AMBASSADOR SPEAKS ON TRUMP'S THREAT TO CUBA

Midas Canada viewers, resistors from all over, Charlie Angus here.We're at the Cuban Embassy in Ottawa.I'm being invited in to meet with Ambassador Mau Mierka -Diaz to talk about Trump's threats against the people of Cuba, the attack against their sovereignty, the resistance of the Cuban people to maintain their way of life, and the deep connection and trust that exists between the people of Canada and the people of Cuba.In this age of monsters, it is essential that we stick together.This is why we are at the Cuban embassy.This is why we want to shine a light on what is happening.

And this is why we're calling on the mightiest mighty from all over to help the people of Cuba at this time.I thank you for taking the time to talk with us.The people who support MIDAS Canada, MIDAS Network, have real concerns.There's a real love in Canada for the people of Cuba, and we really thank you for taking the time to meet with us to talk about the situation.My pleasure.Thank you.

Can you explain to us the situation right now because of Trump's blockade on the people of Cuba?

Well, the situation is very complicated for the Cuban people today.You know, Cuba has been under economic, commercial, and financial blockade by the U .S.government for many years, more than 65 years.ButBut what is happening now is that this blockade has strengthened in an absurd way.

This year, President Trump has signed two executive orders that are intended to suffocate the Cuban society completely.The first of them was signed on January 29.And there are threats to apply tariffs and other sanctions to any country that could supply oil products to Cuba.So in the practice, it's a kind of energetic blockade against Cuba.We have been trying to trade.oil products since January, and we haven't been successful.

Everybody is very afraid of these sanctions.And the objective at the end is to create trouble to the population.You can understand that without energy, everything is affected.Not only the electricity generation, that is a big problem, but everything, transportation, agriculture, industry, services like health or education, everything is affected.And it's the population, the one that is suffering the most.This is a kind of collective punishment.

to the Cuban people simply because we want to be independent.Because the justification they are using is that Cuba is an extraordinary threat to the United States..S.S.national security and it's completely false.It's ridiculous.

As a matter of fact, Cuba is a small country and the United States is a superpower.And the history is that we have been attacked by the United States, like now, in different ways.It's not Cuba who is threatening anybody.But, well, the second order was signed on May the 1st, and it's establishing sanctions to a group of companies, not only Cubans, also foreign companies of third countries, like Canada, I have to say.And with these and other measures they have applied, From this executive order, they have created a situation in which many companies are not willing to continue their business in Cuba.And I can't put you a few examples, but because of these measures, now the Canadian airlines are not flying to Cuba.

We used to receive nearly a million dollars citizens from Canada visiting to do tourism every year.Now, Charity International that has investments in Cuba in the mining sector is withdrawing.Blue Diamond, who has the management contracts for many hotels in Cuba, is also withdrawing.So the extraterritorial effect of these sanctions against Cuba is present on this.It is a very difficult situation for us.We are resisting.

Our people is very brave and they know very well what is happening.It is not the responsibility of the Cuban government, but the aggression from the superpower.

No, but Canada's had a longstanding friendship and a willingness to challenge, resist anyways, the United States.Fidel Castro was at the funeral of Prime Minister Trudeau Sr.Has there been any efforts within the hemisphere of countries to work together to try and end this blockade, to take this to the United Nations, to speak up for Cuba?Has there been any efforts?

Cuba and Canada, we have a very good relation.Last year we celebrated the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and we have a friendly relationship.I mean, we have a political dialogue, we have economic links through trade, through Canadian capital invested in Cuba.We have exchanges in all the sectors, or cultural, or sports, or academic, everything.So it's a very rich relationship.As I said before, the Canadian tourism is the most important one for Cuba.

And I have to say also that this is an uninterrupted relationship, because in the 60s, When the Cuban revolution came to power, the pressure from the United States government at the moment pushed almost everybody in the Americas to go to war.relations with Cuba, with only two honorable exceptions, that's Mexico and Canada.So we appreciate that very much.But as you say, what is happening is completely out of the international order, and it's a bit sad to see that there is a lot of silence around about it.I think Canada is very concerned with the situation of the Cuban people.They have approved two packages of humanitarian aid to Cuba that are already being implemented through international organizations.

But the fact is that what is happening is wrong, is against the international law, it is against the UN Charter itself.The Secretary General of the United Nations stated that as a fact, this is what is happening.

There are rumors that the United States is pressuring Canada to support them if they try to impose some kind of regime change or attack.This is happening at the same time that the American ambassador here is making comments about whether or not Canada's sovereignty should be up for discussion.There is a feeling among some Canadians that if Cuba falls, the United States could turn to us.Have you a sense of the Canadians at least trying to maintain that relationship with Cuba and not giving in?

No, the relations is still there, and as I said, wehave a good relationship, a good dialogue.Cuban delegation is coming next week to have talks here in Ottawa with Global Affairs and other persons in Ottawa.So I don't think Canada is going to do that.It would be wrong.It's against the the pillars of the Canadian foreign policy itself, because when you hear what Prime Minister Ghani and all the officials say about what is happening in the world, it is very clear that they are concerned what is happening.

The attempt from the U .S.government to impose a kind of new order or disorder, I have to say, internationally is something that is dangerous.Now it's very dangerous for Cuba because the possibility of military aggression is present.But I believe this is dangerous for everybody.It's something that we should try to stop at some point.

Yeah, I want to switch now to talk about the situation in Cuba.One of the things that Cuba is known for is its incredible health system.I mean that people have a longer life expectancy in Cuba than in the United States, the access to medicine and access to doctors and that.What is the situation with the blockade in terms of health?in Cuba now.

to create a comprehensive and efficient health system, a public health system.I have to say that it's for free and it can reach everybody.And now we're having problems with it.I can put you some examples because the Ministry of Public Health recently published something about it.For instance, we have around 100 ,000 persons waiting in a waiting list to access a surgery.10 ,000 of them are children.

Wow.

Why?Because without energy, the hospital can't function normally.

Right.

So we are trying to introduce some reforms at the hospitals using solar energy and to try to maintain all them functioning normally, but it's It's unavoidable that some affectations are present.I was reading that, for instance, the patients with kidney failure that need some special treatment, hemodialysis, and there are thousands of them in Cuba now.They have to go twice a week, three times a week to the hospital.They don't have transportation to do so.So we're inventing ways, trying to, with electrical vehicles, to pick them home and take to the hospital.So we are trying to solve problems in a very imaginative manner, because it's truly a big problem.

Cancer.Children with cancer receive a very specialized attention with very specific equipments.And now, because of these difficulties, I understand that the survival rate in this patient's children with cancer dropped from 85 % to 65%.It's incredible.People is dying because of what is happening.

On that, people are commenting all the time through our network, how can they help?What can Canadians do right now to help Cuba?

I think that the most important thing for Cuba today is that voices raised to say what is happening and simply state the truth.We in Cuba are not perfect.We know we are not perfect.But what is being said about Cuba by the U .S.government, it's many times lies, many times manipulation of information.

So what we need is the truth to be told.That's the most important thing, to defend justice, to defend international law.to say what you are doing to these people is criminal.It's something that they don't deserve.And on the other hand, there are efforts already very successful besides the official aid that the Canadian government is sending to Cuba.There are other organizations and

even Canadian individuals that are trying to cooperate with Cuba.There is an organization that its name is Canadian Network on Cuba.that is working with an association of Cuban residents in Toronto.They have sent already to Cuba 21 containers with aid, medical supplies, food, equipment to generate electricity.So it's possible to help this way too.But for me, the most important thing is to tell the truth and to help all the society to understand what is happening is really a crime.

Right.So on that, in the issue of justice, we see the government, the U .S.government has indicted Raul Castro.Do you feel that they're trying to set this thing up like they did with Venezuela to create this enemy, that they could say that it would be their reason to launch some kind of attack?

What they're doing is to accumulate pretense to justify an intervention.All these measures, what is looking for, this despair, you know, to push the population to a kind of humanitarian crisis.And they would like to see that there is a social explosion and something is going to happen.And on the other hand, they say, well, if that doesn't happen, we'll also have the possibility to make a military intervention.and the fraudulent accusation againstRaul Castro, who is the leader of the Cuban revolution, is completely out of logic.

But it's a pretext they are trying to use to put some fundaments to what they are doing.Later, they sanctioned a group of institutions and individuals in Cuba, including President Miguel Díaz -Canel Bermúdez.And it is the same thing.It's to artificially create an atmosphere of confrontation that could justify an intervention.

Well, finally, and I want to thank you for taking the time with us.We have people around the world who watch us.We have many good allies in the United States.But the people of Canada, this is, I hear from them all the time.What would be your message to the people of Canada on behalf of the people of Cuba at this time?

My message to the people of Canada and to all the friends that Cuba has all over the world, including in the U .S., because I have to say that we don't see in the American people an enemy.On the contrary, we have a very good relation people to people.And the message is what I already said.It's very important to defend the truth, to defend the international law, to defend the justice, and to say that what the U .

S.administration is doing against Cuba today is a crime, and it's not going to succeed because the Cuban people is going to resist, and we will overcome any threat It is a tradition of our...I have to say that this is not new, what is happening now.I mean, not only this more than six decades of hostility, but in the 19th century, when Cuba was fighting the Spanish colonialism to try to be independent, Then, there was no communism whatsoever.The United States intervened militarily in Cuba, and they declared war on Spain, and they occupied militarily Cuba.In 1899, when Spain withdrew from Cuba, we were occupied by the U .

S.Army.So the communism argument is not that strong.They always wanted to to take over Cuba.It's a fact.And the only crime we are committing is that we are defending our independence, our right to self -determination.

It's something that is just.So what I ask everybody to do is to defend that right.

Well, I want to thank you so much.It's my pleasure.Thank you.It's an honor.Thank you so much, Ambassador Malmiarca Diaz and the staff of the Cuban embassy who were so welcoming to Midas Canada as we were finishing our interview.People from across the area were coming together to the embassy to talk about the medical crisis in Cuba, because, again, we have such longstanding relations between Cuba and the Canadian people.

And what we're dealing with here has to be really clear.This is about a gangster regime.in Washington that believeit has the right to crush a people in order to break their sovereignty.The fight for justice in Cuba is the fight for justice in our hemisphere, and we know that the maps that Donald Trump continues to pump out shows Canada as having its sovereignty broken by the economic threat.If we let Cuba fall, we're We are next.

So we are going to be staying on this issue.We're asking people to help.We have mentioned the program containers for Cuba.We're asking people to help support, get medical supplies, get other supplies into Cuba so that they can maintain the resistance.If you want to get involved and be a volunteer, you can contact Colin Argyle at containers4cuba, so that's containers4cuba at gmail .com.

Tax -deductible donations can be made so that they can buy supplies.You can do that by e -transfer at niagarawarehouseofhope at gmail .com.That's niagarawarehouseofhope at gmail .com.You can send checks to the Niagara Warehouse of Hope at 46 Broadview Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2M, 1M4.

And we are going to be asking the folks from Containers for Cuba to come on and explain the work they're doing and how the solidarity between Canada and Cuba is a lifeline at this moment.Keep kicking at the darkness, my friends.It is going to bleed daylight.Thank you.Merci.