Radio Habana Cuba, 27 july l999 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO DELIVERS MAIN ADDRESS AT JULY 26th CELEBRATIONS IN CIENFUEGOS Cienfuegos, July 26(RHC)-- The 46th anniversary of the attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes military garrisons was held in the south-central city of Cienfuegos Monday evening. The activity was carried live on national television and the international short-wave frequencies of Radio Havana Cuba. President Fidel Castro addressed more than 100,000 residents of Cienfuegos and invited foreign guests, including members of the 30th Contingent of the Venceremos Brigade from the United States. During his more than 4-hour speech, President Castro revealed that various Cuban proposals to jointly fight drug trafficking with the United States have been rejected out of fear of offending right-wing elements of the Cuban American Community. Castro stressed that such a pact would benefit the United States much more than Cuba and he said that politics must be set aside to save the world's young people from the scourge of drugs. The leader of the Cuban Revolution began his speech by praising the efforts of the island's athletes in Winnipeg at the Pan American Games -- and, at the same time, condemning the efforts of the United States and the Organizing Committee of the PanAm Games in Winnipeg to eliminate competitions in which Cuban athletes had the best chance to win gold medals. He noted that the press and electronic media in Canada have made subtle and, at times, direct appeals to Cuban athletes to leave their delegation and defect. Fidel Castro pointed to the enormous efforts by the U.S. and other wealthy nations around the world to offer millions of dollars to athletes, from not only Cuba, but other Third World countries as well. The Cuban leader said that rich countries have the luxury of being able to offer unprecedented sums of money -- robbing Third World athletes of the honor and dignity of winning medals for the land of their birth. He noted that in the U.S., as well as many European countries, the leading athletes are from Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. Cuban President Fidel Castro also noted the efforts of the people of Cienfuegos Province -- selected, along with Matanzas -- as the site to celebrate this historic day. He said the province has been granted this special recognition due to its advances in sugar production and other agricultural areas... despite economic hardships and inclement weather conditions. And the Cuban leader highlighted the recent, historic trial against the United States for 40 years of aggressions against the Cuban people. Fidel Castro said that the legal process was a living record of the history of the Revolution, narrated by its protagonists. He affirmed that the evidence clearly points to the fact that the United States is guilty of crimes against the Cuban people and that Washington had full knowledge of the attacks, sabotage and other aggressions against the Cuban Revolution. Speaking Monday evening in Cienfuegos to commemorate the 46th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Garrison, Fidel Castro noted that over the past 40 years he has been the target of more than 600 plans to assassinate him, many organized and financed by the United States. He quipped that with 637 conspiracies and attempts on his life, he is an Olympic Gold medallist -- with the world's most attempted assassinations. The leader of the Cuban Revolution said that the trial against the U.S. government for aggressions over these past 40 years is the first time that a country has taken Washington to court for human damages. He added that if the rest of the world demands reparations from the U.S. for all the damage it has caused, there would be no way for Washington to come up with the money -- but that the U.S. will always have a gigantic moral debt. During July 26th commemorations in Cienfuegos, Cuban President Fidel Castro said the Cuban demand against the United States was very modest, taking into consideration that the total amount does not include the tremendous cost to the island of nearly 40 years of an economic blockade. And he recalled that the trial proceedings revealed declassified CIA documents -- further proving the direct participation of the United States in plans to destroy the Cuban Revolution. Fidel Castro, speaking Monday evening in Cienfuegos, also referred to attempts by the United States to link Cuba to drug-trafficking... something, he said, which is impossible given that Cuban authorities have historically fought against drugs and drug-trafficking -- and will continue to do so in the future. President Castro revealed that last month he spoke to an influential US Senator about the necessity to reach a serious agreement with Washington on working together to halt drug trafficking in the region offering to share information with US officials. He said such attempts to come to an agreement have been sabotaged and he accused the right-wing Cuban Americans led by the ultra-right wing Cuban American National Foundation of mounting a campaign to destroy any possibilities of cooperation between Havana and Washington. [c] 1999, Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. 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