Fidel Castro May Go Public
By Circles Robinson
HAVANA TIMES, Nov. 16 – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez invited on Sunday former Cuban President Fidel Castro to attend the upcoming December summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) Summit in Havana.
Chavez said that Castro has his full “physical and mental faculties”, 40 months after he disappeared from the public eye after undergoing life threatening intestinal surgery, reported IPS.
The Venezuelan leader has been the leading spokesperson on Fidel’s health and recovery since the initial surgery. He has also visited him on numerous occasions.
Fidel is considered the senior advisor to the administration of his brother President Raul Castro, and he writes a regular column, almost exclusively on international subjects, for the local press.
Over the last three-plus years he has also met in private with visiting political leaders and other personalities. Some of those encounters were reported on in the local media.
The ALBA initiative emphasizes social development, solidarity and mutually beneficial economic cooperation.
The Alliance is currently comprised of nine member states: Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Ecuador, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua and Barbuda.
greetings all, ALBA is a very great initiative that will, as it as already proven and will continue to improve, lead to much needed improvement in our global human well being and social conditions. For those who may think different, only time will tell. Remember, where there are governments there are nation states, therefore government will always have a role to play. The questian is, would you want your government to take your taxes to bailout the already mega wealthy multinationals who then rewards CEOs with millions in unreasonable bonuses are should government in addition to revenues collected as taxes along with earnings from the nations natural resourse reinvest those revenues back into the valuable citizens of the nation state. Maggie, on need to worry all shall be well.
grok, you are obviously not familiar with the realities of “El Norte” or the true meaning of Freedom. It definately does not boil down to going to the mall to shop. But at least that is an option if one so chooses to live like that. Freedom means personal liberty, as opposed to slavery. No one in “El Norte” is told: where they go, how they live, who they see, what they say, what they have to believe, and your destiny is TRULY in one Owns Hands, not in the hands of the State. How rich your life is (both monetary and most importantly otherwise) can only be determined by YOU.
Please explain to me the benefits of the world you are such a proponent of, as I still can’t find any.
There are none so blind as those who will not see. I feel so “free”, here in El Norte, with decades of police/deathsquad threats and dirty tricks to degrade my life… All because I refused to take to heart my freedom to go to the Mall and shop till I drop. Oops. No money!
Its apparent that the other two commentators have been completely blinded to the ineptitude of the ALBA initiative. Since when does repression and harrassment lead to the betterment of all? Individuals must be taught that their future is in their own hands, not the government’s. It is sad that the ALBA has gained traction when in reality people will be far worse off in the long term the more their individual liberties are hindered. If Cuba’s poverty and lack of freedom is not an example enough, then I don’t know what is.
It is wonderful that ALBA is gaining in economic power…what about Columbia? …I see it is not a member…a vestigal USA colony with expanding military bases courtesy of their American masters! I trust ALBA will deal with this issue at the conference in December.
One of the things ALBA has to become is a military alliance. But that is still secondary to its federating, economic rôle, uniting the americas ‘synergistically’ for the betterment of all.
And I hope Fidel Castro looks good at the summit.