Reflections of Fidel
A gesture
that will not be forgotten
(Taken from CubaDebate)
I am halting for a moment the work on a historic
episode that I have been writing for the last two
weeks to express my solidarity with the
constitutionally-elected president of Honduras, José
Manuel Zelaya.
It was impressive to see him on Telesur,
haranguing the people of Honduras. He energetically
denounced the blatantly reactionary attempt to
prevent an important popular referendum. That is the
"democracy that imperialism defends. Zelaya has not
committed the slightest violation of the law. He did
not engage in any act of force. He is the president
and commander-general of the Armed Forces of
Honduras. What is happening there will be a test for
the OAS and for the current United States
administration.
Yesterday a meeting of the ALBA took place in
Maracay, in the Venezuelan state of Aragua. The
Latin American and Caribbean leaders who spoke there
shone out both for their eloquence and for their
dignity.
Today I was listening to the solid arguments of
President Hugo Chávez, denouncing the coup action on
Venezolana de Televisión.
We do not know what will happen tonight or
tomorrow in Honduras, but the brave conduct of
Zelaya will go down in history.
His words reminded us of the speech by President
Salvador Allende as warplanes bombarded the
Presidential Palace, where he heroically died on
September 11, 1973. This time we were seeing another
Latin American president entering an air base with
his people to demand the ballots for a popular
referendum, spuriously confiscated.
That is how a president and a commander-general
acts.
The people of Honduras will never forget that
gesture!

Fidel Castro Ruz
June 25, 2009
8:15 p.m.