To save the planet from the imperialist threat...

Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, Delivers Remarks to U.N. General Assembly, New York
ABN 20/09/2006

September 20th, 2006

HUGO CHAVEZ, PRESIDENT OF THE BOLIVARIAN REPULIC OF VENEZUELA

Madam President, Excellencies, Heads of State, Heads of government and other government’s representatives, good morning.

First, and with all respect, I highly recommend this book by Noam Chomsky, one of the most prestigious intellectuals in America and the world, Chomsky. One of his most recent works: Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance (The American Empire Project). It’s an excellent work to understand what’s happened in the world in the 20th Century, what’s currently happening, and the greatest threat on this planet; the hegemonic pretension of the North American imperialism endangers the human race’s survival.

We continue warning about this danger and calling on the very same U.S. people and the world to stop this threat, which resembles the Sword of Damocles over our heads. I had considered reading from this book, but for the sake of time, I shall just leave it as a recommendation. It reads easily. It's a very good book. I'm sure, Madam, you are familiar with it.

(APPLAUSE)

The book is in English, in Russian, in Arabic, in German.

I think that the first people who should read this book are our brothers and sisters in the United States, because their threat is in their own house. The devil is right at home. The devil -- the devil, himself, is right in the house.

And the devil came here yesterday.

(APPLAUSE)

Yesterday, the devil came here. Right here. Right here. And it smells of sulfur still today, this table that I am now standing in front of.

Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the president of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world. Truly. As the owner of the world.

I think we could call a psychiatrist to analyze yesterday's statement made by the president of the United States. As the spokesman of imperialism, he came to share his nostrums, to try to preserve the current pattern of domination, exploitation and pillage of the peoples of the world.

An Alfred Hitchcock movie could use it as a scenario. I would even propose a title: 'The Devil's Recipe.'

As Chomsky says here, clearly and in depth, the American empire is doing all it can to consolidate its system of domination. And we cannot allow them to do that. We cannot allow world dictatorship to be consolidated.

The world parent's statement -- cynical, hypocritical, full of this imperial hypocrisy from the need they have to control everything.

They say they want to impose a democratic model. But that's their democratic model. It's the false democracy of elites, and, I would say, a very original democracy that's imposed by weapons and bombs and firing weapons.

What a strange democracy. Aristotle might not recognize it or others who are at the root of democracy.

What type of democracy do you impose with marines and bombs?

The president of the United States, yesterday, said to us, right here, in this room, and I'm quoting, 'Anywhere you look, you hear extremists telling you can escape from poverty and recover your dignity through violence, terror and martyrdom.'

Wherever he looks, he sees extremists. And you, my brother -- he looks at your color, and he says, oh, there's an extremist. Evo Morales, the worthy president of Bolivia, looks like an extremist to him.

The imperialists see extremists everywhere. It's not that we are extremists. It's that the world is waking up. It's waking up all over. And people are standing up.

I have the feeling, dear world dictator, that you are going to live the rest of your days as a nightmare because the rest of us are standing up, all those who are rising up against American imperialism, who are shouting for equality, for respect, for the sovereignty of nations.

Yes, you can call us extremists, but we are rising up against the empire, against the model of domination.

The president then -- and this he said himself, he said: 'I have come to speak directly to the populations in the Middle East, to tell them that my country wants peace.'

That's true. If we walk in the streets of the Bronx, if we walk around New York, Washington, San Diego, in any city, San Antonio, San Francisco, and we ask individuals, the citizens of the United States, what does this country want? Does it want peace? They'll say yes.

But the government doesn't want peace. The government of the United States doesn't want peace. It wants to exploit its system of exploitation, of pillage, of hegemony through war.

It wants peace. But what's happening in Iraq? What happened in Lebanon? In Palestine? What's happening? What's happened over the last 100 years in Latin America and in the world? And now threatening Venezuela -- new threats against Venezuela, against Iran?

He spoke to the people of Lebanon. Many of you, he said, have seen how your homes and communities were caught in the crossfire. How cynical can you get? What a capacity to lie shamefacedly.

The bombs in Beirut with millimetric precision? Is this crossfire?

He's thinking of a western, when people would shoot from the hip and somebody would be caught in the crossfire.

This is imperialist, fascist, assassin, genocidal, the empire and Israel firing on the people of Palestine and Lebanon. That is what happened. And now we hear, 'We're suffering because we see homes destroyed.'

The president of the United States came to talk to the peoples -- to the peoples of the world. He came to say -- I brought some documents with me, because this morning I was reading some statements, and I see that he talked to the people of Afghanistan, the people of Lebanon, the people of Iran. And he addressed all these peoples directly.

And you can wonder, just as the president of the United States addresses those peoples of the world, what would those peoples of the world tell him if they were given the floor? What would they have to say?

And I think I have some inkling of what the peoples of the south, the oppressed people think. They would say, 'Yankee imperialist, go home.' I think that is what those people would say if they were given the microphone and if they could speak with one voice to the American imperialists.

And that is why, Madam President, my colleagues, my friends, last year we came here to this same hall as we have been doing for the past eight years, and we said something that has now been confirmed -- fully, fully confirmed.

I don't think anybody in this room could defend the system. Let's accept -- let's be honest. The U.N. system, born after the Second World War, collapsed. It's worthless.

Oh, yes, it's good to bring us together once a year, see each other, make statements and prepare all kinds of long documents, and listen to good speeches, like Evo's yesterday, or President Lula's. Yes, it's good for that.

And there are a lot of speeches, and we've heard lots from the president of Sri Lanka, for instance, and the president of Chile.

But we, the assembly, have been turned into a merely deliberative organ. We have no power, no power to make any impact on the terrible situation in the world. And that is why Venezuela once again proposes, here, today, September 20th, that we re-establish the United Nations.

Last year, Madam, we made four modest proposals that we felt to be crucially important. We have to assume the responsibility, our heads of state, our ambassadors, our representatives, and we have to discuss it.

The first is expansion, and Lula talked about this yesterday right here: The Security Council’s expansion, both regarding its permanent and non-permanent categories. New developed and developing countries, the Third World, must be given access as new permanent members. That's step one.

Second, effective methods to address and resolve world conflicts, transparent decisions.

Point three, the immediate suppression -- and that is something everyone's calling for -- of the anti-democratic mechanism known as the veto, the veto on decisions of the Security Council.

Let me give you a recent example. The immoral veto of the United States allowed the Israelis, with impunity, to destroy Lebanon. Right in front of all of us as we stood there watching, a resolution in the council was prevented.

Fourthly, we have to strengthen, as we've always said, the role and the powers of the secretary general of the United Nations.

Yesterday, the secretary general practically gave us his speech of farewell. And he recognized that over the last 10 years, things have just gotten more complicated; hunger, poverty, violence, human rights violations have just worsened. That is the tremendous consequence of the collapse of the United Nations system and American hegemonistic pretensions.

Madam, Venezuela a few years ago decided to wage this battle within the United Nations by recognizing the United Nations, as members of it that we are, and lending it our voice, our thinking.

Our voice is an independent voice to represent the dignity and the search for peace and the reformulation of the international system; to denounce persecution and aggression of hegemonistic forces on the planet.

This is how Venezuela has presented itself. Bolivar's home has sought a nonpermanent seat on the Security Council.

Let's see. Well, there's been an open attack by the U.S. government, an immoral attack, to try and prevent Venezuela from being freely elected to a post in the Security Council.

The imperium is afraid of truth, is afraid of independent voices. It calls us extremists, but they are the extremists.

And I would like to thank all the countries that have kindly announced their support for Venezuela, even though the ballot is a secret one and there's no need to announce things.

But since the imperium has attacked, openly, they strengthened the convictions of many countries. And their support strengthens us.

Mercosur, as a bloc, has expressed its support, our brothers in Mercosur. Venezuela, with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, is a full member of Mercosur.

And many other Latin American countries, CARICOM, Bolivia have expressed their support for Venezuela. The Arab League, the full Arab League has voiced its support. And I am immensely grateful to the Arab world, to our Arab brothers, our Caribbean brothers, the African Union. Almost all of Africa has expressed its support for Venezuela and countries such as Russia or China and many others.

I thank you all warmly on behalf of Venezuela, on behalf of our people, and on behalf of the truth, because Venezuela, with a seat on the Security Council, will be expressing not only Venezuela's thoughts, but it will also be the voice of all the peoples of the world, and we will defend dignity and truth.

Over and above all of this, Madam President, I think there are reasons to be optimistic. A poet would have said 'helplessly optimistic,' because over and above the wars and the bombs and the aggressive and the preventive war and the destruction of entire peoples, one can see that a new era is dawning.

As Silvio Rodriguez says, "the era is giving birth to a heart". There are alternative ways of thinking. There are young people who think differently. And this has already been seen within the space of a mere decade. It was shown that the end of history was a totally false assumption, and the same was shown about Pax Americana and the establishment of the capitalist neo-liberal world. It has been shown, this system, to generate mere poverty. Who believes in it now?

What we now have to do is define the future of the world. Dawn is breaking out all over. You can see it in Africa and Europe and Latin America and Oceania. I want to emphasize that optimistic vision.

We have to strengthen ourselves, our will to do battle, our awareness. We have to build a new and better world.

Venezuela joins that struggle, and that's why we are threatened. The U.S. has already planned, financed and set in motion a coup in Venezuela, and it continues to support coup attempts in Venezuela and elsewhere.

President Michelle Bachelet reminded us just a moment ago of the horrendous assassination of the former foreign minister, Orlando Letelier.

And I would just add one thing: Those who perpetrated this crime are free. And that other event where an American citizen also died were American themselves. They were CIA killers, terrorists.

And we must recall in this room that in just a few days there will be another anniversary. Thirty years will have passed from this other horrendous terrorist attack on the Cuban plane, where 73 innocents, in a Cubana de Aviacion airliner, died.

And where is the biggest terrorist of this continent who took the responsibility for blowing up the plane? He spent a few years in jail in Venezuela. Thanks to CIA and then government officials, he was allowed to escape, and he lives here in this country, protected by the government.

And he was convicted. He has confessed to his crime. But the U.S. government has double standards. It protects terrorism when it wants to.

And this is to say that Venezuela is fully committed to combating terrorism and violence. And we are one of the people who are fighting for peace.

Luis Posada Carriles is the name of that terrorist who is protected here. And other tremendously corrupt people who escaped from Venezuela are also living here under protection: a group that bombed various embassies, that assassinated people during the coup. They kidnapped me and they were going to kill me, but I think God reached down and our people came out into the streets and the army was too, and so I'm here today.

But these people who led that coup are here today in this country protected by the American government. And I accuse the American government of protecting terrorists and of having a completely cynical discourse.

We mentioned Cuba. Yes, we were just there a few days ago. We just came from there happily.

And there you see another era born. The Summit of the 15, the Summit of the Nonaligned, adopted a historic resolution. This is the outcome document. Don't worry, I'm not going to read it.

But you have a whole set of resolutions here that were adopted after open debate in a transparent matter -- more than 50 heads of state. Havana was the capital of the south for a few weeks, and we have now launched, once again, the group of the nonaligned with new momentum.

And if there is anything I could ask all of you here, my companions, my brothers and sisters, it is to please lend your good will to lend momentum to the Nonaligned Movement for the birth of the new era, to prevent hegemony and prevent further advances of imperialism.

And as you know, Fidel Castro is the president of the nonaligned for the next three years, and we can trust him to lead the charge very efficiently.

Unfortunately they thought, 'Oh, Fidel was going to die.' But they're going to be disappointed because he didn't. And he's not only alive, he's back in his green fatigues, and he's now presiding the nonaligned.

So, my dear colleagues, Madam President, a new, strong movement has been born, a movement of the south. We are men and women of the south.

With this document, with these ideas, with these criticisms, I'm now closing my file. I'm taking the book with me. And, don't forget, I'm recommending it very warmly and very humbly to all of you.

We want ideas to save our planet, to save the planet from the imperialist threat. And hopefully in this very century, in not too long a time, we will see this, we will see this new era, and for our children and our grandchildren a world of peace based on the fundamental principles of the United Nations, but a renewed United Nations.

And maybe we have to change location. Maybe we have to put the United Nations somewhere else; maybe a city of the south. We've proposed Venezuela.

You know that my personal doctor had to stay in the plane. The chief of security had to be left in a locked plane. Neither of these gentlemen was allowed to arrive and attend the U.N. meeting. This is another abuse and another abuse of power on the part of the Devil. It smells of sulfur here, but God is with us and I embrace you all.

May God bless us all. Good day to you.

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The right to live in peace, justice and dignity for all.

SPEECH BY VICE PRESIDENT ESTEBAN LAZO, HEAD OF THE CUBAN DELEGATION TO THE 61st SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, NEW YORK ON SEPTEMBR 20, 2006

Mrs. President,
Mr. Secretary General,
Your Excellencies:

As noted by President Hugo Chavez in his brilliant speech, a mere four days ago, the 14th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Cuba was concluded. Today, I speak on behalf of the Movement's Chairman, President Fidel Castro, fulfilling our obligation to inform this Assembly of the main decisions agreed on at the Summit Conference held in Havana.
As First Vice-President of the Councils of State and Ministers of the Republic of Cuba Raúl Castro said in his opening speech: "The current international situation, characterized by the one superpower's irrational attempts to control the world, aided by its allies, shows that we need to be increasingly united In defense of the principles and purposes upon which the Non-Aligned Movement was established, which are those enshrined In the international law and the Charter of the United Nations."
While the founding of the Movement was necessary more than four decades ago, its continued relevance in today's world is beyond doubt.
The NAM Summit held in Cuba was an indisputable success, in spite of the threats and pressures of those who oppose the unity and common efforts of the countries of the South.
The Summit saw high levels of participation, both in terms of the number of countries which attended the conference and that of Heads of State or Government.
Profound and fruitful debates were held, in an atmosphere of true understanding, unity and cohesion, which allowed for the adoption of documents of crucial importance to the future of the Non-Aligned Movement.
As the new Chairman, Cuba was given clear mandates and an action program which shall govern its activities as head of the Movement. As a result of the Summit, the Non-Aligned Movement has been strengthened and, consequently, so has the political unity of the countries of the South.
The diverse and heterogeneous nature of the Movement's membership, far from weakening it,
constitutes its essential strength. These features have allowed for the creation of solid consensuses that are a positive contribution to our efforts to overcome the many and serious challenges humanity faces today.
The commendable work of Malaysia as the Movement's Chairman over the last three years was acknowledged at the Summit. There was no cause of or demand by a South country which was not duly considered by or which did not meet with the support of the Movement.
The urgent need to make progress in the defense of multilateralism, to demand respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States and ensure the full realization of our peoples' right to development and peace were ratified at the Summit as the Movement's principles.
The Heads of State or Government decided to work to suppress acts of aggression and other actions contrary to the preservation of peace and to encourage the peaceful settlement of international conflicts.
The Summit called on all nations to abstain from the use of force or from threatening to use force against the territorial integrity or independence of any State. Participating nations promoted the development of relations of friendship based on respect towards the principle of equal rights and the will of all peoples to struggle against foreign occupation.
They urged nations to extend international cooperation with a view to overcoming the serious economic, social, cultural and h humanitarian challenges that face the world and to promote respect towards the human rights and fundamental liberties of all and for the benefit of all.
The fundamental and inalienable right of all peoples to self-determination was reaffirmed in Havana. Non-Aligned countries agreed that world peace and security are today more imperiled than ever as a result, among other factors, of the growing trend of the most powerful States to resort to unilateral measures and to the threat of preemptive wars.
The Movement's commitment to general and complete disarmament and nuclear disarmament in particular, under strict and efficient international monitoring, was underscored. The Summit also reaffirmed the basic and inalienable right of all States to research, development, production and the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and to be free from any kind of discrimination in this connection, in conformity with their respective international obligations.
In addition to this, the Summit clearly and firmly pronounced itself against terrorism, double standards in international relations, coercive unilateral measures against any nation, "regime change" policies and the failure of developed countries to fulfill their commitments in economic and social areas.
The Heads of State or Government of the Movement reaffirmed their hope to live in a peaceful world in which all nations have the right to a better future and a fair and equitable world order based on the sustainable development of all nations.
They affirmed that, in its current form, globalization perpetuates and even exacerbates the marginalization of the countries of the South, and demanded that it be radically transformed into a positive force for change, for the benefit of all peoples.
Participants reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people to have their own State and condemned the government of Israel for the new wave of crimes and massacres in Gaza and other occupied territories. They also vigorously condemned Israel's merciless acts of aggression against Lebanon and the serious violations of this nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The people and government of Bolivia, facing attempts aimed at destabilizing the country instigated by external forces, met with a gesture of support and solidarity from the Summit. The process which is underway in that sister nation, aimed at guaranteeing the real rights of all Bolivians and at securing full national control over the country's natural resources, was offered solid support.
The Movement considered, with great concern, the aggressive policies and the intensification of actions aimed at undermining the stability of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and expressed support for the inalienable right of the Venezuelan people to determine its form of government and choose its economic, political and social system, free from foreign intervention, subversion, coercion or restrictions of any kind.
Non-Aligned countries undertook to promote and participate in a true process of democratization and reform of the United Nations to put behind the anti-democratic impositions and practices of the Security Council and to give the General Assembly its due decisive role, in conformity with the roles and powers described in the UN Charter.
I have mentioned only a few examples of the positions adopted at the Summit held in Havana, with respect to t he most diverse issues on the international a agenda. The documents adopted shall be officially distributed to all UN member States. A number of the decisions adopted at the Summit shall soon be put into practice in this Session of the General Assembly.
Mrs. President:
Cuba is aware of the immense responsibility inherent to presiding over the Non-Aligned Movement in one of the most difficult times in human history, when we face more inequality and injustice than ever before.
We shall not rest in our efforts to have the Movement occupy the place it can and must occupy in the international arena, in keeping not only with its broad membership of 118 countries, nearly two thirds of the UN membership, but also of its history on behalf of the loftiest causes.
On inaugurating the 6th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement 27 years ago, President Fidel Castro expressed: "The struggle for peace and for a just economic order, and a workable solution to the pressing problems that weigh on our peoples is, in our opinion, increasingly becoming the main question posed to Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. Peace, and the immense risks that threaten is not something that should be left exclusively in the hands of the big military Powers. Peace is possible, but world peace can only be assured to the extent that all countries are consciously determined to fight for it --peace, not just for a part of the world, but for all peoples."
Days later, in this same hall, on reporting on that Summit, President Fidel Castro expressed:
"The sounds of weapons, of threatening language, and of proponent behavior on the international arena must cease. Enough of the illusion that the problems of the world can be solved by nuclear weapons. Bombs may kill the hungry, the sick, and the ignorant, but they cannot kill hunger, disease, and ignorance. Nor can they kill the righteous rebellion of the peoples."
The countries of the South shall work, united, for justice, peace and the development of our nations and the entire World, convinced that a better world is possible if we all struggle for it.
Mrs. President:
I would now like to say a few words on behalf of the people and government of Cuba.
Our people's exercise of its right to self-determination faces new threats. The Bush administration has stepped up its brutally hostile measures against Cuba with new economic sanctions which further intensify the longest blockade human history has known. More severe reprisals are also being taken against those who have business dealings with Cuba from other nations and financial transactions with our country are viciously persecuted. The very government of the United States recognizes that it is spending more, today, in persecuting and punishing those who have business dealings with Cuba than in monitoring the finances of those who attacked the Twin Towers.
This past June, the Bush administration approved the second version of its most recent plan of aggression and domination against our country, aimed not only at overthrowing the Revolution but also at destroying the Cuban nation.
In violation of international norms and laws, an unprecedented build-up in the financial and material support to subversive actions aimed at overthrowing the constitutional order freely chosen by the Cuban people is being promoted.
The abovementioned anti-Cuban plan contains a chapter, which is being held in secret. The antecedents of these decisions are the covert actions undertaken against the Cuban revolution, which include mercenary invasions, terrorist actions, the introduction of plagues and epidemics into the country and over 600 plots to assassinate Fidel. Thousands of Cubans have lost their lives or have been maimed for life as a result of this criminal policy.
At the height of hypocrisy and irresponsibility, the government of the United States tolerates the presence of and protects the terrorists who plan new actions against our people on US soil. While maneuvering to free the murderers responsible for monstrous crimes, such as the notorious international terrorist and CIA agent Luis Posada Carriles, whom they refuse to extradite to Venezuela, it illegally and unjustly keeps five courageous anti-terrorist Cuban activists in prison.
But, in spite of these acts of aggression and the criminal blockade, the Cuban people shall never be defeated. Cuba's internationalist efforts continue unhindered. More than 30 thousand Cuban doctors and other health professionals are saving lives in 68 different countries today; we are participating in the struggle against illiteracy in several continents; we are developing a plan to train 100 thousand doctors for the Third World and we are helping hundreds of thousands of people in many countries regain their sight through Operation Miracle.
With these efforts, we are but fulfilling our fundamental duty to aid all of the peoples of the world.
Your Excellencies:
Cuba is making progress and shall continue to face the future with optimism and unity. Its educated and hard-working people, to whom the homeland is humanity, shall struggle hand in hand with the peoples you represent for the right to live in peace, justice and dignity for all.
Thank you, very much.

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