Former Cuban president Fidel Castro yesterday told Haiti it could depend on the Caribbean Community country to continue providing assistance to deal with the cholera outbreak that has killed nearly 2 000 people since the first case was recorded in late October.
“The President of Haiti, the central and local authorities, whatever their religious or political ideas, all know that they can count on Cuba,” Castro said in his “latest reflection” released by the official news agency Prensa Latina.
Castro, who was stepped down from office a few years ago due to ill health, said the UN General Assembly meeting last week devoted to the epidemic in Haiti served to alert international opinion about the seriousness of the fact and to mobilise its support of the Haitian people.
“At the present, Haiti’s situation is very serious, and the emergency aid required is far too little. Our hectic world invests one million 500 thousand million dollars every year on weapons and wars; Haiti, a country that less than a year ago suffered a brutal earthquake that caused 250,000 dead, 300,000 injured and enormous destruction, needs an ever growing amount for its reconstruction and development,” Castro said.
He said the UN apart from calling for financial aid is also requesting 350 doctors and 2 000 nurses, “something that poor countries do not have and the rich countries are used to ripping away from the poor countries”
He said Havana responded to the UN call by dispatching over 300 doctors and nurses, adding “it is clear that the number of deaths is not limited just to the more than 1 800 persons who are being reported. That figure does not include the persons who die without having gone to any doctor or any of the existing health centres.”
Castro said that Haiti’s mountainous terrain makes it difficult to reach all persons suffering from the water borne disease and that many people had died from the epidemic without having gone to any health centre.
He said that the Cuban mission in Haiti believes “that better use of personnel would reduce” the number of deaths adding that the mission believes that despite the problems caused by the earthquake, hurricane and poverty “the epidemic can be conquered and the lives of thousands of people who under the present conditions are inexorably dying could be saved”.
In his statement, Castro also made reference to the presidential and legislative elections held on November 28.
He said the statement by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki moon about the possible effect continued violence would have on the country adding “it is not right to approach a country as it one were scolding a small child.
“Haiti is a country that, two hundred years ago, was the first one in this hemisphere to put an end to slavery. It has been the victim of all kinds of colonial and imperialist aggressions. It was occupied by the government of the United States just six years ago after promoting a civil war.
“The existence of the foreign occupying army, on behalf of the UN, does not take away this country’s right for respect for its dignity and its history.” (CMC)
