As a result of the communication of Fidel Castro on his state of health and the provisional delegation of his responsibilities, high ranking U.S officials have formulated more and more explicit declarations about the immediate future of Cuba. The Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutiérrez said that “this is the moment for a true transition towards a true democracy” and the spokesman of the White House Tony Snow said that his government is “ready and eager to grant humanitarian and economic assistance and of any other nature to the people of Cuba”, which has been already being stated by President Bush.

The “Commission for a free Cuba”, presided over by the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, had already pointed out in a report issued on June, “the urgency to work today to guarantee that the strategy of succession of the regime of Castro does not succeed” and President Bush indicated that this document “demonstrates we are working actively towards a change in Cuba, not just waiting for it to happen”. The Department of State has emphasized that the plan includes measures that will remain secret “for reasons of national security” and to assure its “effective accomplishment”.

It is not hard to imagine the character of such measures and the “announced assistance”, considering the militarization of the foreign policy of the present American administration and its performance in Iraq.

Given the increasing threat against the integrity of a nation, the peace and security of Latin America and the world we, the signatories listed below, demand that the government of the United States respect the sovereignty of Cuba. We must prevent a new aggression at all cost.

Signed by:

José Saramago, Portugal • Wole Soyinka, Nigeria; • Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Argentina • Dario Fo, Italy • Desmond Tutu, South Africa • Rigoberta Menchú, Guatemala • Nadine Gordimer, South Africa • Zhores Alfiorov, Russia • Noam Chomsky, USA • Oscar Niemeyer, Brazil • Harry Belafonte, USA • Mario Benedetti, Uruguay • Ignacio Ramonet, Spain-France • Danny Glover, USA • Samir Amin, Egypt • Alfonso Sastre, Spain • Francois Houtart, Belgium • Eduardo Galeano, Uruguay • Juan Gelman, Argentina • Frei Betto, Brazil • Pablo González Casanova, Mexico • Russell Banks, USA • Bernard Cassen, France • Ernesto Cardenal, Nicaragua • Angela Davis, USA • Ariel Dorfman, Chile • Tom Morello, USA • Walter Salles, Brazil • Manu Chao, France • Blanca Chancosa, Ecuador • Egberto Gismonti, Brazil • Alice Walker, USA • István Mészáros, Hungary • Fredric Jameson, USA • Jorge Enrique Adoum, Ecuador • Fernando Birri, Argentina • Leonardo Boff, Brazil • David Viñas, Argentina • Emilio Carballido, Mexico • José Luiz del Roio, Italy • Hebe de Bonafini, Argentina • Thiago de Mello, Brazil • Boaventura de Sousa, Portugal • Armand Mattelart, Belgium • William Blum, USA • Miguel Bonasso, Argentina • Chico Whitaker, Brazil; María Rojo, Mexico • Idea Vilariño, Uruguay • Belén Gopegui, Spain • Diamela Eltit, Chile • Atilio Borón, Argentina • Luciana Castellina, Italy • Ramsey Clark, USA • Luis Britto García, Venezuela • Stephen Rivers, USA • Miguel D’Escoto, Nicaragua • Stella Calloni, Argentina • Emir Sader, Brazil • Daniel Viglietti, Uruguay • Lucius Walker, USA • Piero Gleijeses, Italy- USA • James D. Cockcroft, USA • Aníbal Quijano, Peru • Theotonio dos Santos, Brazil • Pablo Guayasamín, Ecuador • Leonard Weinglass, USA • Susu Pecoraro, Argentina • Francisco de Oliveira, Brazil • Graciela Duffau, Argentina • Fernando Rendón, Colombia • Luis Sepúlveda, Chile • Fernando Pino Solanas, Argentina • Michael Löwy, Brazil • Pascual Serrano, Spain • Jorge Rufinelli, Uruguay • James Petras, USA; Keith Ellis, Jamaica- Canada • Tristán Bauer, Argentina...