Date: 2005-05-10
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I thank the distinguished gentleman from south Florida for the time. This resolution is very important because it continues the very important. historic tradition begun here in this Congress. by this Congress in April of 1898 when. after a century of fighting by the people of Cuba for the independence of Cuba. the United States. because of the Congress of the United States. came out in support of Cuban independence. In April of 1898. this Congress passed what is very wellknown in Cuban history. the joint resolution that recognized that Cuba is and of right ought to be free and independent. So this Congress began a tradition in April of 1898 that continues to this day. a tradition in support of the right of the Cuban people to be free. For the last 46 years. the Cuban people unfortunately have been under the boot of a totalitarian dictatorship that. while it has perhaps been the most inept. certainly one of the most inept of the Communist dictatorships in having achieved the systematic. utter destruction of what was one of the most prosperous economies in this hemisphere. in that sense. it has been absolutely inept. In terms of totalitarian control. it has been quite effective. and it maintains an absolute. intense oppression over the Cuban people to this day. My colleagues have mentioned the onslaught of 2 years ago that was condemned by a resolution offered by the gentleman from New Jersey a few weeks ago. and it was condemned by this House. the absolute campaign. if you will. of the march of 2003 that arrested dozens and dozen and dozens. almost 100 prodemocracy leaders and threw them in prison. but the campaign continues. The campaign of oppression and intimidation. beginning in January of this year. the totalitarian Communist regime in Cuba has begun a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of young people. mostly young men. 95 percent of whom are black. have been rounded up and thrown in prisons beginning in January of this year. in what the dictator calls Operation Containment. containment of the young people. Now. this assembly was organized. as has been mentioned by my distinguished colleagues. by Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello and Felix Bonne Carcasses and Rene Gomez Manzano. is an important. historic development. There are some people who now say that we must reject the subterfuge seeking to attack this assembly. that they have not invited all prodemocracy groups. All prodemocracy groups. the organizers of this assembly have invited all individuals and organizations within Cuba who support democracy. Some say then they have not been invited. In fact. they have been invited. but that is not the problem of the organizer. That is the problem of somebody else. very important. This is an important. extremely valiant effort that over 360 civil society groups. prodemocracy groups within the island have called for. and they seek to meet on May 20. So what this Congress today is saying is: We support you. We know what you are doing. We know the courage that it entails to say. within a totalitarian state. that a meeting will be held in support of freedom and democracy and free elections and the legalization of political parties and freedom of religion and freedom of the press and freedom of expression. Within the totalitarian state. to say that there will be a meeting engaged in such discussion is really a heroic act. and so today. what we are saying is that we recognize that. and we support you. Simply to end. Mr. Speaker. as I commend the gentleman from Florida