The sovereignty of Cuba must be respected

As a result of the communication of Fidel Castro on his state of health and the provisional delegation of his responsibilities, high ranking U.S officials have formulated more explicit statements about the immediate future of Cuba. The Secretary of ommerce Carlos Gutierrez said that “the moment has arrived for a true transition towards a true democracy” and the White House spokesman Tony Snow said that his government is “ready and eager to provide humanitarian, economic and other aid to the people of Cuba", as was recently reiterated by President Bush. Already the “Commission for Assistance to a free Cuba”, presided over by the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, pointed out in a report issued on June “the urgency of working today to ensure that the Castro regimen's succession strategy does not succeed” and President Bush indicated that this document “demonstrates that we are actively working for change in Cuba, not simply waiting for change”. The Department of State has emphasized that the plan includes measures that will remain secret “for reasons of national security” and to assure its “effective implementation”. It is not difficult to imagine the character of such measures and the “announced assistance” if one considers the militarization of the foreign policy of the present American administration and its performance in Iraq. In front of this increasing threat against the integrity of a nation, and the peace and the security of Latin America and the world, we the signatories listed below demand that the government of the United States respect the sovereignty of Cuba. We must prevent a new aggression at all costs.