People's Democracy

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AGAINST TERRORISM, FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE

Call To Fight US-Sponsored Terrorism

A Vijayaraghavan

A THREE day ‘international conference against terrorism, for truth and justice’ was held from June 2 to 4, 2005 in Havana, the capital of Cuba. Nearly 1200 delegates from 61 countries from all the continents attended the conference. There were intellectuals, artists, social activists, and political leaders among the delegates. Many prominent world leaders participated in the conference, among whom included vice president of Venezuela, Jose Vincente Ramhel and former president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega. The presence of Cuban president, Fidel Castro through out the conference in all the sessions has greatly enthused the participants.

The conference was divided into seven sessions:

1. Terrorism and the Miami connection

2. Terrorism and its operational content

3. Terrorism and its memories

4. Terrorism and the Media experience

5. Terrorism and its intervention in Venezuela

6. United action against terrorism

7. Concluding Session.

The conference, through its three-day deliberations, highlighted how terrorism is being used against all Latin American countries, particularly against Cuba and Venezuela, with the specific objective of destroying the uprising of the democratic and progressive movements in these countries.

The US has been for many decades intervening in the internal political situation of the Latin American countries by abetting military coups and installing puppet regimes to protect its imperialist interests. The imposing of General Pinochet in Chile was the result of the American conspiracy during the time of Henry Kissinger. The American imperialists used all undemocratic and illegal means to topple the democratically-elected governments in Nicaragua and El Salvador. The US intolerance against anti-imperialist forces in these region has resulted in various bloody attacks on the people of Latin America. Thousands of people were butchered and lakhs were exiled from their motherland. In Guatemala alone nearly two lakh people were killed.

Cuba has been an eye sore to the American imperialists ever since the emancipation of the Cuban people from the colonial yoke. They have been relentlessly trying to crush the tiny socialist state located just below their nose.  They tried all means to dismember Cuba. The political leadership was targeted on various occasions. The prolonged economic blockade was aimed to starve the Cubans into submission. But the Cuban people faced the imperialist onslaught with determination and courage, in the process becoming an icon of the entire progressive-minded people in Latin America and in deed of the whole world.

The brutal oppression and exploitation unleashed by the dictatorial regimes in Latin America caused widespread resentment and resistance from the people. The countries in the Latin America were the first third world countries where the new economic strategy of “globalised economy” of the imperialist forces was implemented. The policies pauperised many of these countries. They also aroused resentment among the people paving the way for the resurgence of democratic and progressive movements. The Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela and the comradeship between the Cuban people and Hugo Chavez are working as a catalyst for a strengthened progressive movement in entire Latin America against the imperialist forces.

ABETTING TERRORISM

United States is indulging in the most heinous act of promoting terrorism against these growing movements in this region, as they could not control this region with mere political and military interventions. While declaring a war against terrorism and invading nations for its political-economic interests (of course, on the pretext of “rooting out terrorism”), as evident in Afghanistan and Iraq, the US imperialism is actually promoting and abetting terrorist groups against the democratic and progressive movements and governments in Latin America.

The involvement of notorious criminals Orlando Bosch and Posada Carriles in the bombing of Cuban tourist hotels was a pointer to the covert act of CIA. Both these terrorists were handpicked and trained by the CIA for targeting Cuba. These terrorists are under the protection of US at present. Now there is a conspiracy to use these terrorists and their groups against the Venezuelan government and its leadership. The conference exposed the dual face of US imperialists who are on the one side projecting themselves as the champions in the struggle against terrorism and on the other using terrorism against the people of Latin America.

Among the delegates included the family members of those who fell victims of terrorist attacks belonging to different countries in this region. The conference lambasted the US moves in creating an unsafe situation in this region. The Venezuelan delegates explained the initiative taken by their government to enhance the socio-economic conditions of the people and to unite them against the imperialist motives. One delegate explained how the unemployment rate was brought down from 25 per cent to 12 per cent after Chavez came to power and also the efforts to bring it further down to 7 per cent in the near future.  The Venezuelan people gave an overwhelming mandate to Chavez, foiling all attempts by the US and their cohorts to overthrow him. He told that, “the support base is since increasing which will be reflected in the forthcoming municipal and national assembly elections.”  He concluded his speech with the declaration that “Iraq, Cuba and Venezuela will be together in the fight against America.”

Addressing the concluding session, Fidel Castro expressed his happiness over the overwhelming success of the conference, which was organised in just one week’s time. He remarked that “those who came from far away lands and those born in Cuba are speaking in one voice and thinking alike; we are more in numbers and our number will further increase. And the people will identify the real terrorists and will bury them in our land.”

The conference ended with a positive note with the taking of a pledge to carry forward the fight against terrorism and the imperialist forces and to strengthen the democratic and progressive movements. The conference pledged solidarity and support to the people of Latin America in their fight against the imperialist predators.