Continuing to perfect the work of the Party and its authority before the masses

• I think that we have had a good meeting. I hope that we all agree.

The Party today has strength and experience attained in these difficult years of the Special Period. Even so, we, its leaders, cadres and members, must endeavor to continue perfecting its work and its authority before the masses.

What was examined today in the plenum and the agreements adopted constitute an important step in that direction, and also in terms of consolidating the role of the Party as the organized vanguard of the Cuban nation, which will place it in a better position to face the challenges of the future, and, as comrade Fidel has said, to ensure the continuity of the Revolution when its historic leaders are gone.

In that endeavor, we have the fundamental goal of continuing to improve our still-imperfect but fair social system in the context of today’s realities, which we know to be extremely complex and changeable, and all indications are they will continue to be so in the future.

FOOD PRODUCTION: PRIMARY TASK

Suffice it to cite constantly rising food and fuel prices, unsustainable for underdeveloped countries that import both, as well as climate change, which also affects them one way or another. That is why some people foresee great disturbances and conflict in this world in response to growing famine, to which should be added those that could break out in response to shortages in sources of potable water supplies.

Food production should be a primary task for Party leaders, who must be conscious of the fact that, in the present and as far as the future may be discerned, is a matter of maximum national security.

In particular, the first secretaries at the municipal and provincial levels need to provide their utmost support and rigorous control, not through papers and meetings but on the ground, talking directly with those responsible for putting into practice the measures that have begun to be applied in agriculture, above all the work of the recently-established municipal delegations.

In addition to the abovementioned factors, which make the situation in which our country is developing a complex one, I would add that if the extreme right in the United States is able to prevail again in the November elections — which is not certain, but is a real possibility — the global climate of instability and violence will continue and could increase, directly affecting our country.

The Party, state and government; the mass, social and youth organizations; in short, our people, must bear in mind these realities and perspectives.

As a response, there is no alternative but to work together to continue forward, advancing with the same spirit of struggle and strength of these almost 50 years of Revolution, which have passed in the midst of constant aggression, threats, wars and all types of hostilities to which the empire has subjected us.

REINFORCING INSTITUTIONALIZATION

In these times and those to come, it is necessary and decisive to have strong political, state, mass, social and youth organizations. I reaffirm what I said on February 24: the greater the difficulties, the more order and discipline are required, and for that, it is vitally necessary to reinforce the country’s institutions, respect for the law and standards that we ourselves have established.

The agreements that we have passed put an end to the provisional stage that began on July 31, 2006, with the proclamation of our Commander in Chief, until the message in which he expressed to us his intention of being just a soldier of ideas, right before February 24, 2008. Over those 19 months, we have worked together collegially, together with other comrades, on the basis of the delegation of responsibilities that he had made. I referred to this more extensively under the agenda point on the Political Bureau Commission.

Before concluding, I would like to address two more important issues. The first is to inform you that, under the powers conferred on me by law, I have decided to appoint José Ramón Fernández Alvarez vice president of the Council of Ministers, to oversee, guide, monitor and coordinate the work of the Ministries of Education and Higher Education, along with the Cuban Sports Institute (INDER), and the education-related activities of other agencies under the Central State Administration, including military schools and universities.

I will remain fully informed of the exercise of these authorities, especially those activities whose importance and transcendence require previous consultation or immediate information.

We are all familiar with Fernandez’ qualities and the results he has achieved in carrying out numerous tasks, most of them related to education, both in the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and civilian institutions.

We have had the privilege of being able to count on his dynamism and organizational abilities throughout our long struggle, in addition to his honesty, experience and knowledge.

We are confident his work will help make the government’s work more coherent and effective in a field strategically important to the present and future of the Revolution. We hope many will come forward inspired by his example.

THE REVOLUTION HAS ALWAYS BEEN INSPIRED BY A SPIRIT OF JUSTICE

The second matter is a sensitive and even controversial one. This morning, at the proposal of the Political Bureau, the Council of State decided to commute the death sentences for a group of convicts.

Life sentences will be applied to them instead, except those who committed their crimes before this sentence was established in our Penal Code, whose sentences will be 30 years in prison. Some convicts have been waiting several years for a decision by the Council of State.

This situation is mainly the result of the policy in force since the year 2000 of not applying the death penalty, a policy that was interrupted only in April 2003 to put a complete stop to the wave of more than 30 attempts and plots to hijack airplanes and vessels, encouraged by the policies of the United States, which had just begun its war on Iraq.

Most of the convicts committed the most serious common crimes, fundamentally life-threatening ones. They are crimes that, if we were to bring them back to trial, would make it hard for us not to hand down the same sentence. We also know that the majority opinion of our people in such cases is for maintaining it.

The appeals of three defendants are pending for processing in the People’s Supreme Court, and will be considered shortly.

One Salvadoran and one Guatemalan, for terrorist attacks with bombs on hotels in 1997, one of which caused the death of the Italian tourist Fabio di Celmo, both of them financed and directed by the notorious criminal Luis Posada Carriles, who is freely walking the streets of Miami.

There is also the Cuban from the United States, mastermind of the assassination of Arcilio Rodríguez García, which occurred during the infiltration of an armed terrorist commando in the area of Caibarién.

Within our prerogatives, it may only be affirmed that the final decision of the Council of State will not be in contradiction with the policy formerly expressed — I am referring to the three abovementioned cases.

REVOLUTIONARY CUBA HAS NOT KNOWN A SINGLE CASE OF TORTURE, DISAPPEARANCE, EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTION OR SECRET PRISONS

This decision has been adopted not on account of pressure, but as a sovereign act, in harmony with the humanitarian and ethical conduct that has characterized the Cuban Revolution from the start, inspired always by a spirit of justice and not vengeance, and knowing, moreover, that comrade Fidel is in favor of the abolition of the death penalty for any type of crime, when the appropriate conditions exist, and is opposed to the extrajudicial methods that certain countries are known to use with impunity.

This does not mean that we are removing capital punishment from the Penal Code. On different occasions, we have talked about this issue, and the opinion has always prevailed that under the current circumstances, we cannot disarm ourselves in face of an empire that is constantly harassing and attacking us.

Terrorism against Cuba has enjoyed total impunity in the United States. It is truly state terrorism.

Let us not forget that in 1959, when we abolished it [the death penalty], in a certain way it acted as an incentive for committing acts against the Revolution by those who thought that our process would be an ephemeral one, and that prison would enable them to make themselves out as heroes for a future Yankee administrator.

Our enemies promoted dozens of gangs of rebels who plunged our people into mourning, murdering young literacy volunteers and farmers; they launched pirate attacks; sabotaged important economic sectors, and engaged in hundreds of plots to assassinate our leaders, especially against the top leader of the Revolution.

It would be naïve and irresponsible to relinquish the dissuasive effect of the death penalty on the real mercenary terrorists in the service of the empire, because it would endanger the lives and security of our people.

Throughout these years, 713 acts of terrorism have been committed against Cuba, 56 of them since 1990, organized and financed from within the United States, resulting in a total of 3,478 deaths and 2,099 people disabled.

We have been forced to choose, in our legitimate defense, the path of establishing and implementing strict laws against our enemies, but always adhering to the strictest legality and with respect for judicial guarantees.

Revolutionary Cuba has not known a single case of torture, disappearance, extrajudicial execution or secret prisons, while, as you all know, in some of the self-professed democratic governments that have abolished or maintained the death penalty and criticize us, these situations occur frequently.

Some of them, moreover, allow secret flights by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency over their territory, carrying prisoners to different torture centers, but then they throw their hands up in horror when we apply our laws.

While our legislation provides for the death penalty, due to the specific reasons that have been more than explained and justified, Cuba understands and respects the arguments of the international movement that proposes its abolition or a moratorium. That is why our country has not voted against such resolutions in the United Nations.

We our sure that our people, including the victims’ families, will understand the reasons that this decision is based on, as further evidence of the strength of the Revolution.

HOLDING THE 6TH PARTY CONGRESS IN 2009

Finally, I would like to inform you that the Political Bureau believes it is necessary to hold the 6th Party Congress.

In meeting this morning, we considered proposing to this Central Committee Plenum scheduling it at the end of the latter half of next year, although the official congress call will be announced at the appropriate time.

It will be a magnificent opportunity for collectively reflecting on the experiences of these years of the Revolution in power, and an important moment for shaping, with future projections, the Party’s policy in different aspects of our society.

Comrades:

While we have worked hard in these last months, we will have to work far harder in those ahead. I trust that each and every one will know how to do so, in the responsibility or task that she or he may have, with the dedication, wisdom and fidelity required by the times in which we live.

The meeting has concluded.

Thank you very much.

Translated by Granma International