There will be weapons much more powerful than any produced through technology: the weapons of morality, reason and ideas

Response by President Fidel Castro Ruz to the statements made by the United States government on biological weapons, May 10, 2002, Year of the Heroes Imprisoned by the U.S. Empire.

(Translation of the transcript of the Council of State)

Hardly three days ago, someone only too well known to us, Assistant Secretary of State Otto Reich was caught in an embarrassing lie when he said that four Cuban planes had landed in the Venezuelan capital on April 12, and that nobody knew "what they were doing there, what they were carrying, we don’t know." Apparently, it was the beginning of an anti-Cuba campaign or a vendetta due to the amazing failure of the fascist coup he set in motion, or both.

On Tuesday, May 7, when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs challenged him publicly, the State Department said that it had no confirmation whatsoever, and that it did not want to discuss the subject any more.

The idea of destroying Cuba, an obsession that has lasted more than 43 years, has led and still leads U.S. policy down a tortuous path filled with lies, mistakes, failures and crimes. What the U.S. government is telling the world today and what it is doing with Cuba is perhaps the most grievous and demoralizing contradiction in its foreign policy. This great power had never found itself in such a compromising position and it has no alternative but to lie, lie and lie. And there is no lack of unscrupulous characters in major public positions willing to do so, no lack of press spokesmen caught up in the continuous and bitter need to right wrongs and explain the inexplicable in their bosses’ statements.

Even men like Colin Powell, son of Jamaican immigrants, that despite his military training or maybe because of it, is not considered a hawk since he knows about war and has seen many men die --a man that many Americans even came to look on as a potential presidential candidate-- has found himself enmeshed in shameful and little ennobling intrigues promoted by such characters. He knows better than anyone else how inexperienced they are and what little intellectual and political worth those people have.

Who could be deceived by this new character involved in a sinister maneuver against Cuba? Mr. John Bolton, an Under Secretary of State, none other than the one for Arms Control. What are they aiming for with the attack launched by this official in an aggressive speech against Cuba given at the Heritage Foundation, famous for its ultra-rightwing stance?

His statement, supposedly an analysis of the dangers of terrorism threatening the United States, begin by saying: "In addition to Libya and Syria, there is a threat coming from another BWC signatory, and one that lies just 90 miles from the U.S. mainland —namely, Cuba."

Then, after the usual name-calling and stupid remarks full of the hatred common in such arrogant and misinformed people, Mr. Bolton added something all his own:

"We know that Cuba is collaborating with other state sponsors of terror."

"Castro has repeatedly denounced the U.S. war on terrorism. He continues to view terror as a legitimate tactic to further revolutionary objectives. Last year, Castro visited Iran, Syria and Libya -- all designees on the same list of terrorist-sponsoring states. At Teheran University, these were his words: ‘Iran and Cuba, in cooperation with each other, can bring America to its knees. The U.S. regime is very weak, and we are witnessing this weakness from close up.’"

"But Cuba’s threat to our security has often been underplayed. An official U.S. government report in 1998 concluded that Cuba did not represent a significant military threat to the United States or the region. It went only so far as to say that, ‘Cuba has a limited capacity to engage in some military and intelligence activities which could pose a danger to U.S. citizens in some circumstances.’"

Mr. Bolton immediately looked for something to cover up the suspicious fact that it had never before occurred to any U.S. government official to make such an infamous accusation against Cuba. Mr. Bolton blames this weakness on William Cohen, who was the U.S. Defense Secretary four years earlier when the criticized report was issued. Mr. Bolton made not the slightest mention of the fact that scarcely five months and two weeks earlier, on November 19, 2001, he himself made absolutely no mention of Cuba in a speech given to the conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Weapons in Geneva when he cited many countries that were a source of concern to him as potential biological weapons producers. Why this sudden and unexpected change?

Mr. Bolton’s May 6 piece of tabloid journalism ends by saying: "For four decades Cuba has maintained a well-developed and sophisticated biomedical industry, supported until 1990 by the Soviet Union. This industry is one of the most advanced in Latin America, and leads in the production of pharmaceuticals and vaccines that are sold worldwide. Analysts and Cuban defectors have long cast suspicion on the activities conducted in these biomedical facilities.

"Here is what we now know: The United States believes that Cuba has at least a limited offensive biological warfare research-and-development effort. Cuba has provided dual-use biotechnology to other rogue states. We are concerned that such technology could support BW programs in those states. We call on Cuba to cease all BW-applicable cooperation with rogue states and to fully comply with all of its obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention."

The international press immediately picked up Mr. Bolton’s string of Olympic-size lies, which is exactly what he wanted.

"Washington, May 6 (ANSA). Under Secretary of State John Bolton today accused Cuba of helping ‘enemy governments’ with biological weapons programs.

"Cuba had at least an offensive biological weapons program and could be transferring its results to other states hostile to the United States’, Bolton said.

"The Under Secretary Bolton spoke to the Heritage Foundation, one of the ultraconservative groups in Washington."

"Washington, May 6 (DPA) The United States today accused Cuba of developing offensive biological weapons and of providing information about them to states hostile to the United States, and urged resident Fidel Castro’s government to cease this cooperation."

"Washington, May 6 (REUTERS). On Monday, the United States accused three countries —Cuba, Libya and Syria— of trying to develop weapons of mass destruction and warned that it would take steps to prevent them from supplying these arms to terrorist groups."

"’States that sponsor terror and pursue weapons of mass destruction must stop. States that renounce terror and abandon WMD can become part of our effort. But those who do not can expect to become our targets.’"

"Washington, May 6 (EFE) The United States today added Cuba to Syria and Libya on the list of countries who are part of the ‘axis of evil’ dedicated to manufacturing weapons of mass destruction, and warned that it would take steps to prevent them from supplying such weapons to terrorist organizations."

"Washington, May 6 (NOTIMEX). The United States today included Cuba in the so-called ‘axis of evil’ because it thinks it has the capacity to develop biological weapons which are a threat to United States security, a greater threat than that from Iraq, Iran and North Korea."

"Washington, May 6 (AFP) On Monday, the United States warned Cuba against any proliferation of biological weapons, urging the Havana government to cease providing any kind of biotechnological equipment to countries that Washington considers dangerous, such as Iraq and Libya."

The list and the extension of articles and reports on the subject would be endless.

The job is already done! The entire world, especially the American public that is constantly bombarded with perfidious lies, has been informed and is ready to believe that Cuba is a biological power, that it has a program for producing such weapons and that it poses a danger to the United States. And as John Bolton, the very distinguished Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security has said it, we have to believe it.

However, as the old saying goes: "Lies have short legs." In the United States itself some people are astounded and they are beginning to figure out the whole game.

"Washington, May 6 (NOTIMEX). The United States today refused to produce the evidence it had claimed to have to back up the accusations made against Cuba.

"Both the White House and State Department spokesmen said that the accusation against Cuba is not based on assumptions but on confidential information about the biological and chemical potential of the Cuban pharmaceutical industry.

"This accusation took not only the international community by surprise but also members of the United States Congress.

According to the same dispatch, "political analysts pointed out that the accusation against Cuba made by President George W. Bush’s administration could be part of a White House strategy to find a justification for tightening its isolationist policy on Cuba.

"The statement that Cuba could pose a terrorist threat to the security of the United States was made at a time when several proposals to relax Washington’s Cuba policy are being analyzed on Capitol Hill.

"Nevertheless, political analysts maintain that in view of this and bearing in mind that his brother Jeb will be seeking reelection as governor of Florida this year, President Bush wants to ingratiate himself with the Cuban exile community.

"Given the fact that more than four decades of economic blockade against Cuba have not removed Fidel Castro from power in Havana, the only people who want this isolationist policy to remain in effect and become stronger are the vast majority of the Cuban exile community in the United States.

"The possibility of including Cuba as a member of the so-called ‘axis of evil’ with Iraq, Iran and North Korea at the head would make it easier for Bush to obtain the Congress’ backing for increasing, instead of reducing, the economic stranglehold on the Island."

"Washington, May 7 (AP). "’I think that it will delay us taking new steps towards a trade opening’, said Graham, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. ‘Unilateral steps will be most affected’."

"Graham, however, did not hide his amazement at Bolton’s accusation. He said that in March the Committee he chairs held a secret hearing on security-related issues and the administration made no mention of biological weapons."

On May 7, when a journalist asked White House spokesman Ari Fleischer: "Is there any proof of this, or is this an assumption of the United States?" Fleischer replied: "No, it's not an assumption. I assure you that Secretary Bolton would not have said it if he did not have good cause, reason and fact to say it. That was based on sound analysis, and on information that is studied and available to the United States government."

This is a typical reply by someone who is launching an absolutely baseless and groundless accusation. The only thing studied carefully is lies and deceit. It is certainly a very sad role this spokesman has. Furthermore, why should we believe Mr. Bolton?

Anyone who remembers the fifteen incredible pretexts, known today through declassified official documents, that were elaborated at the end of 1961 by the high U.S. authorities to undertake a direct military attack against Cuba in 1962, would not be surprised by such a sinister lie. We demand proof. Let them produce even the tiniest piece of evidence! They do not have any, and they cannot have them because they simply do not exist. They should not be hiding behind the alleged sensitivity of their sources, when there is actually not an atom of truth in what they are saying. This very old trick and overly stupid argument only serve to demonstrate their little consideration for, and low concept of the American people, whose intelligence deserves more respect.

I will also say this: If a Cuban scientist from any of our biotechnology institutes had been cooperating with any country in the development of biological weapons, or if he or she had tried to create them on his or her own initiative, he or she would be immediately presented in a court of justice, as we would consider it an act of treason to the country.

The Law against Terrorist Acts passed by the National Assembly of Cuba, in its Article 10, provides: "The person who manufactures, facilitates, sells, transports, sends, introduces in the country or keeps in his or her possession, under any form or in any place¼ chemical or biological agents, or any other substance from whose investigation, design or combination thereof any product can be derived that meets the description offered," is liable to sanctions of 10 to 30 years of imprisonment, life sentence or capital punishment.

This is really an absolute lie, a treacherous blow against the sale of food to Cuba authorized in a law from the year 2000, which was subsequently modified on many occasions through amendments introduced by the staunch advocates of the blockade that made it practicably impossible to apply it after it had been passed. They are simply trying to mislead and dishearten the growing number of Americans who are increasingly upset by the most cruel and inhuman measure against the Cuban people, which clash with the idealism, and ethics of a nation that has, in fact, been deceived for dozens of years with regard to Cuba.

The only truth in Bolton’s lie is that Cuba is 90 miles from the continental territory of the United States.

It is a false and manipulated assertion that our country has repeatedly denounced the United States’ war against terrorism. I have said, and I stand by it, that the solution to this scourge will not be reached through war, which would only serve to breed hatred and fanaticism, but rather through a sincere and determined cooperation among all countries in the world and by building a truly universal culture and conscience against terrorism. We were the first to put forward this form of cooperation, the very same day of the tragedy in New York.

It is a slanderous invention, a fabricated lie, to say that Castro considers terror as a legitimate tactic for furthering revolutionary objectives. Actually, everybody knows that our revolutionary movement never used such methods that do not fit in with our doctrine, our principles and our concept of the armed struggle.

Mr. Bolton, you’d better get your facts right. Don’t be misled by the fantastic stories told by your dear friends from the CANF. Never were the civilian population and innocent people the victims of our actions. Our tactic always was to fight against heavily equipped enemy units. Presently, you want to call terrorism any armed resistance, regardless of the legitimate causes that may justify it. Along that line you could end up applying that definition to the struggle of the American colonists who rebelled and fought against English domination. George Washington and those who, after long years of war and enormous sacrifices, gained the independence of the United States of America were not terrorists.

(II party)