-DATE-
19741103
-YEAR-
1974
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
MEETING
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED TO DRAFT NEW CUBAN CONSTIT
-PLACE-
CUBA
-SOURCE-
HAVANA GRANMA WEEKLY REV
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19741023
-TEXT-
COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED TO DRAFT NEW CUBAN CONSTITUTION

Havana GRANMA WEEKLY REVIEW in English 3 Nov 74 p 1

[Text] Blas Roca, Member of Secretariat of Central
Committee of Communist Party of Cuba, Chairs Commission

In a ceremony presided over by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, First
Secretary of the Party and Prime Minister of the Revolutionary Government,
the commission responsible for the Draft Constitution of the Republic was
set up.

The ceremony, at which Comrade Raul Castro, Second Secretary of the Party,
was also present, took place in the Palace of the Revolution on the
afternoon of 23 October.

After explaining that, despite the great amount of work during this period,
in which the first draft of the Five-Year Economic Plan, 1976-80, is being
discussed, it had been decided to hold the meeting to set up the
commission, Comrade Fidel Castro said:

"You will understand the enormous political, revolutionary and historical
importance to our country of drawing up the Draft Constitution; its
importance not only internally but also internationally. This will allow us
to put an end to the provisional character of the revolutionary state and
lay down the bases for the definitive nature of the state in the future.

"Whether we have a good or mediocre Constitution depends on the extent to
which you draw up a good draft. Whether future generations or
revolutionaries will have to modify that Constitution in the near future or
whether that Constitution remains unchanged over a considerable length of
time depends on your good work.

"I believe that we have sufficient elements and experience to be able to
draw up a good draft. I believe that all the previous work done on the
institutionalization of the country, in the drawing up of laws, is going to
help us a lot. And we want our Constitution to be well thought out, well
analyzed and well discussed by the masses, once that draft has been drawn
up by you, analyzed by the Political Bureau and the Executive Committee of
the Council of Ministers. Only then can it be discussed amply. We want it
to be the most broadly discussed of all our laws and for it then to be
submitted to the Party Congress and, in turn, for the Party Congress and
the Government to submit it to a referendum, in which all the people will
participate.

"This is the idea we have.

"The Political Bureau discussed and came to an agreement on the
instructions to the commission which is to draw up the Draft Constitution.
You have before you, then, a basic document to guide you in your work.

"In this document, 24 February 1975, has been set as the date on which the
Draft is to be finished and handed in.

"It really isn't very much time but, bearing in mind your enthusiasm and
desire to get down to work immediately, the capacity of the comrades who
make up this commission and the great experience of Comrade Blas Roca in
tasks of a legal nature, I believe that we can carry through this task in
that period of time. And we are absolutely confident that it will be
carried through.

"We wish you every success, then, in this extremely important task assigned
to you by the Party."

Following the speech given by Fidel, Blas Roca read out the commitment of
the commission, which is the following:

"The members of the commission to draw up the Draft Constitution of the
Republic promise you, Comrade Fidel, that they will fulfill the task
assigned by the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba and the
Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers which you head.

"There are problems inherent to the very magnitude of the task but, in
keeping with the honor of being assigned this mission, we will spare no
effort and do all we can, guided by the instructions we have been given, in
order to prepare the Draft Constitution which our Revolution demands, the
history of sacrifices, heroism, feats and successes, which will effectively
serve to improve our state and our socialist democracy by strengthening
socialist legality and the victorious process of the construction of
socialism in our country.

"This was unanimously approved by all the comrades."

Finally Comrade Fidel Castro thanked everyone present.

The members of the commission are Blas Roca Calderio, its head: Isidoro
Malmierca Peoli; Belarmino Castilla Mas; Armando Torres Santrayll; Enrique
Hart Ramirez; Jose Santiago Cuba Fernandez; Juan Marinello Vidaurreta;
Hector Garcini Guerra; Fernando Alvarez Tabio; Raul Ruiz Monteagudo;
Francisco Varona y Duque Estrada: Nicasio Hernandez Armas; Raul Amaro
Salup; Jose Sobrado Cid; Rafael Garrido Menendez; Rogelio Garayta
Gonzalez Quevedo; Aracely Careaga Hernandez; Conrado Hernandez Garcia;
Idalia Romero Lamorut; and Roberto Hidalgo Linares.
-END-