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JOINT DECLARATION
La
Habana
La Nueva Cuba
NovembeR 25, 2003
The undersigned,
in our roles of pro democracy leaders residents of Cuba, and
with the purpose of publicly divulging the essential points in which
we
mutually agree, we have decided to sign and submit the following
declaration:
1. We proclaim
that our common objective is the unconditional freedom of the
people of Cuba and the establishment of a state where rights that
guarantee
the equality of all before the Law are respected; and in that manner
the
oppressive system established by the communist regime of virtual
apartheid against
Cubans will come to an end.
2. We declare
that the existing constitution, now in its 2002 version, is the
angular stone of the totalitarian system, which we hope to peacefully
replace. Consequently, we consider that a process of real democratization
should
start with a substantial change in the constitutional norms now
in existence, and
we think that that change should be inspired by the democratic principles
of
the 1940 Magna Charta.
3. We believe
that with the initiation of the democratization process, free
elections should be held. To guarantee that these will really be
pluralists and
competitive, it should be established that any citizen that has
attained
adulthood and can present the signatures of 25 electors residing
in the
corresponding jurisdiction, could become a candidate. Elections
should be democratic at
all levels and should take place under international observation,
and all
candidates should have access to the massive means of communication.
Our position
about this matter is very clear: we support elections that offer
the real
possibility of peacefully effecting the substantial change that
Cuba needs; and we
will not agree to a political farce that, due to the conditions
in which it
takes place, would only represent a cosmetic change to the totalitarian
system.
4. We demand
the immediate amnesty of all political prisoners, without any
exclusion.
5. We are convinced
that THE FATHERLAND BELONGS TO ALL, and we recognize that the Cuban
Nation is only one, and that all its citizens without distinction
of sex, religious beliefs, political ideology, race, or country
of origin, have the right to participate in the solution of the
Cuban problem, without any
kind of discrimination.
6. We respect
the different ideologies of all our countrymen that also
respect the ideologies of those that do not think like them, and
we ratify our
disposition to join forces with them as we have repeatedly shown
in order to work
against totalitarianism. However, we want to make it clear here
that we do not
support socialistic ideas because in our opinion they have had regrettable
results in our country.
7. We start
from the basic idea that human rights are unalienable. Thus, we
demand the recognition and immediate unconditional application in
our country
of each and all of the 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration
of Human
Rights, without any limitations or previous negotiation. In this
context, we want to
highlight the right to live, to enter and leave the country at will,
to own
property, and also the right of freedom of opinion and expression,
the right to
meet and to associate, but making certain that none of these rights
will
subtract from the rest of those in the said Universal Declaration.
8. We are convinced
that the existence of a free-market system constitutes
the ideal means to take Cuba from the profound economic crisis in
which it finds
itself and guarantee its future prosperity; for that reason, we
plead that
such a system be instituted without unfair limitations. We also
demand
guarantees so that the workers can organize independent labor unions
that will promote its legitimate interests.
9. We think
that the future Cuban democratic state, without prohibiting other
options, should guarantee the existence of a national health and
education
system for all. At the same time, we consider it of utmost importance
to
guarantee that none of these state activities will be used as a
propagandistic tool
for political indoctrination.
10. We are convinced
that the courts, the armed forces, and in general all
the government entities in charge of maintaining public order should
act in
behalf of the entire country guided by technical and non-partisan
criteria.
11. We believe
that based in a process of true democratization, Cuba should
have normal relations with the rest of the world.
12. We declare
that once the democratic change has started, we will plead for
the lifting of the U.S. economic embargo and travel ban to Cuba.
Also, for
increased economic aid that our country needs to come out its actual
economic
crisis and initiate its process of recuperation.
Havana, November
24, 2003
Felix Antonio Bonne Carcace
Rene Gomez Manzano
Lic. Elsa Morejon Hernández
Statements
made from Havana to Radio Marti in the radio program of Juana Isa.
Also present in the program were Cary Roque, ex political prisoner,
M.A.R. por Cuba activist and member of the Lawton Foundation, Dr.
Angel Garrido and Paul Alcazar, both members of the Executive Committee
of the Lawton Foundation.
November 24, 2003
Traslated by: M.A.R. POR CUBA
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