-DATE- 19850530 -YEAR- 1985 -DOCUMENT_TYPE- SPEECH -AUTHOR- F. CASTRO -HEADLINE- CASTRO VISIT ISLE OF YOUTH -PLACE- ISLE OF HYOUTH'S SCHOOL FOR NAMIBIAN YOUTHS -SOURCE- HAVANA TELEVISION SVC -REPORT_NBR- FBIS -REPORT_DATE- 19850531 -TEXT- Castro's Remarks FL301646 Havana Television Service in Spanish 0205 GMT 30 May 85 [President Fidel Castro's remarks at the Isle of Youth's school for Namibian youths on 29 May -- recorded] [Text] How is your Spanish? [students respond: "Good!"] Good? [students respond: "Yes!"] Let those from the first school raise their hands. [Passage indistinct] October 1978 [students respond: "Yes!"] It was dedicated to the Cassinga slaughter. [students respond: "Yes!"] How many of you were there at the time of the Cassinga slaughter? Let those of you [Unreadable text] were there at the time raise their hands. [Words indistinct] It was that same year, right? [students respond: "Yes!"] In May (?I think). [students respond: "Yes!"] On 4 May? (students respond: "Yes!"] You have not forgotten. Neither have we, nor will mankind forget it. We are very pleased that you had the chance to witness that which is not the product of the imagination or fiction but of (?reality). I do not remember exactly how many Namibians were slain that morning. Perhaps you have a more precise figure. Several hundred of them [words indistinct]. But let me tell you that several Cubans died that day also. [students respond: "Yes"] A Cuban unit advanced under the Air Force's fire to support you [students respond: "Yes"], forcing the South Africans to withdraw from [words indistinct]. A total of 980 people (?were killed there). They killed almost as many people in a matter of hours, in a single, treacherous and bloody dawn as died [words indistinct]. But we shall not forget. We will never forget. Mankind will not forget this nor the people of Namibia, or the peoples of Africa, or those of the Third World. No one with any degree of conscience will forget that crime. And what was the purpose? Why this crime in order to maintain colonialism (?among) a number of oppressed peoples, not only the Namibian people, but the South African people themselves? To maintain apartheid, racism, and fascism, and continue exploiting the natural resources of those peoples and exploiting their blood and sweat. The presence here today of the delegation headed by the UN secretary general is highly symbolic. Many U.S. newsmen from the U.S. television stations and newspapers are accompanying him. I remember very well that when this massacre was committed, in which more than 900 Namibian people died -- elderly people, children, men, and women -- after this surprise attack, after having their defenseless camp brutally bombed, the world press did not report this. No. The ones dying were not white, they were Namibians, they were black. The U.S. press did not report this. The U.S. television stations did [Unreadable text] comment on this because, logically, one does not talk about such things. South Africa is a U.S. ally. And what an ally. What a way to behave. You may have read in the papers that a few days ago, on 19 May, a South African commando was captured in Cabinda. [Words indistinct] All those South Africans were immediately put out of action and a captain, chief of the commando unit was captured. [applause] The chief of this commando unit immediately revealed what their mission was about and after their backpacks were seized -- nine in all -- they dispersed throughout the forests. I do not know what they were doing, since the forests there are huge. [applause] The nine backpacks were seized and found to contain 135 kg of TNT contact mines, 2 larger mines, and several packages containing powerful plastic explosives. They lost everything, all their equipment, and were left only with what they had on them; that is, those of them who ran quickly enough and dispersed throughout the forests. They had all kinds of things; they were the perfect commando unit. They had been trained and even had with them additional shoes made of fabric so as not to make any noise. They also lost the shoes they had on. [laughter, applause] Now they should really avoid making any noises lest they be heard. [laughter] So what were they going to do, the associates of the United States, Reagan's friends, the CIA's friends? They were going to destroy the oil installation in Cabinda, the primary source of Angola's revenue. The curious thing about this, the amazing thing, which points to the hypocrisy of both South Africa and the U.S. Government, is the fact that this installation is owned by a U.S. transnational company, the Gulf Oil Company. The things that the U.S. Government does! The things that the CIA does! The things that the fascist South African Government does! In order to attack Angola and affect its economy, they wanted to blow up the oil installation of a U.S. company. It would be good if newsmen would comment on the meaning of these things. What else were they carrying in addition to all those sophisticated radios, communications equipment, plastic explosives, mines, binoculars, signaling equipment, and so on? National Union for the Total Independence of Angola [UNITA] propaganda, as usual. They use UNITA to carry out their sabotage by leaving behind UNITA propaganda material. This was learned because there was a captain who told everything he knew. He told everything. The South African Government said: No, the encounter occurred because there was a little group exploring in Angola to find out [passage indistinct] and the South-West African People's Organization [SWAPO] camps. Now then, I wonder. if someone from the INC [expansion unknown] has been in Cabinda. [laughter] And I have never heard of any [passage indistinct] even for a visit. The only thing in Cabinda is the Gulf installation, which exploits petroleum, from which Angola receives most of its revenue. There is so much hypocrisy, there are so many lies. No one tells the truth, not Reagan, not Botha, not even by accident. I am waiting for the day when they make a mistake and accidentally tell the truth. [laughter and applause; students chant: "Born to conquer, not to be conquered!"] So, the U.S. Government does not know anything! It only heard about it on the radio! And it did not know its friends the South Africans were going to blow up the installation of one of Angola's most important oil companies. Well, now we know about apartheid and its allies. A system that is completely lacking in morals. If there is a tragedy in Namibia, there is an even greater tragedy in South Africa, where 24 million Africans are deprived of their rights. This year has been particularly characterized by the worst repression by the apartheid regime against the African population of South Africa. They have murdered hundreds of people and they continue to murder. [Unreadable text] you know, the UN has been making a great effort to speed up Namibia's independence. The UN secretary general has said he hopes yours will become the 160th UN member country. But what is happening? While they are talking with Angola, and they say the Yankees are intermediaries, are mediators, I do not remember which, and that they are acting in good faith, which is just what Jonas Savimbi along with the South Africans stated. And meanwhile, [passage indistinct] planning to blow up vital economic resources [words indistinct]. What can you expect from fascists? What can you expect from fascists? What can you expect from oppressors? Angola has even been proposing, with our cooperation and support, to seek a peace formula, which must be preceded by the application of UN Resolution 435 and the independence of Namibia. What are the South Africans trying to do by organizing bantustans here and there in Namibia. I ask you, do bantustans have a future in Namibia? [students answer: "No!"] Are the Namibian people going to allow bantustans to be organized in Namibia? [students answer: "No!"] They are not going to permit it. [students say: "No!"] And the Cuban people are not going to permit it either. Angola has offered a formula and with the insolence and arrogance typical of the racists and their ally, the United States, they said no, no to the Angolan peace formula, the Angolan formula, which proposes the withdrawal over 36 months of the Cuban troops, who are in southern Angola, in the south. I do not know whether they, the Angolans, believe that is too fast for us to get out of Angola. [laughter] But there was anxiety. No, no, 200,000 Cubans have passed through Angola and if 200,000 more have to go, they will go. [applause] And while Angola proposes application of the UN Resolution 435 and the independence of [Unreadable text], we will be there along with the Angolans, without exception and without doubt. In it is negotiated, we will maintain a firm stand. [Words indistinct] They might think the Cubans are impatient to withdraw. We will fulfill our internationalist duty in this regardless of how long it takes. [applause] But in reality there is not much time left (?for us there). That situation cannot last much longer. In realty, they are in a desperate situation because of the struggle of the Namibian people and the struggle of the South African people. It is a growing struggle, a courageous, heroic struggle which is steadily increasing. South Africa is traversing the worst crisis in its history. Gold is no longer worth $700, now it is some $300. It does not even have money. It has all kinds of economic problems despite the U.S. and Western countries' investments in South Africa and Namibia. It is suffering the worst economic crisis, the worst political crisis in its history. Thus, this is a special opportunity now that the UN delegation is present to hear us voice our position. There will be no [word indistinct] without Resolution 435 and without Namibia's independence. [applause] So long as Nujoma agrees on this and we are sure this is Angola's position, so long as UN Resolution 435 is not implemented, and so long as Namibia is not independent or at least concrete steps are being taken to implement the resolution for the real and effective attainment of independence, not a single Cuban soldier will withdraw from Angola. [applause] If more troops are needed, we will send more troops [applause], because in the face of every aggression of the racists and imperialism, we have always reacted by reinforcing Angola. There are many Cubans there, a few. With every Reagan escalation, we prepare to reinforce Angola. That is what we have always done. You know our nation very well. You know there are millions of men and women ready to fight. Just because we send our combatants to Angola does not mean that we are weakened, because we still have many more combatants in Cuba than we have arms. [applause] Thus, this country can have 100,000 troops abroad if it becomes necessary and not be weakened in the least, because there are hundreds of thousands of men and women, young and well trained, for whom there are not enough weapons, and we have quite a few weapons. [applause] Besides, when our men and women fulfill internationalist missions, whether civilian or military, they always return to our homeland with a greater internationalist spirit. If one day imperialism would dare attack our country, we will see what they are going to find here. [applause] We will see. They will learn how tough it is to fight against a nation of women, youths, old people, even children. I ask if a country of 10 million inhabitants, trained to fight, can be defeated. For we are ready for all eventualities. We have organized the country from one end to the other for all types of struggle, even for a situation of total occupation of the country. They are going to have more dead than those who died in World War II. [applause] We have created the conditions to do just that and feel that this is an invincible nation. You know that even on this small island which is separated from our. . .[sentence incomplete] We would want to say here very clearly that from the orange groves, forests, houses, everywhere, in such a case the African youths would fight with us. [applause] That would be internationalism, that is reciprocity. I do not want to be told: What are you going to [words indistinct], that is, because under a flower, there is a beehive. When someone sees there is a garden next door, what they really have there is a full platoon. [applause] We have studied the techniques and experiences of all countries which have fought. We have examined them and developed them. We have trained our people in all those techniques. Thus, you should have absolute confidence that at the United Nations, first, the application of Resolution 435 on Namibia's independence will continue to be firmly demanded, and the certainty that no matter how long it takes, we will remain there until Namibia is independent. Africa's friends, Namibia's friends, the friends of Namibia's people will support you until you attain independence. The day will come when you will become the United Nations' 160th member state. [Words indistinct] a small island where colonialists [words indistinct] number 160. I would not dare to determine the number, perhaps 162, 163, or 164, but I do dare say that you will be independent. Fatherland or death, we shall win! -END-