On June 20th 2006, the US State Department posted a report to the president by the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba. The was chaired by US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice and Carlos Gutierrez, US Secretary of Commerce. The report, which is 450 pages longs and was first published in 2004, outlines in detail how the US government will "assist" the Cuban people to make the transition to a so-called "free" Cuba after the death or incapacitation of Cuban President Fidel Castro. The Commission also announced that there was a new, secret addendum that for security reasons couldn't be made public with the rest of the report.

Bernie Dwyer, in an interview with Ricardo Alarcon, President of Cuba's national Assembly on the 7th July 2006, asked him what could be done to alert world public opinion about the annexationist nature of the Bush Plan for Cuba.

Bernie Dwyer: We are now faced with this up-dated version of the notorious Bush Plan for a Transition to a Free Cuba supposed to be put in place after the death of President Fidel Castro. What do you recommend international friends and supporters of Cuba do to bring this out in the open?

Ricardo Alarcon: People should demand that the secret part of the plan is discussed because they are talking about changing a regime in a foreign country. In order to change the Iraqi regime, they are now involved in a war. In order to change the Afghan regime, they are in a war there as well. Regime change is tantamount to foreign intervention, to war.

In the case of Cuba, the very first attempt to implement the program that Bush approved in 2004 would inevitably imply not only war but a very protracted one, but this was the inter-American dialogue expressed publicly when the original plan was published. They come now to say that the plan is ratified and they have added some additional measures. Among those additional measures are some that are really scandalous

1. The prohibition to the evangelical, Protestant and Anglican churches in the US to continue their cooperation with their counterparts in Cuba. It is a relationship, as the American churches have recently pointed out, that has lasted for sixty years. And its not only depriving individuals of receiving humanitarian aid, because we are talking about humanitarian aid, any prohibition of which is illegal even under conditions of war according to the Geneva Convention, and they are saying publicly that they will not permit any more American churches to continue providing humanitarian aid to their Cuban counterparts. That's one thing.

2. The other thing is really preposterous because it refers specifically to the projects that Cuba is developing now in other countries for instance, foreigners who come here to be treated for blindness and other eye illnesses or to train as doctors. Well, these people should be punished, those foreigners here in Cuba, by denying them access to any equipment or medical supplies produced by the US?

And also the same prohibition to foreigners that are benefiting now from large scale medical programs from Cuba. In other words, that means denying healthcare to people from other countries. Its extending the worst part of the embargo against others beyond Cuba and beyond Cubans. It's the first time they have taken such an approach regarding the economic warfare against Cuba. Its like saying that the war against Cuba in the health care area is extended to the people in Kashmir, Indonesia Guatemala, Venezuela and Ecuador, all over the world.

And of course what is written in the secret addendum? What is said in secret by a government that is capable of insulting the churches, of threatening others, of depriving other countries of medical attention. They are able to say that publicly.

They also say publicly that they will increase the tens of millions of dollars that they are providing now and they refer to material and financial aid here inside Cuba to be given directly by them to those supposed dissidents, to train and equip them.

That is in the public document. What is reserved in secret? We have the right to think in terms of war and terrorism. In terms of the crimes of a certain nature that they are not prepared to proclaim openly. Why are they maintaining this secrecy? One is reasons of national security and the other is in order to assure their effective implementation. What is they want? I think that by definition that one can assume that even war is contemplated. According to the US Constitution, war can only be approved and decided by congress. It has to be discussed and approved in daylight . It cannot be a result of a secret process by definition. That why I think that people should be invited to demand the US government to make public what they have announced that have in secret. That is probably the important thing that people can do now.

Bernie Dwyer: Has the Cuban government made any public response to this new report?

Ricardo Alarcon: We have been first of all trying to alert people and let them know what is going on. We may in the future take other steps at the official level but for the time being our main concern is to explain.

Remember that this is a very peculiar situation. It is a report but it is extremely difficult to access it. I don't know if there is somebody is crazy in the US Stale Department. They make an announcement. You go to their web site and you see that there is a report that was put there on the 20th of June. But then you click and click and you cannot get in to it. Not only us here in Cuba but I know many friends in the US who have been trying.

Accidentally, by chance, we got it and we have reproduced it. I have sent it to some people in the United States and they have reproduced it and others are learning more about it. It is a clear lack of transparency even in the way they have handled this case. They should not be permitted to use that style in playing with war. Warfare is something that cannot be planned and discussed in secret..

And in this case they are insulting people because they announce they have a secret plan. They could have also kept that a secret. No, they decided to tell the world that they have also a secret set of measures related to national security and that need to be kept in secret in order to ensure their effective implementation. What on earth does that mean coming from that regime in Washington that needs to be changed? A change of regime is desperately needed in Washington DC.

This interview with Ricardo Alarcon was broadcast by Radio Havana Cuba on July 10th 2006

(RHC)