Anti-US Stand Pervades the Cuban Solidarity meet in India

“Till date, David has been winning against Goliath and will continue to do so”, said Mr. Sitaram Yechury, a firebrand but arm-chair Communist leader in India. He was inuaugurating the Third Asia Pacific Regional Cuba Solidarity Conference at Chennai (India) on January 20. The conference was attended by representatives from 16 countries. Speakers said that more than just being an expression of support to Cuba’s historic resistence against the U.S. hegemony, a reaffirmation of solidarity with Cuba would provide the impetus to a broader global coalition against imperialism. Delegates to the conference alleged that Cuba, along with Syria, North Korea and Iran, was on American’s menu of aggression, as evidenced by the U.S. claims that it was manufacturing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), aking to claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. BACKGROUNDER: 46 years ago, the USA imposed embargo on Cuba, a Latin American country. Despite the economic imbargo, Cuba’s economic growth rate recorded 11.8 per cent in 2005 compared to the Latin American average of just four per cent. Recently, in its anti-US stance, Cuba has been joined by another two Latin American countries, Venezuela and Chile. The mere presence of Cuba is galvonising a radical anti-imperial shift in the policies of Latin American countries such as Brazil and Bolivia.