AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF CUBA AND DEMANDS COMPLIANCE WITH THE RESOLUTION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO PUT AN END TO THE BLOCKADE.

Welcoming the expression of feeling of the Affiliated Trade Union Organizations and friends of the 5 continents who make up the World Federation of Trade Unions, (WFTU), we direct ourselves to the international community to convey the following.

The cruel measures announced by the Bush government 6 May in which he distils the gut hatred he feels for the people of Cuba, who refuse to yield, have caused deep indignation in the working class and the peoples.

The new measures announced constitute open scandalous and arrogant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign and independent country and flagrant violation of international law, since the object of these measures is to bring down a State which is member of the United Nations and to destroy the political system sovereignly determined by the Cuban people.

These new measures announced by Bush follow fascist and criminal methods since they are directed to defeat a people through hunger, deepening the blockade with more economic and commercial sanctions which have been being imposed for 45 years, but they will not achieve their purpose of forcing the Cuban people to submit because all the peoples of the world are with them, and because the Cuban Revolution constitutes today the MORAL FORCE AND EXAMPLE OF DIGNITY for the peoples who struggle for sovereignty.

The sinister plan announced by Bush enumerates horrifying measures, among those that: he will prepare fabulous sums to finance groups of already known terrorists and the jost disturbing is that he mentions NGOs, and others who will have as an object to undermine and overthrow the Cuban Revolution. At the same time, he increases more sanctions against enterprises that trade with Cuba, as also to press the boycott against tourism, including governments of third countries in the campaign against Cuba. Facing this announcement, many governments have expressed their rejection of the plans of Bush against Cuba.

Therefore the World Federation of Trade Unions, in conformity with the mandate of the affiliated organizations and friends of the 5 continents energetically condemns and rejects with firmness the new measures announced by the Bush government the 6th of May against the workers and people of Cuba and demands respect for international laws, the free determination and the sovereignty of nations and fulfils the mandate reiterated and ratified in overwhelming form in the last Assembly of the United Nations to put and end to the criminal blockade of the heroic people of Cuba.

The WFTU reaffirms its full class solidarity with the glorious Labor Central of Cuba, , CTC, of historic honorable trajectory, genuine representative of the working class, our full support to the Cuban Revolution and its heroic people; we are sure that facing the new imperialist aggression they will emerge strengthened, the Cuban people never were alone, nor will they be now.

The WFTU supports and endorses fully the declarations published by the Labor Central of Cuba, CTC, of the 8th and 12th of May, 2004, which uncovered the plans orchestrated by the government of the United States and its specialized agencies, financed mercenaries and other accomplices. 

At the same time the WFTU condemns energetically the economic and trade sanctions against the Arab Republic of Syria recently announced by the government of the United States, against which the WFTU expresses its full solidarity with the workers and people of Syria, and demands that the Bush government cancel these sanctions and respect international laws.

Prague, May 13, 2004