EDITORIAL

There is no need to burn papers

Yesterday, June 12, a rabid lapdog of the empire and the terrorist mafia in Miami, El Nuevo Herald, published an article titled "U.S. Interests Section in Havana Under Siege," in which it accuses the Cuban government of cutting off electricity and water supplies to that office as a response to what it describes as "a deepening of the diplomatic crisis" that began when "the electronic billboard was installed on the facade of the Interests Section."

According to the article, "the United States Interests Section in Havana had issued instructions to its personnel on Friday to begin destroying all non-essential documents". It adds this suspicious conclusion: "The sources who offered this information to El Nuevo Herald consider the destruction of documents in the U.S. diplomatic offices in Havana the prelude to an evacuation, or at the very least, a preparation for one if it were necessary."

The El Nuevo Herald article insidiously included a photo taken during one of the historic Marches of the Combatant People that passed by the Interests Section (USINT), in which our people appear in the surroundings of that office reaffirming their repudiation of the imperialist and genocidal policies towards Cuba. The purpose is to manipulate readers into believing that at this moment the USINT is permanently surrounded by our compatriots, when everything is actually normal there and only the specialized personnel charged with guarding that facility are in the area.

The article ends by slipping in a sentence that exposes the real hidden intentions behind this latest maneuver: "In response to the aggravating situation in its offices, the U.S. Interests Section in Havana could be temporarily forced to suspend its activities, something that would explain the step of beginning to destroy important documents."

A few hours later, confirming the U.S. government’s involvement in the fabrication and direction of this deceitful campaign, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack cynically insisted on accusing our government of harassing USINT. Playing the victim, McCormack said that despite the alleged difficulties with electricity and water supplies, USINT continued with "business as usual", including its efforts to "reach out to the Cuban people," and impudently affirmed that the alleged hostility towards USINT could be linked to its efforts to "offer basic information and facts to the Cuban people."

Thus, the lying spokesman qualified the growing attempts at espionage and subversion that USINT is carrying out in Cuba as "business as usual". What he referred to as "efforts to reach out to the Cuban people" are the patronage, direction and generous financing of mercenary grouplets nursed by USINT in Cuba and comprised of traitors and stoolies who collaborate with the implementation of the brutal blockade intended to bring our people to their knees through hunger and sickness. And, at the height of insolence, he describes as "offering basic information and facts to the Cuban people" the systematic launching of the crudest insults towards our people via the electronic billboard, which, in violation of the most elemental norms of international law, they think they can maintain with impunity on the facade of that imperial lair.

To get an idea of the type of "information and facts" that USINT has been spreading via its electronic billboard, let’s take just one example:

"Many decent Cuban women cannot live decently without doing something indecent. If you are young and pretty, what is it that pays more, to pursue a career or a Spaniard?" (April 7 and 8)

In the afternoon, Drew Blakeney, spokesman for the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, told a bald-faced lie in a statement to the press when he affirmed: "The regime's increasing resort to bullying tactics in dealing with USINT and the Cuban people comes as no surprise; it has been trying to isolate and harass the Interests Section for some time." He also added, "On Monday, June 5, at approximately 3:00 a.m., electricity supplies to the main building of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana were cut off."

El Nuevo Herald and U.S. government spokespersons are shamelessly lying when they hold our government responsible for a supposed power cut and a decrease in the availability of drinking water to the Interests Section.

We categorically deny any premeditated power-cuts aimed at obstructing the operations of the US Interests Section. In fact, there were a large number of power failures in the city of Havana and throughout the country; one of them occurred along the underground 13,000-volt circuit Vedado2, which directly feeds the Interests Section offices, and one of the two channels that supplies electric power to the Anti-Imperialist Tribune, due to the adverse weather conditions experienced by the country over the last two weeks up until yesterday afternoon, Monday (June 12): repair work on this interruption is underway just like on all the others. In spite of that, as the spokespeople admit, USINT has continued to operate unhindered, as has its provocative electronic billboard which, since January 16 and for almost five months now, has been offending and insulting our people, demonstrating that that facility has not lacked even one watt of electricity.

Maliciously, the U.S. government chooses to avoid mentioning that every time USINT has reported difficulties with the supply of drinking water or electric power to its facilities, these have been duly attended to by the Cuban companies that provide those services.

USINT consumes an average of 26,000 kilowatts monthly, the same amount of electricity consumed by about 200 average Cuban families.

In spite of the reorganization of fuel distribution undertaken in the entire country, USINT has been supplied by CUBALSE, a total of 53,756 liters of fuel to date this year.

In spite of the severe drought, and general difficulties in supplying drinking water to Havana which, before the recent rains, were affecting almost the entire country, the capital’s water company has maintained a stable water supply to USINT.

In response to a USINT request, in March of this year, the water company sent its technicians to the USINT main building and annex to check the internal and external aqueduct mains and to repair whatever faulty system it came across.

From January 2006 to date, Cuba’s CUBALSE Company has carried out seven maintenance or repair operations in the buildings housing USINT officials.

In spite of the fact that, on February 1, USINT rudely expelled from its facilities workers from the Blas Roca Caderío Contingent, who were carrying out construction work on the annex building, CUBALSE has been punctually supplying USINT with materials for continuing the construction work. To date, USINT has received the 44 cubic meters of premixed concrete, 540 meters of rebar and 300 meters of steel sheeting that it has requested.

USINT currently has 302 Cuban workers under contract. To date this year, nine of those workers have traveled abroad on the request of USINT, with the aim of receiving training needed to carry out their duties.

The U.S. spokespersons likewise choose not to mention the most important fact: that, during this year alone, USINT has received immediate approval for 33 requested operations to return illegal emigrants, without any delay or exception whatsoever; four operations to repatriate Cuban citizens considered to be ineligible by U.S. authorities, and eight consular visits to U.S. citizens being held in Cuban jails.

The latest accusations against the Cuban government are part of the US administration’s plans, exposed by comrade Fidel on January 22 and 24 of 2006, when he affirmed, verbatim: "Under pressures from the Cuban-American mafia, and as one of its next steps, the government of the United States is intent on openly violating the U.S.–Cuba Migratory Agreement (...) It is looking for any pretext to prevent, at all costs, the sale of agricultural products to Cuba, which has been increasing, while our country has paid every cent on time during five years –something it did not expect from a blockaded nation facing constant aggression (...) And, unhappy with the decision taken by President Carter on May 30, 1977, it intends to force a rupture of its current minimal diplomatic ties with Cuba. The gross provocations that have been carried out from its Interests Section offices in Havana do not and cannot have any other purpose."

The latest accusations against Cuba also perfidiously aim to draw attention away from the real problem, the subversive and provocative nature of the actions of USINT which, in frank violation of the diplomatic status conferred upon it by international agreements and conventions, has become the General Staff of the counterrevolution, which it directs and materially and financially supplies in order to incite the subversion of our country’s internal order.

Perhaps they think that Cuba is afraid of the constant provocations devised against our homeland or the consequences of a rupture of the minimal existing ties, already substantially deteriorated due to the immoral and cynical policies of the Bush administration.

It is up to the United State’s imperialist government to explain its demented and reiterated practice of devising and implementing new brutal measures against Cuba, and its vain attempts to break the heroic spirit of resistance of our people.

The U.S. government is sinking morally and materially in its war of conquest in Iraq, corruption scandals, growing budget and account deficits, high energy prices, inability to overcome natural disasters, illegal espionage against its own citizens, and the repugnant practice of clandestine arrests and torture on a global scale.

The Revolutionary government has provided a lesson in equanimity, firmness and strict adherence to diplomatic regulations in its response to the vulgar, contemptible actions of USINT and the mercenaries at its service in our country.

With our moral authority and our principles, we will defeat each and every one of its criminal and cowardly campaigns, provocations and aggressions!

Cuba looks the enemy in the face and has no dirty tricks up its sleeve; it has no reason to seek pretexts to harass USINT. It knows how to say "yes" or "no" to requests by the empire’s representatives. It is not looking for subterfuges, or trying to cut electric cables to turn off stupid little signs. It is not harassing U.S. officials or representatives. The millions of people who have paraded past those facilities with honor and dignity, including children and teenagers, have never thrown a single stone against that building. Throughout the history of the Revolution, Cuba has always fought with a moral authority that crushes its enemies. If the current U.S. government is seeking pretexts to remove USINT, cut food sales to our people and do away with the Migration Agreement, then it should do so without inventing them or attempting to perpetuate its gross and cowardly provocations, which did not come from Cuba, but from USINT, which has become a bastion, headquarters and bank for the mercenaries and a center for supplying subversive materials smuggled in their diplomatic pouches. Cuba could peacefully do without all of that, and everything else that interventionism and aggression entails. It would not shed a single tear at its departure. There is no need to burn papers, the monstrosity of their content notwithstanding. Our Revolution would never assault or break into a diplomatic office. It never has and it never will.

Havana, Cuba

June 13, 2006