Fidel Castro: Meeting
with Chavez was
Excellent
Fidel Castro described
as excellent his meeting
on Saturday with
Venezuelan Hugo Chavez,
who paid a brief visit
to Cuba after
participating in the
20th Rio Group Summit in
the Dominican Republic.
"Today, Saturday, I had
a long conversation with
Chavez. We are like
brothers. The decision
to publish what we
discussed is not mine to
make, as it has never
been and will never be.
Venezuela is not Brazil.
I will publish only what
he authorizes in my
memoirs," he pointed
out.
In an article entitled
"Chavez's Visit", the
historic leader of the
Cuban Revolution
explained how Chavez did
not want to come see him
so he would not catch
the flu he had.
"That was nothing but a
pretext to avoid the
torture of my habitual
questions. All I can say
is that the meeting was
excellent. And I have
yet to feel any flu
symptoms," Fidel Castro
pointed out.
Prensa Latina is posting
below the full text of
Fidel Castro's
reflections.
Reflections by Fidel
Chavez' Visit Raul had
invited him. He replied
he didn't want to come
see me so I wouldn't
catch the flu he had.
That was nothing but a
pretext to avoid the
torture of my habitual
questions. "What am I
taking vitamin C for?" I
told him in a message.
Should we expect all the
heads of State who
attended the Rio Group's
warm and successful last
meeting to get sick? He
was content, euphoric
about that battle for
peace and his role in it
-recognized by
international cables -
made him happy. He was
serene, persuasive,
thoughtful and with an
excellent sense of
humor. Even Bolivar, who
was never wholly
satisfied with anything,
would have been pleased
at that moment.
At the end, he sang "Quisqueya."
The meeting had proven
fruitful and, flu and
all, his musical voice
and ear could finally
take the floor.
He remarked that oil
prices had gone up 5
dollars. He asked to be
excused by Leonel who,
in a reflex-reaction,
overcome with joy, had
begun to cough.
Many of the countries
who had gathered there
export coffee and cocoa
to the US market, in
addition to all kinds of
vegetables and fruits. I
am not up to date as
regards the latter's
prices, but the price of
coffee and cocoa is
about what it was 50
years ago, when the
dollar had a few dozen
times the purchasing
power it has today.
Simple trade,
increasingly unequal, is
crushing the economies
of many Latin American
countries. Some African
countries are oil
producers. Others
produce coffee and
cocoa. Some attract
transnational capital
like bees around a honey
pot. Others attract debt
and its steep interests.
And all suffer the
scourge of rising food
prices.
Today, Saturday, I had a
long conversation with
Chavez. We are like
brothers. The decision
to publish what we
discussed is not mine to
make, as it has never
been and will never be.
Venezuela is not Brazil.
I will publish only what
he authorizes in my
memoirs.
All I can say is that
the meeting was
excellent. And I have
yet to feel any flu
symptoms.
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