-DATE- 19830810 -YEAR- 1983 -DOCUMENT_TYPE- INTERVIEW -AUTHOR- F. CASTRO -HEADLINE- 6 AUG TALK WITH FRENCH JOURNALISTS -PLACE- CUBA -SOURCE- HAVANA DOMESTIC SVC -REPORT_NBR- FBIS -REPORT_DATE- 19830811 -TEXT- CASTRO'S 6 AUG TALK WITH FRENCH JOURNALISTS Comments on French Influence FL101400 Havana Domestic Service in Spanish 1045 GMT 10 Aug 83 [Text] Because of public interest, the newspaper GRANMA is today publishing the informal conversation held on 6 August between Commander in Chief Fidel Castro and a group of French journalists on the occasion of the visit of French Minister of External Affairs Claude Cheysson. We are going to read excerpts from the interview. Fidel, at the request of one of the journalists, began talking about the French people in the following manner: We have affection for France. We have affection for the French people. We also have a fondness for the history of France because its history has instructed us. Before I read Marxism, I had read the history of the French Revolution -- this was taught when I was in the earliest grades -- but I was not really aware of what happened there, of what the French Revolution was. Later, I read and studied about it and became very interested in it, and I believe that it has had a great deal of influence on me. I am referring to the history of the revolution of 1789. I read many different authors. Sometimes, I read these books until dawn when I was a high school student, during vacations, or when I did not have other assignments to work on. I spoke about this with Cheysson. This was the influence, let us say, of the first modern social revolution, the French Revolution, as revolutionaries against feudalism and despotism. Later, we were influenced by France toward socialism. Marx himself was greatly influenced by France and transmitted that influence to us in two works which are classics for us: "The History of the Civil Struggle in France" [La Historia de la Lucha Civil in Francia] and "The Eighteenth Brumaire" [El Diez y Ocho Brumario]. Later, the Paris Commune greatly influenced the Cuban revolutionaries. There was, without a doubt, French influence on our wars for independence. The war of 1868 was characterized by a great romantic spirit, and I would say that the influence of the Jacobins was present; but it also seems to me that there was a certain degree of influence by the Girondins on some of our first fighters for independence. In our own struggle, in the war for liberation, there were three French influences the French Revolution of 1789; the civil struggles in France and the Paris Commune; and, finally, the French Resistance against the Nazis. When asked about relations between France and Cuba, Fidel Castro said that there were difficulties in the early years of the revolution over the independence struggle of the Algerian people. Although we have always been interested in relations with France, both political and economic relations, a situation existed that, out of solidarity, led us to take a firm position of opposition to French policy and of support for the Algerian fighters. Fidel added that after the Algerian problem had been solved, political and economic relations with France improved and have prospered progressively since then. Of course, the triumph of the left in France raised hopes in our country. We have had close relations with the left -- our relations with Mitterrand and with the French Communists. We began to establish relations with this government many years before the triumph of the left. In another part of his conversation with the French journalists, dealing with the good relations between the two countries and with world problems, Fidel said: I do not believe that relations that are limited to the bilateral level are sufficient. France has responsibilities in the world. France is not a powerful country but it is a great power that has technological development, scientific development, economic development, and international prestige. In my judgment, France can and does play a very important international role. I am very interested in France's concern for Third World problems. In all the recent international conferences of the so-called Western developed countries, France is the country that has shown the greatest interest in the problems of the Third world. This is a point where French Government policy and our concerns as a Third World country coincide, because we are socialists but we also belong to the Third World. In our international statements, we have always considered the interests of the Third World countries because they reflect the historical reality of underdevelopment and because we have common interests with them. Fidel added that, for us, the contradiction of being both a socialist country and a Third World country is insignificant. As I stated in New Delhi, over and above political religious, and ideological differences, we have many things in common with the Third World countries which we are keeping in mind and which we will defend. Moreover, we do not defend national interests. We are not very nationalistic -- we are patriots -- but we are not very nationalistic, and we are strongly faithful to our political principles. We have often sacrificed our national interests for the sake of the principles of our revolution and our internationalist principles. The Americans do not understand that, and it is causing them much effort. They are a bit used to thinking that nationalistic interests should come before any other interest. We, however, have realized that our fatherland is not only Cuba -- our fatherland is also mankind. We are learning to think in terms of humanity. Man first thought in terms of a clan, then of a tribe, then of a feudal group; then he thought in terms of a nation. When man begins to think in a universal sense, when he begins to see all mankind as his family, when he begins to see all mankind as his fatherland, then he will have taken a big step forward in his political development and in his awareness. To a question concerning what he and the French minister of external relations dealt with the commander in chief replied: I would say we analyzed international issues, especially those aspects of the international situation on which our positions coincide. I shall give an example of a position on which the interests of France and those of the European Community in general coincide: The search for a negotiated political settlement for Central America, the avoidance of the complication and worsening of the problem, and the avoidance of U. S. intervention in Central America, against which we are fighting as much in the interest of the Latin American peoples as in the interest of the United States itself. This is a point on which interests coincide. We also talked about Africa's problems. There are points where our interests coincide in the search for a solution to the problem of Namibia's independence and the problem of southern Africa in general -- how to avoid its becoming a zone of tension and conflict -- on which France and Cuba have coinciding positions. We talked about international economic problems, the international economic crisis and the problems derived from it, the interests which are also common to the underdeveloped world or the developing world, as it is known, and the interests of the industrialized countries. The crisis terribly affects the countries of the Third World, much more than it affects the industrialized countries, but it also affects the industrialized countries We agreed that a solution to these economic problems will help the underdeveloped world and the industrialized world. The economic crisis creates instability in the Third World. It creates instability even in the countries that are already developed, the problems of inflation, but especially -- more than inflation -- problems of unemployment and economic stagnation. We are very concerned about high interest rates for loans. We are concerned about the debts of the Third World countries. We are concerned about finding ways to solve these problems and analyze the interests that Third World countries and the industrialized countries have in common as well as interests common to the countries of the Third World and the countries of Europe -- industrialized Europe. It is necessary to keep in mind that when you, the French, travel abroad, you are representing France. But you are also representing to an important degree the interests of industrialized Western Europe. In these contacts, and I think the French delegation has made contacts with Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, and Latin America, it is trying to find out where there are common points between the economic interests of the Third World and those of the European Community. Commander in Chief Fidel Castro dealt with these and other important current international issues in his informal conversation on 6 August with French journalists. The newspaper GRANMA, in today's edition, will publish the entire text of that interview. Considers C.A. Problem FL101825 Havana Domestic Service in Spanish 1700 GMT 10 Aug 83 [Excerpt] Replying to a journalist's question on what had been the principal subject of the Cuban-French talks, Fidel said that all aspects of the international situation were analyzed on which we have coinciding positions. He gave as examples the need to find a negotiated political solution for the problem of Central America, Namibian independence, and the situation of southern Africa in general. Fidel pointed out another coincidence between France and Cuba: the world economic crisis that affects industrialized and underdeveloped countries, which must be solved. He said that the United States, with its economic and financial policy and high interest rates, is forcing the rest of the world, both developed and underdeveloped, to finance its arms buildup and its budget deficits. After discussing this problem extensively, the French journalists wanted to know about Central America and our commander in chief's viewpoints. Just as in the interview with the U.S. journalists, Fidel said that one cannot find a negotiated political solution in this region unless a solution is found first for the Salvadoran problem. He said that finding a solution by ignoring El Salvador would practically be a betrayal of the Salvadoran people and revolutionaries. On the question of whether there has been a change in the U.S. Administration regarding the situation in this region, the leader of the revolution said that its tone has been softened but that in fact its policy remains intact. At the request of the journalists, Fidel made an evaluation of the Contadora Group's efforts, calling them an extraordinarily positive contribution. Nevertheless, he expressed concern at the fact that the Contadora Group has not clearly defined the need for a solution of the Salvadoran problem. It has not considered a solution for El Salvador, which is a key issue for a solution in Central America, he said. Our commander in chief discussed human rights, pointing our that, in our country, there are no missing, tortured, or murdered persons, and he denounced Yankee imperilism's great slander campaign against Cuba. He expressed assurance that U.S. domination will not prevail by any means, not even by invading and occupying our countries. He said that there are technical means to neutralize this or that weapon, but there is no technical means to neutralize a struggling people. He gave Vietnam as an example. He added: I do not expect others to have our convictions. We believe in our convictions and we believe firmly, and therefore we defend them vigorously. I believe that we are invulnerable. We are not frightened and do not lose our composure or our levelheadedness Fidel deplored the fact that the U.S. Government believes that our statements are made in response to its power policies. On this path, the U.S. Government could reach the point where it finds that it is completely mistaken and that revolutionaries do not back down or capitulate to power policies. Views Human Rights Issue PA102105 Havana International Service in Spanish 1800 GMT 10 Aug 83 [Text] During an informal talk with French journalists Fidel Castro said that, after Spain, France is the country with which Cuba shares the most historic roots, which is why Cubans feel both sympathy and admiration for France. Castro stressed the development of bilateral relations, which should improve and are improving thanks, he said, to President Francois Mitterrand's administration. He added that France plays and can continue to play a very important international role, and he added that at all recent international conferences among the so-called developed Western nations, France has expressed the most interest in Third World problems. This is a point very much in common between the French Government's policy and our own concerns as a Third World country, the Cuban president underscored. Castro indicated that during his talks with Cheysson they reviewed principally those aspects of the international situation in which France and Cuba maintain similar positions, including the search for a negotiated political solution in Central America. In this regard, the Cuban leader said that one cannot even think of finding a negotiated political solution for Central America if a negotiated political solution is not found first for El Salvador, which, he said, is the central issue. According to Castro, U.S. policy has shifted attention from El Salvador to Nicaragua, but the situations in these countries are not comparable because in El Salvador there is an internal civil struggle, while in Nicaragua there are border conflicts organized and sponsored by the CIA. Castro stressed that the Salvadoran revolutionaries have clearly expressed their willingness to find a negotiated political solution, and he noted that, despite the Contadora Group's declaration, the Sandinist Government's six-point proposal, and the statement made by Cuba on 26 July, no change in the U.S. position can be seen, as that country is maintaining a policy of force and psychological warfare. Cuba will never give in to a policy of force; the search for a solution can never imply unilateral concessions by the Nicaraguan, Salvadoran, or Cuban revolutionaries, Castro added. He also said that Cuba cannot negotiate for El Salvador or Nicaragua, but it does endorse their efforts to achieve a peaceful solution. In reality, he stressed, the Central American problem does not have to be resolved through negotiations between Cuba and the United States but between the Salvadoran revolutionaries and the United States, and between the Nicaraguans and the United States. He then stressed: This is why we are pleased with the contacts between Stone and the Salvadoran revolutionary movement, and the contacts between Stone and Nicaragua. The Cuban leader said that the Contadora Group is making an extraordinarily positive contribution in the search for a political solution in Central America. However, he said, I am concerned that it has not addressed the Salvadoran problem, which is a key issue in achieving a solution. In answer to a journalist's question about the dirty campaigns about human rights in Cuba, especially in connection with the allegedly disabled poet named Valladares, Castro said that it would be interesting to know who finances those campaigns. He explained that Valladares was one of Batista's policemen who was sanctioned for committing counterrevolutionary terrorist activities. He explained that the entire international campaign about Valladares revolves around an invalid who is not an invalid and a poet who is not a poet. Comparing the Nazi Gestapo during the occupation of France with the Batista tyranny's police, he stressed that if the French people were to reflect a bit about their own experience, they would realize the Cubans, too, are vulnerable to that type of people. Castro stressed that although certain Cuban laws entail severe punishment, there are no tortured, missing, or slain people, and that during these 25 years of revolution, and despite living under imperialism's death threats, no action has ever been undertaken outside the law. He reasserted that all those campaigns are financed and directed by the CIA. Castro said finally: It is naturally regrettable that the U.S. Government should think our statements are in response to its policy of force. Along that path they may get to a point where they will see that they are completely mistaken and that revolutionaries neither give in nor capitulate when faced with policies of force. Discusses World Economic Crisis PA101833 Havana International Service in Spanish 1600 GMT 10 Aug 83 [Text] Fidel Castro, president of the Cuban Councils of State and Ministers, has said that the world capitalist economy is a drifting ship with only the United States serving as its helm while exclusively trying to protect its own interests. Castro stressed that the current economic recovery is transitory because the groundwork that would make it possible to feel certain about a lasting recovery does not exist. Informally addressing the French journalists who accompanied Foreign Minister Claude Cheysson on his recent visit to Cuba, Castro stressed that, with its economic and financial policy, the United States is forcing the rest of the world -- both the industrialized and the underdeveloped nations -- to finance its arms race and its budget deficit. The Cuban leader reiterated his concern over the Third World countries' debt, which totals nearly $700 billion and continues to grow, and stressed that to resolve the international crisis it is necessary to find solutions to both the industrialized nations' problems and those of the developing countries. Unless the Third World's economic problems are solved, there will be no solution to the industrialized world's economic problems, because there will hot be enough markets nor will it be possible to fight unemployment or fully use the developed countries' industrial facilities or their skilled labor forces, Castro stressed. He added that there is common ground between Cuba and France on this problem, which is everyone's responsibility. He stressed: I believe that, among the developed Western countries, France shows the most more conscientious concern about this problem. -END-