-DATE-
19750805
-YEAR-
1975
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
INTERVIEW
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
CASTRO VIEWS RESULTS OF HAVANA CONFERENCE
-PLACE-
MOSCOW
-SOURCE-
MOSCOW PRAVDA
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19750808
-TEXT-
CASTRO VIEWS RESULTS OF HAVANA CONFERENCE

Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 5 Aug 75 p 4 LD

[TASS correspondent N. Chigir interview with Fidel Castro, first secretary
of the PCC Central Committee: "Guided by the Principles of
Marxism-Leninism"]

[Text] Havana, 4 August--Fidel Castro, first secretary of the Cuban
Communist Party [PCC] Central Committee and prime minister of the
Revolutionary Government, has received TASS correspondent N. Chigir. During
the conversation F. Castro dwelled in detail on the results of the
conference of the communist parties of the Latin American and Caribbean
Countries which was held here, and described the results of this conference
as a tremendous success for the Latin American communist movement.

More than 10 years have elapsed, F. Castro noted, since the previous
conference of Latin American communist parties. That is why various
communist parties on the continent long ago raised the question of
convening a new conference. Quite naturally it was necessary to create
favorable conditions, including to overcome certain divergences among
individual parties, in order to hold this. Thanks to the persistent efforts
of all the parties, these divergences were overcome. A unanimous decision
was adopted to convene the conference with the participation of all the
communist parties of the Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Representatives of the communist parties of the United States and Canada
were also invited as observers. The conference was carefully prepared. In
elaborating the final declaration draft, the preparatory commission took
into account the viewpoints and wishes of all the parties.

The general secretaries of almost all the continent's communist parties, F.
Castro continued, with the exception of those communist parties whose
general secretaries were unable to come to Havana because of the specific
political conditions in their respective countries, participated in the
conference. But even those communist parties whose general secretaries were
unable to come were represented at the conference by high-level leaders.

Representatives of all the communist parties spoke at the conference. The
theses contained in their speeches were taken into account in the
formulation of the final text of the declaration. Of course, it was
difficult to unite in a single document the viewpoints of the group of
parties, in view of the specific features of the positions of each of them
in its own country. It will be recalled that only two people--K. Marx and
F. Engels--were the authors of the "Manifesto of the Communist Party." But
even they took months to elaborate this document. Nonetheless, the
conference succeeded in harmoniously combining all the criteria, and the
conference declaration was elaborated collectively and adopted unanimously
by all its participants.

All the communist parties participating in the conference, F. Castro
stated, demonstrated maturity, tremendous experience and a high degree of
political development. The communist parties of the whole Western
Hemisphere represent a united, homogeneous political force. There is
lasting unity of opinions among these parties on all the questions common
to them, and complete mutual understanding on the specific problems
confronting each of the Latin American countries. There can be no doubt
that the communist movement in Latin America is the most widespread and the
most homogeneous political force in the whole Western Hemisphere. All the
conference participants welcome its results with profound satisfaction, joy
and optimism. Communists' faith in the party as the revolutionary political
force strengthened even more.

We are convinced, F. Castro went on to say, that the conference declaration
will give great help to the struggle that all of Latin America's communist
parties are waging. This document is a great victory for these parties. It
gives an analysis of imperialist penetration in the continent's countries
and contains the thesis, which is of strategic importance, that the path
toward socialism in Latin America inevitably lies through the
anti-imperialist struggle. The communist parties proceed from the premise
that American imperialism is the factor objectively slowing down Latin
America's political and social development, and liberation from imperialist
domination is the main condition for the future development of the most
advanced forms of society--that is, for socialist development. The
conference document by no means denies the struggle for socialism. But it
says clearly that the anti-imperialist struggle is the immediate task of
the Latin American peoples and that this struggle alone can create the
conditions for the future development of socialist society on the
continent. In other words, the question of liberating our peoples from
imperialist domination is being raised as a component part of the struggle
for socialism.

The declaration points out that the communist parties and the working class
play the vanguard role in the struggle against imperialism. That is, it is
not the national bourgeoisie, but the working class and its vanguard--the
communist parties--which lead the struggle for national liberation. Only on
this condition can the struggle against imperialism for working people's
social rights, for the implementation of democratic demands and the
creation of the conditions for the future transition to the path of
socialist building undergo development in every possible way. This is a
continuous process, and the question of who leads the anti-imperialist
struggle represents the chief element of this process. This is why the
question of the leading role of the working class and communist parties in
the struggle against imperialism is being raised.

At the same time, F. Castro continued, the declaration, giving an analysis
of the present situation in Latin America, speaks clearly about the need
for cooperation with all forces occupying anti-imperialist positions--that
is, support for, and even cooperation with those governments which defend
their countries' national interests and rebuff imperialism by implementing
progressive measures. The duty of communist parties is to support all
progressive steps by the Latin American governments which act from
nationalist positions, irrespective of differences with them in world
outlook and aims.

The question of the need for the broadest alliance of all popular and
anti-imperialist forces is being raised. As F. Castro stressed, it is a
matter in the declaration not of a sectarian policy, but of a policy of
alliance with various strata of society, of the peasantry's role as the
ally of the working class, of attitude toward the middle strata of the
population, among which there are considerable circles that occupy
anti-imperialist positions and are natural allies of the revolutionary
anti-imperialist movement and even of the movement for socialism. It is
also a matter of certain circles of the national bourgeoisie that occupy
progressive positions.

Communist parties point out the necessity of depriving the oligarchic and
the most reactionary bourgeois circles connected with imperialism of
political power.

The declaration, F. Castro noted, points out the role played in the
anti-imperialist struggle by women, young people, and also progressive
elements in the armed forces which constitute a new factor in the
revolutionary movement in Latin America, and progressive elements among the
Catholic Church. [paragraph continues]

Thus, he went on to say, new circles on which it was formerly impossible to
count are now joining the revolutionary struggle of our peoples. This
phenomenon is a consequence of historical development, as revolutionary
ideas are becoming increasingly widespread and the political awareness of
the masses starting to grasp problems they did not understand before rises.
In almost all our countries the masses now realize what imperialism and
imperialist exploitation and domination represent, and what the role of the
oligarchy and the reactionary bourgeoisie connected with imperialism is.

The Latin American countries now understand excellently the essence of the
conflict between these countries' interests and imperialism, while the base
for an alliance of various forces in the struggle for national liberation
and creating conditions for socialist development is broadening.

The declaration, F. Castro continued, analyzes the international situation,
stresses the role of the Soviet Union and the socialist community as a
whole in the struggle for peace and international detente, and points to
the enormous significance of socialism and success in international detente
for the international revolutionary movement. Latin American communists are
unanimous in the view that detente and success in the struggle for peace,
which are the result of the changes in the correlation of forces in the
world in favor of socialism, favor the strengthening of all revolutionary
and progressive forces while the cold war policy promotes only the
reactionary forces and the repressive policy they pursue in their own
countries.

F. Castro drew attention to the fact that the declaration stresses the
enormous significance of the profoundly internationalist nature of the
Soviet Union's policy and its solidarity with the international
revolutionary movement, particularly its solidarity with the Cuban
revolution, which, as he stated, was a decisive factor in strengthening
socialism in Cuba.

The conference participants, he stated, pointed to the enormous
international significance of the successes of the Soviet Union and of the
Cuban revolution for Latin America. He noted that the Cuban delegation at
the conference did not support singling out the achievement of the Cuban
revolution but that the representatives of other parties had deemed it
necessary to do so since, according to them, this would help their own
struggle. For Latin American communists, F. Castro said, revolutionary
Cuba's successes are a considerable argument and an ideological weapon
which counterpose anticommunist and imperialist propaganda.

Dwelling further on the question of communist parties' relations with other
revolutionary forces, F. Castro said that the conference participants had
primarily resolutely condemned anticommunism as something peculiar to
imperialist and reactionary propaganda. The point is this: it is possible
to respect a person who is not a communist, but this is not possible with
regard to an anticommunist, since anticommunism is an expression of what is
most backward and reactionary. Sincere revolutionary leftwing forces which
do not stand on anti-Soviet or anticommunist positions but advocate
socialism are one thing, but pseudorevolutionary leftists occupying
positions of anti-Sovietism and anticommunism are another. Without losing
sight of the differences in world outlook and ideology, it is essential to
pursue a broad policy of coordination of actions and of an alliance with
all genuinely leftwing, genuinely progressive and revolutionary forces.

At the same time the conference participants warned against leftist and
rightist deviations and against sectarianism and dogmatism, regarding them
as phenomena capable of creating serious difficulties for the revolutionary
process.

The declaration attaches great significance to the dissemination of the
ideas of Marxism-Leninism among the broadest strata of the population,
particularly among workers, peasants, and the middle strata, and to
ideological work, which is the main element of communist parties' policy.

In their speeches at the conference, F. Castro continued, the
representatives of all parties of Latin American countries in practice
expressed their disquiet regarding the adverse consequences of China's
foreign policy for both the whole international situation and the situation
in each of these countries, and regarding the negative,
pseudorevolutionary, obstructionist and splittist nature of this policy
since it is an important fact of but one which adversely affects the
revolutionary process. This problem was analyzed at the conference, and its
participants, as is clearly said in the declaration, condemned the CCP
leadership's foreign policy.

F. Castro went on to point out that the Havana conference advocated
convening an international conference of communist and workers parties and
striving for favorable conditions for holding such a conference.

He stressed the importance of the clauses contained in the declaration on
the need to expend solidarity in every possible way with the revolutionary
movements of various countries and with communist parties, and to
strengthen international proletarian solidarity as a whole. The conference,
he noted, also advanced the task of expanding the movement in defense of
the life of Luis Corvalan and other political prisoners in the Western
Hemisphere, including noncommunists, and the immediate release of all
progressive fighters who have become victims of the repressions of fascism
and reaction. F. Castro stressed in particular that Rodney Arismendi, first
secretary of the Communist Party of Uruguay Central Committee, managed to
attend the conference thanks to international solidarity, which had played
a big role in this release from prison torture chambers; and he expressed
confidence that the day would come when Comrade Luis Corvalan would be
free.

Fidel Castro drew attention to the significance of the unity of the Latin
American communist parties on a number of other Latin American and
international problems, which was reflected in the final document of the
Havana conference.

This document, which was drawn up collectively and unanimously approved by
the conference participants, he said, generalizes from the collective
experience of all Latin American communist parties and represents a broad
program for a long period. It defines the tactics and strategy of the
revolutionary movement in Latin America. It arms the revolutionary,
anti-imperialist and national liberation movements, and all forces
struggling for socialism with experience and wisdom. I also think that the
ideas expressed in the declaration will in every way promote the further
development and consolidation of links between the communist parties of
Latin America and will exert a great influence on the international
communist movement.

it can be said, F. Castro, that for the Latin American communist the tasks
of the anti-imperialist struggle and of strengthening the alliance of
anti-imperialist forces and disseminating Marxist-Leninist ideas, which
inspire the national liberation movement, are at the same time an integral
part of the struggle for socialism. [paragraph continues]

For it is impossible to imagine a struggle for socialism without the
achievement of Latin America's national liberation. At the same time this
does not rule out a direct struggle for socialism if the appropriate
conditions take shape in any particular country. We shall only rejoice in
this. But it is essential to proceed from the premise that, until our
countries become independent from imperialism and until imperialist
domination is liquidated, there cannot be any conditions for socialist
development.

Here Fidel Castro noted that exceptional conditions had taken shape in Cuba
as a result of which there had been a swift transition from the period of
national liberation to socialist building.

Latin American communists, he continued, proceed from the premise that we
live in an era of the transition from capitalism to socialism and that
capitalism is incapable of resolving even one of Latin America's main
problems. Only socialism can resolve these problems: poor development,
unemployment, poverty and destitution, and cultural and technical
backwardness. Only socialism can resolve all of Latin America's economic,
social and political problems.

The great experience and maturity of Latin American communist parties and
the unity of their views are obvious. This is attested by the long-term
struggle program drawn up by them which rests on a scientific,
Marxist-Leninist foundation. All the main principles of Marxism-Leninism
applied to the present-day situation were reflected in the Havana
conference's document.

The communist movement in Latin America, F. Castro said, has tens of
thousands of tried, courageous fighters. This movement has been subjected
to brutal repressions and persecutions on the continent. But there is not a
single country where the reactionary forces could annihilate the communist
party. To whatever repressive methods they have resorted, even systematic
physical extermination of communists, they have not managed to liquidate
the communist movement in a single country in Latin America. This is
confirmation of the strength and vitality of just communist ideas.

We, Fidel Castro stressed in conclusion, feel profoundly satisfied with the
results of the conference of communist parties of the Latin American and
Caribbean countries. This conference has gone down as a brilliant page in
the history of the revolutionary movement in the Western Hemisphere.
-END-