Castro Replies to Bush Hysteria

Recently former US President Jimmy Carter traveled to Cuba in an effort to build bridges and support engagement with Cuba. It was a hope-building trip, pointing the way toward some changes in US policy toward the island nation. But In May this opportunity was squandered by President Bush. He talked of continuing the economic sanctions on Cuba, the ban on travel by US citizens to Cuba, and the prohibition of US financing for Cuban purchases of US agricultural goods. Following are excerpts from a speech by Cuban President Fidel Castro, replying to President Bush's comments that Cuba belongs to a group of rogue states that intend to harm the US.

Our struggle is not against the American people. Perhaps no other country receives Americans with the respect and hospitality displayed by Cuba. We are men and women of ideas and not a community of bigots. In Cuba we have never cultivated hatred against the American people or blamed them for the aggressions perpetrated by the government of that country.

Relations between the Cuban people and the American people, influenced for decades by a barrage of distorted and manipulated propaganda, have been improving every day. It hurts to see the efforts made to mislead that essentially noble people with the diabolical fabrication that the laboratories where our dedicated scientists create, develop and produce new medicines and therapies that prevent or cure diseases, spare suffering and save countless lives, are developing bio-weapons research and production programs. At times, there is also talk about Cuba's capacity to produce them.

Cuba has twice as many doctors per capita as all of the highest developed nations. No country has given, or is giving, more support to other peoples health care services, free of charge, than Cuba and no other has saved more lives. Thus, our people do not have, nor could it have, any inclination to become a bio-weapons producer.

Two weeks after the infamous slander, Cuba was arbitrarily included in a list of states sponsors of terrorism. Rather than concerned over the moral or political damage that could derive from such an evil accusation, we are hurt to think that any American could be misled into believing that any damage...could come from Cuba.

Neither a single drop of blood has been shed in the US, nor has an atom of wealth been lost there in the 43 years of the Cuban Revolution, due to a terrorist action originated in Cuba. The opposite is true, since thousands of lives have been lost as well as huge amounts of money due to material damages caused by actions against our homeland originated in the US territory. The American people deserve to be informed about this, instead of being saturated with lies and slanders.

We hurt to see the American people suffering in a climate of terror that disrupts its life, limits its creative capacity, interferes with its normal life and impinges on its economy.

I do not wish to use this moment to make any criticism on what could have been done, but was not, to prevent the horrendous crime of September 11; I do not know the facts well enough.

Still, as a leader in a country that has had to defend itself, for more than four decades, from thousands of terrorist actions I can assure you that the constant stirring up of panic is not the right way to proceed since it can psychologically affect the people and turn life in that immense country into an unbearable nightmare.

The risks of grave terrorist actions have existed and still exist in the US as they do anywhere in the world, before or after September 11. Alienated persons overexcited by the prevailing climate of tension could even realize them. The leaders of nations should not be dragged into making mistakes for fear of facing reality. At the present time, many and very diverse realities threaten the human society. It is the primary duty of the overburdened leaders of our complex world --among many other obligations and without forgetting hunger, poverty, underdevelopment, the diseases that decimate entire regions, the climate changes and other calamities--to meditate and reflect on the causes and the sources of the dangerous pandemic of terrorism and to apply really effective methods to fight it.

Under the present difficulties and in the struggle against the scourge of terrorism, the American people can count on this friendly, fraternal and generous people.