-DATE-
19830728
-YEAR-
1983
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
MEETING
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
GDR'S MITTAG MEETS WITH CASTRO IN HAVANA
-PLACE-
CUBA
-SOURCE-
EAST BERLIN ADN INTL SVC
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19830729
-TEXT-
GDR'S MITTAG MEETS WITH CASTRO IN HAVANA

LD282331 East Berlin ADN International Service in German 2132 GMT 28 Jul 83

[Text] Havana, 28 Jul (ADN) -- Guenter Mittag, member of the Politburo and
secretary of the SED Central Committee, member of the GDR Council of State,
and head of the GDR party and government delegation attending the
celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada, was
received in Havana on Thursday [28 July] for a cordial talk by Fidel Castro
Ruz, first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party [PCC] Central Committee
and president of the Councils of State and of Ministers of the Cuban
Republic. The talk was attended by: Joachim Herrmann, member of the
Politburo and secretary of the SED Central Committee; Oskar Fischer, member
of the SED Central Committee and foreign minister; Guenter Sieber; member
of the SED Central Committee and chief of the SED Central Committee
International Relations Department; and Heinz Langer, GDR ambassador to the
Cuban Republic. The Cuban side was represented by: Carlos Rafael Rodriguez,
member of the PCC Central Committee Political Bureau and vice president of
the Councils of State and of Ministers; Jesus Montane, candidate member of
the Political Bureau and member of the Secretariat of the PCC Central
Committee; Lionel Soto, member of the PCC Central Committee Secretariat;
Isidoro Malmierca, member of the PCC Central Committee and foreign
minister; and Julio Carcia, Cuban ambassador to the GDR.

Guenter Mittag conveyed to Fidel Castro most cordial greetings from Erich
Honecker, general secretary of the SED Central Committee and chairman of
the GDR Council of State, which were most warmly reciprocated by Fidel
Castro. Guenter Mittag said that the meeting between Erich Honecker and
Fidel Castro in Berlin in March of this year and the arrangements concluded
between the two statesmen decisively stimulated fraternal and friendly
cooperation between the SED and PCC, the GDR and the Republic of Cuba. The
treaty on friendship and cooperation opened up significant prospects in all
areas and is being invigorated daily.

Guenter Mittag thanked Castro for the invitation to participate in the
celebrations in Santiago de Cuba. He stressed the lasting events and
impressions of the delegation's visit to historic places in Santiago de
Cuba, a meeting with members of the Cuban Armed Forces, and primarily, the
central function and the impressive speech by Fidel Castro.

The participation of more than 160 delegations shows the great
international authority of Cuba, which is successfully developing socialism
and resolutely defending the achievements of the revolution. The communists
and the people of the GDR respect and highly appreciate this.

In cordial words, Fidel Castro thanked Mittag for the participation of a
high-ranking GDR party and government delegation in the events marking the
30th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada. At a time when U.S.
imperialism fans the international situation in a most dangerous fashion
and directs massive threats and provocations against socialist Cuba, the
participation and presence of such a representative GDR delegation carries
a special weight.

The Cuban workers, Fidel Castro said, will purposefully continue the path
of socialist construction, as resolved at the second party congress. In
this way, the Cuban people attained considerable achievements that were
unthinkable in capitalist conditions.

In view of the aggressive policy of the U.S. ruling circles, the Cuban
workers are doing everything necessary to strengthen the country's defense
might.

During an exchange of views on international questions, Guenter Mittag and
Fidel Castro noted that today it is more urgent than ever to counter the
reckless war plans of imperialism's most aggressive circles. They agreed
that the Soviet Union and the other socialist countries are proving to be
the main force in averting the threat of war and in preventing a nuclear
inferno. It is still not too late to stop the fateful development arising
from the arms-escalation plans of the United States and NATO. In the Prague
declaration of January and at the Moscow meeting of the highest
representatives of socialist countries in June the Warsaw Pact states
submitted constructive proposals to the NATO countries.

Guenter Mittag said that the GDR is doing its utmost to meet its historic
responsibility on the dividing line between the Warsaw Pact and NATO. The
most important goal is to prevent the deployment of new American
medium-range missiles in West Europe.

In the consistent implementation of the resolutions of the 10th party
congress, Guenter Mittag said, the workers of the GDR are doing everything
to strengthen socialism on German soil and thus make a contribution to
safeguarding peace.

The two sides condemned the continuing interference by U.S. imperialism in
Central American countries and the Caribbean. They pledged their firm
solidarity with the fighting countries of Nicaragua, Grenada, El Salvador,
Chile, and other countries. They agreed to continue dynamic bilateral
cooperation between the GDR and Cuba as planned.
-END-