Celebration of 29th Anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution
Only unity, peace and integration of the peoples will lead to victory in the face of the complex and difficult situation affecting the entire world, said Esteban Lazo, vice president of the Council of State, during a commemoration of the 29th Anniversary of the Sandinista People’s Revolution on July 19.
During the event in which Comandante Ernesto Ché Guevara’s tour of Nicaragua was recalled, Lazo conveyed to the Nicaraguan people a special message from "Fidel, Raúl and our people" and paid tribute to those who gave their lives to take the nation along the road to true social justice and a bright future for its children, reported Prensa Latina.
Lazo, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Party, expressed the emotion that he felt at the presence at the event of members of Che’s family and those of the Cuban Five unjustly imprisoned in the United States for struggling against terrorism.
At the same time, he gave revolutionary greetings to Cuban doctors and other internationalists cooperating in health, education, energy and other fields in support of Nicaraguan development.
Cuba’s historic commitment to support Nicaragua and other peoples who have shown solidarity with the island will be maintained. "In this historic plaza, I reaffirm to you that you can always count on Cuba and our modest help, support and solidarity," he emphasized.
"Regional unity has led us to the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas (ALBA), which has shown outstanding results in a number of areas," Lazo noted.
He thanked the leadership of the Sandinista Liberation Front and the Solidarity with Cuba Movement for their efforts in support of the Cuban Five.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez – to whom Lazo dedicated a special greeting – emphasized in his comments that Latin America had reawakened like a volcano.
"Fidel once told me that when the genie was out of the bottle in Latin America, nothing, nobody was going to get it back in. The peoples are the genie," he said.
He warned those who are trying to destabilize popular governments that the fifth column will be swept away from Patagonia to the Rio Bravo, and that Washington should understand that.
During his closing remarks, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said to the approximately 450,000 people present, that capitalism’s own policies were provoking its downfall and advocated solidarity and complementary development among Latin American and Caribbean peoples, which is only possible through socialism.
Fernando Lugo, Paraguayan president-elect, reaffirmed his support for regional integration and reiterated that his government will be added to the list of Latin American victories, referring to the process of positive change for the people unfolding in the region.
The Five awarded Augusto César Sandino Order
On Sunday (July 20) relatives of the five Cuban anti-terrorists unjustly imprisoned in the United States thanked President Daniel Ortega for the Augusto César Sandino Order awarded to the Cuban patriots in the name of the Nicaraguan people.
In a statement to Prensa Latina, Elizabeth Palmeiro, Ramón Labañino’s wife, said that the tribute "gives us strength and determination" to continue the struggle for the freedom of our loved ones."
Ortega presented the distinguished award yesterday during an event celebrating the triumph of the Sandinista People’s Revolution.
Radio Features on Cuban Five Case Being Produced
The Cuban News Agency [acn] has announce the introduction a series of 3-minute radio downloads dealing with the Cuba Five case. The weekly reports, each dealing with a on specific aspect of the case beguines this week with an item called The Cuban Five are not Spies. The programmes, in mp3 format, are part of the international campaign to free the five now in their tenth year of unjust imprisonment.
You are also able to subscribe to the acn news service and reserve daily coverage of Cuban and international news directly.
John Pilger on the achievements of the Sandinista Revolution
> Celebration of the Sandinista Triumph
Sources: Granma International; Prensa Latina; ACN.
