Latin American Network Information Center - LANIC

-DATE-
19720516
-YEAR-
1972
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
REPORT
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
CONTINUES TOUR OF ALGIERS
-PLACE-
ALGIERIA
-SOURCE-
HAVANA PRELA
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19720517
-TEXT-
CASTRO CONTINUES TOUR; ADDRESSES ALGIERS RALLY

Rally Speech

Havana PRELA in Spanish 2020 GMT 16 May 72 C--FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

[Text] Algiers, 16 May--Prime Minister Fidel Castro today said that Cuba
and Algiers agreed completely on the support and solidarity that should be
given to Vietnam in its fight against U.S. aggression.

Addressing delirious crowds gathered in the Esplanade d'Afrique in this
capital, the Cuban prime minister said that the position adopted by his
country could be defined as follows; "The fight in Vietnam is not only a
fight for that country but for all the peoples of the world. The Vietnamese
killed in this war gave their lives for the Cubans, Latin Americans and
Algerians. This is why we said that we were ready to shed our own blood for
Vietnam. we are ready to fight for Vietnam and we know that this feeling is
shared by the revolutionary peoples."

Fidel Castro said that the imperialists would be defeated in Vietnam and
that there was no doubt a Vietnamese people's victory.

He further said that the Algerian and Cuban common attitudes extended over
all the revolutionary movement. He cited the case of Palestine.

"We also have common attitudes on the support for the African peoples in
their struggle against colonialism," The Cuban prime minister said. He
added that this similarity of opinion extended over the solidarity with the
African, Asian and Latin American revolutionary movements. "It was easy for
Algerians and Cubans to reach a mutual understanding and cooperation
because our two revolutionary peoples won freedom with weapons in hand,"
Major Castro added.

The multitude listened to Fidel Castro with passionate interest. Some of
his words were drowned by the applause and approving shouts of the crowd.

Fidel Castro recalled the 5-day visit he made to the country's interior and
said he was able to see on that occasion that Algeria's economic future was
fully insured. Among the sites visited by the Cuban prime minister were the
Arzew refinery, fertilizer and gas liquification plants, oil loaded
terminals and motor tractor plant.

Fidel Castro affirmed that the Algerian petrochemical industry could be
considered as one of the most modern in the world. "They are installations
of such high productivity that it is difficult to find such high per capita
productivity anywhere else in the world," he added. He said that this
represented a yearly productivity of about $100,000 per capita. He said
that it would also be difficult to find other lands as well cultivated as
the Algerian lands Fidel said he was impressed with the Algerian people and
added that Algeria's human resources were as extraordinary as its natural
ones.

The Cuban leader went on the say that Algeria had not only been exemplary
in its fight against colonialism but that after achieving its independence
that country was showing other peoples of the Third World what could be
done with natural resources. He said that other African, Asian and Latin
American countries possessed great natural resources exploited by
imperialists who were emptying the mines' tunnels pits and bringing into
these countries the habits of a consume society accompanied by utmost
poverty.

"It fills us with enthusiasm to see what Africa is able to do with its
natural resources. We believe this to be an example for the Third World,"
Castro added.

The Cuban leader, who visited Guinea and Sierra Leone before arriving in
Algeria on 8 May, is due to depart for Bulgaria tomorrow.
-END-


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