Cuban Leader Fidel Castro (photo courtesy of Agencia Brasil)

The leader of the Cuban Revolution announced that the task of avoiding a war with North Korea is one of the most pressing challenges that humanity faces today, particularly since the majority of the world’s population lives in Asia and would be devastated by a nuclear assault.

In an article published as one of his usual “reflexions” columns in state-run local newspaper Granma, Castro stated, “If there were to be such a war, the people of both parts of the (Korean) peninsula would be terribly sacrificed, without benefits for any country.” He added that if the United States escalates the conflict to the point of a nuclear attack, “the government of Barack Obama in its second term would be buried by a plethora of images that would make him the most sinister character in the history of the US.”

In his published message, Castro declared that the current crisis is “incredible and absurd,” and, “one of the gravest risks of nuclear warfare since the crisis of October 1962.” He reiterated that the responsibility of avoiding a nuclear war today falls not only on North Korea but also on the United States.

Castro affirmed Cuba’s amicable relationship with the Asian country, adding, “The Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea has always been friendly with Cuba, as Cuba has always, and will continue to be to her.”

The former head of state ended his commentary on the current crisis by praising the scientific and technological advances made by Pyongyang but warning that it is crucial for the international community to remember that by using these advances in weaponry, “it is unjust to forget that such a war would affect…more than 70% of the population of the planet.”

The article was published as tensions continue to escalate internationally in regards to the status of nuclear arms in North Korea and confirms the high level of global concern. The country has now reportedly moved a second equipped missile to its eastern coast and its neighbour to the south is now tracking missiles from war ships in the area. The United States has also sent ships to patrol the area over the past several weeks, concerned that US territory might be targeted, as a military base in Guam has been indicated in particular. The US announced yesterday that it would initiate a missile defence system in Guam in the wake of the threats.

Voters turned out in large numbers on Sunday to renew 612 seats in Cuba’s National Assembly.

After the elections, the new parliament will be formed over a period of 45 days, and it will be in charge of electing the 31 members of the State Council.

The State Council is then expected to confirm Raúl Castro for a second presidential term, which could be his last as he promised to limit the political terms in Cuba to a maximum of 10 consecutive years (two terms).

Half of the National Assembly is elected by the people, in a first electoral phase. The rest of the candidates are put forward by the National Commission of Candidacies, and confirmed by representatives of mass organisation (workers, women, students, and farmers).

Fidel Castro (photo by Antonio Milena – ABr)

Fidel Castro turned out to be the surprise of the election day as he reappeared to vote in the electoral college of the neighbourhood Plaza de la Revolución, where he used to vote before becoming sick and handing power to his brother Raúl. It is the first time since 2006 that Fidel Castro has voted in person.

After voting, Castro –former president and current deputy– talked about various subjects with the local media. He referred to the economic reforms introduced by his brother Raúl, and added that the community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was an advance due to the efforts of many, among them the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez. Chávez, who is recovering from an operation in Havana, “is much better” said Castro.

During the election day, several government members valued the elections of the socialist country as an exercise of sovereignty and participative democracy. Others accused it of being a “farce”. Fidel Castro stated that in Cuba “the elections are not like in the United States where only a minority can vote (…) here the people are in charge.”

The Cuban authorities assert that the Cuban electoral system is democratic and transparent, but opponents question it as the people only vote for half of the congress and that a major part of the candidates for which they vote are government civil servants.

In a letter signed by the former Cuban president himself and published through official media late last night, Fidel Castro denied recent rumours of his dire medical condition. The letter, entitled ‘Fidel Castro is Dying’, insists that the former leader is healthy and denounce reports that he is on his deathbed as “imperialist propaganda”. Photographs taken by his son Alex Castro also show the 86-year-old former head of state touring his garden supported by a cane.

Castro proclaimed the rumours “lies” and “outstanding stupidities” and asserted that he is so healthy he doesn’t “even remember what a headache is”. He also highlighted the Cuban missile crisis’ 50^th anniversary and Cuba’s “irreproachable” actions during a confrontation that brought the Cold War to the brink of nuclear conflict.

Allegations propagated by Venezuelan doctor José Rafael Marquina had Castro suffering from “a massive embolism in his right cerebral artery” and that he was “dying” and “very close to a neuro-vegetable state”. Marquina has no known direct connections to Castro but maintains he has sources in Venezuela.

Castro has not been seen in public since last March. He abandoned his ‘Reflexiones’ articles last June, which he wrote for six years nearly everyday after leaving the Cuban presidency, saying, “tt is surely not my place to occupy our press’ pages, which is dedicated to other tasks that the country requires.”

Castro left the presidency after nearly a half century in power due to an intestinal disease, his brother Raúl succeeded him officially in 2008 when he was sworn in as president of the socialist Caribbean island.

Pope Benedict XVI today celebrated mass in Havana, Cuba, in the same Plaza de la Revolución where his predecessor John Paul II officiated the rite in 1998.

For hours, more than 300,000 worshippers, Communist atheists and followers of Afro-Cuban religions blending local spirituality and Catholicism awaited the Pope’s homily, which marks the end of the state visit.

The square was heavily safeguarded by Cuban police forces. “Cuba and the world both need changes,” the Pope said.

“Important steps have been taken […] yet it is necessary to continue the same path,” Benedict XVI continued. “I do want to encourage Cuban authorities to secure what has already been achieved, and to carry on this path at the genuine service of the Cuban society’s good.”

Few hours before, the Pope had a 40-minutes face-to-face meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro, who succeeded his brother Fidel in 2008.

Castro, however, said “there will be no political reforms” in Cuba. The Pontiff will also meet with former president Fidel in the afternoon.

As well, the Secretary of State of the Holy See Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, accompanied by “foreign minister” Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, met with Cuban First Vice President José Ramón Machado Ventura.

According to leaked reports about the meeting, the Pope asked Raul Castro to give the Church more space to contribute to the moral good of society.

Reports also say he suggested making Good Friday a national holiday on the island. John Paul II obtained a similar decree from Fidel Castro, when the former president declared Christmas Day a national holiday.

Cuban dissidents hoped the Pope would give a spin to the wheel of political change. In the past days, the 84-year-old Pontiff urged Cuba to set aside Marxism, “as it no longer reflects reality,” and said the country should seek “new models”.

However, the Vatican did not schedule any meetings with the families of political detainees, a very sensitive issue on the island. It came as a great disappointment to people in opposition circles.

As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1981 to 2005, Joseph Ratzinger fought against the “Liberation Theology,” which proclaimed “the preferential option for the poor” and was condemned by the Church for Marxist elements within its doctrine.

However, some priests and many laypeople embrace it in Latin America, and have joined the guerrilla movements across the continent supported by Cuba’s government in the second half of last century.

Venezuelan vice president Elías Jaua announced on Tuesday that a tumor was successfully removed from president Chávez’s abdomen early this week.

“The result was satisfying,” Jaua read from a statement. “President Chávez is in good physical condition, accompanied by family members, and is in direct and permanent contact with the executive vice president and the Bolivarian government.”

The president had flown to Havana, Cuba on Friday to undergo the surgery. It was the third time in the past year Chávez had been operated on, and the second time a lesion was removed from his abdomen.

The latest lesion was reported to have been two inches in diameter, and was identified last week after Chávez traveled to Havana for a routine examination.

The president has been notoriously guarded with details of his previous ailments, and this tumor was no exception. Few details have been released on the exact timing or placement of the surgery, and BBC World reports that this is likely the reason Chávez has travelled to Cuba for his operations.

The president is being treated at the Surgical Medical Research Center, which is known to be the best hospital in Cuba. Physicians there have treated Cuban leaders such as Fidel and Raul Castro, and few serious information leaks have made way to the media.

Despite his health issues, Chávez said he still plans to run for reelection in October. It would be his third consecutive term of six years. The president maintains that he is the only leader who can “guarantee peace” in the country, and those who are considering a possible replacement are betraying “the motherland”.

Legend says that just before imposing the embargo on Fidel Castro’s Cuba, announced 50 years ago today, John F. Kennedy purchased one last stock of 1,000 Cuban cigars.

Washington policy of containment, enacted with the Proclamation 3447, imposed travel, commercial and asset restrictions on the island ruled by the revolutionary government since 1^st January 1959.

The United States had already officially broken off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961. All properties belonging to US companies on the island were nationalized by Castro’s rule.

For the twentieth time in 20 consecutive years, last Tuesday Cuba submitted a UN resolution pushing for the termination of embargo. In the most recent UN vote last October, 186 out of 193 nations voted in favour of lifting the embargo. Only the US and Israel stood against it.

Current Cuban leader Raul Castro, who took over from his ill brother Fidel in 2008, has repeatedly called for a normalisation of diplomatic relations between Havana and Washington. During the UN summit last December, he accused the US administration to be chained to the past.

Cuban authorities have estimated an economic damage for the island of US$975 trillion so far. Moderate analysts have esteemed the number being around US$104 trillion.

The blockade does not apply to primary goods such as food and medicine since 2000, when the then US president Bill Clinton relaxed the restrictions. Additionally, expatriate Cubans living in the US are now allowed to send money back home.

Leading Cuban blogger and activist Yoani Sánchez, nominated by Time magazine as one of the most influential people in the world, recently expressed her pessimism over a possible resolution of the political standoff.

She was quoted saying: “I don’t see any chance to resolve this embargo in the short term, since Cubans are stuck in the middle of two stubbornness, that of US government and that of the Cuban one.”

Former Cuban president Fidel Castro criticised today the “moral and political weakness” of the United States. It came as a response to the UN approval of the resolution calling for the lifting of an economic and trade embargo that the United States brought in against Cuba in 1962.

In Castro’s view, the UN approval reflected the “political and moral weakness of the most powerful empire that ever existed, whose oligarchic interests and insatiable thirst for power and wealth have been imposed upon all the inhabitants of the planet, including their own people. ”

“The U.S. bullies and loots the globalised world with their politics, economy, technology and military,” wrote the former Cuban leader.

Tuesday’s UN act was the twentieth consecutive time they have approved the resolution. The paper achieved the almost unanimous support of the Assembly, as 186 countries voted in favour. The U.S. and Israel voted against, whilst the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau abstained.

Official Cuban media published the third part of Fidel Castro’s article today entitled “The role of NATO in genocide”, the first part of which was released after the death of Muammar Gaddafi. The article had been written several months ago when Libya’s conflict begun.

Eighty-five year old Fidel Castro was permanently replaced as president of Cuba by his brother Raul in 2008 due to serious illness.

The leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, called on Friday for the respect of the privilege of mankind to live and called to avoid a possible nuclear war.

Castro said that Cuba will wage a battle for peace before the possibility of unleashing a nuclear conflict driven by the U.S. and Israel against Iran.

He said the conflict could erupt if the U.S. and Israel try to enforce a UN resolution that authorises searching Iranian merchant ships at sea.

This is because the UN resolution is unacceptable to Iran.

In this situation, Fidel called “to eliminate all the causes that make man see man as his enemy”.

And he thinks that those who take military action do not realize that that “is not the solution to all problems”.

The Cuban leader said, “peace through peace pays” and called on all countries that are involved in nuclear conflict to think about achieving peace.

He also argued that “nuclear weapons must disappear”.

He warned about the magnitude the use of nuclear weapons would have today, pointing out that presently, this type of weapon possesses 440,000 times the destructive power of the atomic bombs that the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Fidel was speaking on the steps of the University of Havana before thousands of students. It was his first outdoor speech in four years.

Story courtesy of Agencia Pulsar, a news agency run by AMARC-ALC network of community radios