Raul Castro Ratifies the Spirit of Resistance of the Cuban People

During the conclusion of the Tenth Regular Session of the National Assembly of People's Power, the President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Army General Raul Castro Ruz, evaluated the situation of the country after the passage of Hurricane Irma across the national territory.

After the onslaught of this weather phenomenon, we regret the loss of 10 compatriots, more than 179000 homes were affected and there was significant damage to the infrastructure of health centers, schools, agriculture, as well as tourist facilities and the communications. In addition, for the first time there was an interruption of the electric system throughout the entire country.

The damage caused by Hurricane Irma amounts to 13 billion 185 thousand pesos, a figure calculated from the parity of the peso with the US dollar. However, once again it became clear the will of the people who, with unity and discipline, in just 20 days managed to overcome the recuperative phase and in 62 days the tourist facilities were ready to receive visitors in the high season.

In addition, Raul Castro took advantage of the occasion to refer to the successful completion of the first stage of the general election process; once again our people went massively to exercise their right to vote, with 89.02 percent of participants during this round.

In turn, he said that the quality of the vote was higher compared to that of 2015 as a greater number of valid ballots was reached. This process was characterized by a greater preparation of work from different levels and was a demonstration of the massive support of the people to the Cuban Revolution and its historical leader.

He referred to the work done by the Supreme Court and the Attorney General of the Republic, bodies that gave account to the parliament during the X Ordinary Period of Sessions of its VIII Legislature.

The Army General was also pronounced about postponing the appointment of the new National Assembly of People’s Power, a decision agreed as established by the Constitution of the Republic due to the strong onslaught of Hurricane Irma and the delays that meant for the electoral process.

The new designation of the Cuban Parliament will now be on April 19th, 2018, in line with the victory of Giron Beach, the first defeat of the Yankee imperialism in Latin America.

At the same time, he referred to the growth of 1.6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in a scenario with worsening financial conditions. Referring to the next year, he said that we will maintain the firm intention of winning internationally the credibility of our economic system, as well as the interest of reducing the portfolio of the current payments to our suppliers.

In this regard, he called for the consolidation of the participation of foreign investment in our economy.

He highlighted the critical way in which the Project of Policy Guidelines of the Party and the Revolution has been worked on, with emphasis on the legal norms that support the non-state forms of management and their importance for the development model chosen with the necessary reorganization.

He said that the monetary duality will not magically solve our economic problems; however, it is an important challenge for our country.

He also explained the reasons why all citizens do not feel motivated to work for the state and seek other forms of employment, when saying I must admit that this matter has taken us too much time and cannot delay its solution any longer.

He gave a brief summary of the main issues of the foreign policy, with the main attention to the serious deterioration of the relations between Cuba and the United States and denounced the arbitrary application of unjustified measures that affect the right of liberties between Cubans and Americans.

The decisions adopted by the American government are an interventionist form that affects our sovereignty and opens new tension fronts between both countries.

At the same time, he spoke of the artificial fabrication of pretexts to respond to retrograde thoughts, and declared Cuba's immunity against the accusations concerning the health of the diplomats accredited with the inconclusive proof of the results of the Cuban and American investigations that until now have not found the slightest evidence.

These unilateral decisions affect the operation of the embassies and, in turn, hinder immigration policies and exchanges between both nations.

He rejected the unilateral measures of the United States, Canada and the European Union against the Bolivarian and Chavez process with destabilizing measures that generate economic hardships for its citizens.

At the same time, he expressed his support for the Argentine Senator Cristina Fernandez and former Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva, accused by the oligarchy with politically motivated judicial processes.

He also dedicated a few words to the situation in Palestine with a resounding rejection of the United States decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which constitutes a violation of the provisions of the United Nations and the rights of each country for the free determination of peoples.

To conclude, Raul Castro ratified what was expressed during the Sixth and Seventh Congress of the Party about the convenience of limiting the main positions to two terms of five years and, in this way, when the National Assembly of People's Power is constituted on April 19th, he will have finished his work as president.

He ended his speech with a warm congratulation to the people of Cuba on the occasion of the New Year: "Year 60 of the Revolution."