Your Excellency Raul Castro, President of the Republic of Cuba

Colleague Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community

Ministers of the Government of the Republic of Cuba and of the Caribbean Community

Senior Government Officials of the Republic of Cuba

Delegates

Members of the Media

Friends all:

The Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, are extremely pleased to be here with you in this warm and welcoming Caribbean city of Santiago de Cuba.

Mr. President:

Your convening of our conference in this city is certainly not without significance. Yesterday we had the opportunity to pay homage to the national hero of Cuba and Apostle of Cuban Independence, Jose Marti, as well as to one of the heroes of the Cuban War of Independence, Antonio Maceo. We were deeply honoured by your gesture.

Permit me to quote the former President of Cuba, Fidel Castro Ruz, who on 7 December last year, on the anniversary of the death of Antonio Maceo, succinctly described the essence of what these two emblematic figures mean for Cuba, and I quote: “For every Cuban, Marti’s frowning countenance and Maceo’s withering look point to the arduous path of duty, not to a more comfortable life. We must read and reflect much on those ideas,” End of quote.

Today, we mark the thirty-sixth anniversary of the historic establishment of diplomatic relations between the four then independent countries of the English-speaking Caribbean and the Republic of Cuba.

In normal circumstances, the signing of such agreements would not have been considered out of the ordinary and certainly not historic. But those were not normal circumstances. The signing on 8 December 1972 took place in a hemispheric and international environment hostile to Cuba. It was indeed a bold step taken by those Caribbean leaders – Barrow, Burnham, Manley and Williams – to signal that Cuba was an integral and vital part of the Caribbean.

The Caribbean Community has never deviated from that principled position., a position, I dare say, that is not only consistent with the founding principles of the foreign policies of our respective countries, but also a tribute to the exemplary courage, resilience, resourcefulness and solidarity displayed by the Government and People of Cuba over the years.

Those principles include adherence to the United Nations Charter and for us, as small states, particularly adherence to the principles of the self-determination of peoples; of non-interference in the internal affairs of States; and of upholding the rule of international law.

As we gather today in Cuba, the world in which we live is profoundly different to that of the seventies. There is however one striking holdover from that era - the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against the Republic of Cuba.

It is still in place notwithstanding the overwhelming calls by the quasi totality of the Member States of the United Nations for it to be lifted. The Caribbean Community hopes that the transformational change which is underway in the United States will finally relegate that measure to history.

Over the past few months, Cuba has experienced some of the worst devastation in recent years from natural disasters, with four hurricanes pounding Cuban shores in less than three months. The hearts of the people of the wider Caribbean and indeed of the world went out to you, our Cuban brothers and sisters. Some of our young people studying here in Cuba would have experienced a hurricane for the first time. It must have been traumatic for them.

The resilience of the Cuban people and your dynamic approach to recovery have been exemplary. As Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government, of the Caribbean Community I am pleased at the relief response of CARICOM Member States to the devastating aftermath of the storms here in Cuba.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

At the Second CARICOM-Cuba Summit held in Barbados on 8 December 2005, the last occasion on which we met as a group with our dear friend and colleague Comrade Fidel Castro, our theme was “Strategies for Caribbean Human Development”.

We discussed among other things cooperation in human development; issues of particular interest to small states such as ours in the Caribbean; trade and development; and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

At that time, we were focusing on the challenges facing small-island and low-lying coastal developing states in the world economy.

We had hoped to have seen a resumption of the Doha Development Round of multilateral trade negotiations in order to concretize international agreements which could have redounded to the benefit of the developing world, and in particular to the special needs of small and vulnerable economies in the global trading environment.

What progress we have been able to make in the area of social development is likely to be jeopardized and even reversed by present developments in the international arena.

The Doha negotiations are yet to be concluded; the global economic landscape darkens under the clouds of a deepening financial crisis; climate change is already threatening the future of some small states and placing the very livelihood of many of our people at risk.

The countries of our region and of our hemisphere are recognizing the importance of strengthening our links as we confront these and other transnational problems.

I was pleased to learn that at the recently concluded meeting of the Rio Group held in Mexico City on 12-13 November, Cuba was admitted as a full member of that Group. The Rio Group can now be said to be the major political forum of Latin America and the Caribbean as it encompasses us all.

A week from today, leaders from the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean will gather in Salvador do Bahia, Brazil for the Latin America and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development.

CARICOM Leaders look forward to this Summit which we see as a very valuable and timely initiative. We hope it will carve out a space for dialogue among the existing integration groupings in Latin America and the Caribbean.

We believe that the resulting convergence can create synergies for the benefits of our Member States and also facilitate the development of positions truly reflective of all the interests and concerns of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in our interface with third states.

Mr.President:

CARICOM countries have long recognized the leadership role which Cuba plays in the developing world – politically, economically and socially. Cuba’s Chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement for the period 2006-2009 is to be commended. It is taking place at a time where there is more change than continuity in the international system, thereby resulting in challenges which call for astute leadership.

Economically, Cuba has managed to survive the tides which are devastating so many other countries. It has managed to do so by analyzing the global economy and making such changes as considered necessary to build a stronger economy.

It is the view of the Caribbean Community that there is need for systemic changes in the global financial system, including greater democratization and regulation of and in those institutions. The United Nations must be given primacy over global economic management matters.

There is also need to consider moving to a genuine international reserve currency system and away from dependence on national currencies in which to hold country reserves.

As vulnerable small states, the countries of the Caribbean Community are calling for orienting the international financial framework for managing debt towards greater accommodation of economies susceptible to external shocks and dislocations, especially small vulnerable economies that are classified as highly indebted middle-income countries.

The Caribbean Community is confident of the support it will receive from Cuba in this regard.

Mr. President:

The Caribbean Community has often expressed its appreciation to your country for the support which it has provided to the Governments and citizens of the Caribbean in the areas of education and health. Each year, a number of nationals from the Caribbean Community arrive in Cuba to commence a period of study lasting in some cases up to six years.

In return, CARICOM Member States benefit from well-trained personnel in fields as varied as engineering, agriculture, medicine, sports and the arts which serve to build capacity in our Member States.

President Raul Castro:

In assuming the Presidency of Cuba you have stated your commitment to continue and deepen the friendly and fraternal relationship which has existed between the Governments of the Caribbean Community and of Cuba over the past thirty-six years. That bond of friendship was forged by your brother, Comrade Fidel Castro.

It is therefore with gratitude that the Caribbean Community wishes to acknowledge publicly the support provided to the Caribbean Community by Comrade Fidel Castro in our economic and social development.

He has shown that Cuba was and continues to be a true friend. It is the hope of the Caribbean Community that the gratitude of the Caribbean people has been demonstrated over the past years in our solid support for the right of the people of Cuba to determine their paths to development.

It is with this deep sense of appreciation that the Caribbean Community will today bestow on His Excellency Fidel Castro, former President of the Republic of Cuba, an Honorary Order of the Caribbean Community.

We all look forward to that historic moment this afternoon when we shall confer the award on a most deserving champion of our Caribbean civilization.

Mr. President:

My colleagues and I look forward to the continuation of our dialogue at this Summit and to the continued deepening of our bonds of friendship and of cooperation.

Viva Cuba! Viva Caricom!

Thank you.