation, decision-making and representation? Should not be delayed in or prevented reform of the Security Council, in a big hurry to conform to the times, democratizing its composition and working methods.

Today we come to reiterate what the Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, said on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the UN and that sums up the most noble aspiration of the majority of Humanity. I quote: “we Want a world without hegemony, without nuclear weapons, without intervencionismos, without racism, without hatred of any national or religious, without outrages to the sovereignty of any country, with respect to the independence and self-determination of peoples, without universal models that do not consider in any way the traditions and culture of all the components of humanity, without cruel blockades that kill men, women, and children, young and old, as atomic bombs are silent”.

It has been more than 20 years of the claim, and none of those evils has had a cure, rather they have worsened. We have every right to ask why. And the duty to insist in the search of effective solutions and fair.

Mr. President:

“Our America” is today the scenario of persistent threats, incompatible with the “Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace”, signed in Havana by the Heads of State and Government, in 2014, on the occasion of the II Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

The current US administration has proclaimed the validity of the Monroe Doctrine and, in a new deployment of its imperial policy in the region, attacked Venezuela with special ferocity.

In this threatening context, we want to reiterate our absolute support for the Bolivarian and Chavez Revolution, the civic-military union of the Venezuelan people and their legitimate and democratic government, led by the constitutional president Nicolás Maduro Moros. We reject the intervention attempts and the sanctions against Venezuela, which seek to suffocate it economically and harm the Venezuelan families. We repudiate the calls to isolate that sovereign nation that does not harm anyone.

We also reject attempts to destabilize the Nicaraguan government, a country of peace and where social, economic and citizen security gains have been made in favor of its people.

We denounce the incarceration for political purposes of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the decision to prevent the people from voting and elect the most popular leader in Brazil to the Presidency.

We stand in solidarity with the nations of the Caribbean that demand legitimate reparation for the horrific consequences of slavery as well as the fair, special and differentiated treatment they deserve.

We reaffirm our historic commitment to the self-determination and independence of the brother people of Puerto Rico.

We support the legitimate claim of sovereignty of Argentina over the Malvinas, South Sandwich Islands and South Georgia.

We reiterate our unrestricted support for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the creation of two States, which allows the Palestinian people to exercise the right to self-determination and to have an independent and sovereign State in the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. We reject the unilateral action of the United States to establish its diplomatic representation in the city of Jerusalem, which further exacerbates tensions in the region. We condemn the barbarity of the Israeli forces against the civilian population in Gaza.

We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the Saharawi people; and support for the search for a definitive answer to the question of Western Sahara, which allows the exercise of the right to self-determination and to live in peace in its territory. We support the search for a peaceful and negotiated solution to the situation imposed on Syria. , without external interference and with full respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We reject any direct or indirect intervention that is carried out without the agreement of the legitimate authorities of that country.

The continued expansion of NATO towards the borders with Russia causes serious dangers, aggravated by the imposition of arbitrary sanctions, which we reject.

We demand compliance with the so-called Nuclear Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

We welcome the process of inter-Korean rapprochement and dialogue, which is the way to achieve lasting peace, reconciliation and stability of the Korean Peninsula. At the same time, we strongly condemn the imposition of unilateral and unjust sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and external interference in Korean affairs. Violations of the rules of international trade and punitive measures against China, also against the European Union and other countries will have harmful consequences, especially for developing States.

We advocate dialogue and consultation, thanks to which we can report today that the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and Cuba has provisionally entered into force and constitutes a good basis for developing the fruitful links between the Parties.

Mr. president:

The government of the United States maintains towards Cuba an aggressive rhetoric and a policy aimed at subverting the political, economic, social and cultural system of my country. Contrary to the interests of both peoples and yielding to the pressures of minority sectors, the government of The United States has been dedicated to artificially fabricate, under false pretenses, scenarios of tension and hostility that nobody benefits.

This contrasts with the fact that we maintain formal diplomatic relations and mutually beneficial cooperation programs, in a limited group of areas.

Among our peoples, we enjoy historical and cultural links that are ever closer, with expressions in the arts, sports, sciences, the environment, among others. The potential for a smooth business relationship is recognized and a genuine and respectful understanding would benefit the interests of the entire region.

However, the essential and defining element of the bilateral relationship remains the blockade, which aims to strangle the Cuban economy, with the purpose of generating hardship and altering the constitutional order. It is a cruel policy that punishes Cuban families and the entire Nation.

It consists of the most comprehensive and prolonged system of economic sanctions that has ever been applied against any country. It has constituted and continues to be a fundamental obstacle to the development of the country and to the realization of the aspirations of progress and well-being of several generations of Cubans.

As has been said for so many years in this same scenario, the blockade also seriously damages, due to its aggressive extraterritorial application, the sovereignty and interests of all countries.

On behalf of the Cuban people, I thank this General Assembly for its almost unanimous rejection of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against my country.

But the performance of the United States government against Cuba goes further. It includes public and covert programs of gross interference in our internal affairs, for which purpose it uses tens of millions of dollars that are officially approved in its budget, in violation of the norms and principles on which this Organization rests and, in particular, of the sovereignty of Cuba as an independent nation.

Cuba maintains the disposition to develop a respectful and civilized relationship with the government of the United States, on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual respect. That is the will of the Cuban people and we know that it is an aspiration shared by the majority of American citizens and, particularly, by Cubans residing in that country.

We will continue to demand without rest, the end of the cruel economic, commercial and financial blockade, the return of the territory illegally occupied by the US Naval Base in Guantanamo and the just compensation to our people for the thousands of dead and mutilated and for the economic and material damage caused in so many years of aggression.

Cuba will always be willing to dialogue and cooperate with respect and respect among equals. We will never make concessions that affect national sovereignty and independence, we will not negotiate our principles, nor will we accept conditions.

Despite the blockade, the hostility and the actions that the United States is carrying out to impose a regime change in Cuba, here is the Cuban Revolution, alive and strong, faithful to its principles!

Mr. president:

The generational change in our government should not deceive the opponents of the Revolution. We are continuity, not rupture. Cuba has continued taking steps to perfect its model of economic and social development, with the objective of building a sovereign, independent, socialist, democratic, prosperous and sustainable nation. That is the path we choose freely.

The Cuban people will never return to the opprobrious past of the one that was liberated with the greatest sacrifices, during 150 years of struggle for independence and full dignity. By decision of the overwhelming majority of Cubans and Cubans, we will continue the work undertaken almost 60 years ago. With that conviction, we began a process of reform of the Constitution, a genuinely participatory and democratic exercise, through popular discussion of the project that will be finally approved in a referendum. I am convinced that there will be no changes in our strategic objectives and that the irrevocable nature of socialism will be ratified.

The principles of our foreign policy will remain unchanged. As the First Secretary of our Party, Raúl Castro Ruz, said in his speech on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations Organization, and I quote: "the international community can always count on the sincere voice of Cuba in the face of injustice, inequality, underdevelopment, discrimination and manipulation; and for the establishment of a fairer and more equitable international order, in whose center the human being really stands, his dignity and well-being ".

Cuba in the name of which I speak today is a proud follower of that independent, sovereign, fraternal and solidary policy with the poor of the earth, producers of all the wealth of the planet, even though the unjust global order punishes them with misery, in name of words like democracy, freedom and human rights, that the powerful in reality have emptied of content.

It has been exciting to speak in the same gallery where 58 years ago Fidel expressed truths so powerful that we still shudder in front of the representatives of the more than 190 nations that, rejecting blackmail and pressure, fill the voting board with dignified symbols every year. green of approval to our demand to end the blockade.

I say goodbye with the hope that the noble aspirations of the majority of Humanity will end up being realized before new generations come to occupy this podium claiming the same thing that today we claim and yesterday claimed our historic predecessors.

Thank you very much.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is a translation. Please forgive us should the grammar and / or sentence structure not be perfect.