Reflections by Comrade Fidel
Feverish Dreams
I could find no explanation for the euphoria
expressed by some of the participants at the Port of Spain Summit.
I put in a lot of effort and I read the famous
Declaration of the Commitment approved at that “
Some kind of miracle should have been worked out, I
said to myself. The philosopher’s stone has just been discovered. Why should we
worry for one more second? No one should think that this happened out of mere
chance. Don’t we know how to read and write? It was the OAS which saved us all;
it has been so stated in 13 out of the 97 subparagraphs contained in the 67 pages
of the final declaration.
I will only use six of the eight pages of this
reflection to also acknowledge the glories of the OAS:
The countries that signed the Declaration reaffirm
the principles and values of the UN Charter, the OAS Charter, the Inter-American
Democratic Charter, the Monterrey Consensus on Financing for Development and
the Millennium Declaration and express their determination to intensify their
struggle against poverty, hunger, social exclusion, discrimination and
inequality and to promote social inclusion and cohesion in order to improve the
living standards of their peoples and attain development and social justice.
Likewise, they reaffirm the importance of promoting
cooperation among States in a fraternal way in different spheres of
inter-American relations, in conformity with the essential principles and
purposes of the OAS Charter and recognizing their social, political and
economic diversity.
They further stated that they have given instructions
to their ministers, particularly those responsible for finances, planning and
social development, to begin or strengthen the review of all national programs
for social protection and inclusion and the eradication of poverty. They call upon the OAS, the Inter-American
Development Bank (IADB) and other relevant finance and development regional and
sub regional institutions so that they support these efforts within the scope
of their respective mandates.
They call upon the Ministers of Labor so that, within
the context of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor of the OAS,
in cooperation with the consultative organs of workers and employers, and with
the support of the ILO, as appropriate, so that they support a working program
to attain these objectives at the Sixteenth Inter-American Conference of Labor
Ministers to be held in the year 2009.
The countries that signed the Declaration call upon
the Ministers of Education so that, with the support of the OAS, specialized
regional and international institutions as well as the civil society
organizations, they could develop strategies aimed at making quality secondary
education available to all youths by the year 2015 at the latest, specially to
the most vulnerable groups and those with special educational needs.
They further stated that they will increase their
efforts to prevent and combat all aspects of the international problem of drugs
and other related crimes by strengthening international cooperation and
adopting a comprehensive and balanced approach, based on the principle of
common and shared responsibility, in conformity with the principles enshrined
in the UN Charter, the OAS Charter, international law and their applicable legal
frameworks.
The countries signing the Declaration request the
General Secretariat of the OAS to submit to the next Summit of the Americas a
report on the progress attained in the compliance with the commitments entered
into at the meetings of Ministers of Public Security of the Americas and the
meetings of Ministers of Justice or other ministers, attorneys or General
Attorneys of the Americas… The
Declaration seeks to promote greater cooperation in these meetings, as well as
the work of the OAS in support to meetings of Ministers of Public Security of
the
The countries will encourage the work of the OAS in
the design of a new comprehensive and hemispheric strategy to promote
inter-American cooperation in coping with criminal gangs.
The countries that signed the Declaration renewed
their commitment to combat poverty, inequality, hunger, and social exclusion in
order to improve the living conditions of their peoples and strengthen
democratic governance in the
The countries reiterated their support to the goals
contained in the Social Charter of the
They recognize the important role played by the OAS
in the peaceful settlement of their differences, its participation in the
promotion of a culture of democracy, peace, dialogue and non-violence in the
region, and the role it played in the implementation of the Inter-American
Democratic Charter.
The countries that signed the Declaration will see to
it that yearly national reports about the actions carried out and the progress
achieved in pursuing the specific goals identified in the
Why should we be surprised to see that, thanks to the
support and inspiration of such a meritorious institution, in the last
subparagraph of page 67 of the Declaration it is reaffirmed that the Heads of
State or Government of the Americas agree that this document should be known as
“The Declaration of the Commitment of Port-of Spain”, and that it will be so
approved on April 19, 2009?
Is it so that the OAS is a guarantee to the
sovereignty and integrity of Latin American peoples? It always has!
Did it ever interfere in the internal affairs of any
country in the hemisphere? It never has!
Is it true that it has always been a docile
instrument of the United Sates? It never has!
Did any Latin American or
Fidel Castro Ruz