HUGO Chávez Frías, president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, spoke live by telephone this Sunday with President Fidel Castro during the Aló Presidente program broadcast from the Ernesto Che Guevara Plaza de la Revolución in Santa Clara.

Fidel commented that there were two things that had filled him with emotion: hearing Chávez sing in front of the niches where the remains of Che and his comrades from different countries lie, and listening to Division General Ramón Pardo Guerra when he told the story of the armored train they attacked in 1958 in this city.

For his part, the Venezuelan leader highlighted the fact that Cuba was listening to its leader live for the first time this year following the start of his recovery. There is electricity in the air, he said.

“Martí spoke about trenches of ideas and Che always planted ideas,” Fidel said. “I see you fighting to plant ideas,” he said to his Venezuelan brother. “You want to construct a great trench of ideas there in Venezuela. I give thanks to Che for his example, his spirit to plant awareness, these ideas being the strength needed for the survival of the human species.”

On his arrival at the Abel Santamaría airport in Santa Clara, Chávez was received by Carlos Lage and Ramiro Valdés, and on his journey through the streets of the city in a convertible jeep a sea of people were waiting for him, filled with jubilation.

Here lie the remains of someone who lives among us, with us today; who gave his life for the Revolution of our America,” he said on reaching the monument dedicated to the heroic guerrilla. In his tour of the memorial, he sang in front of Che’s niche, spoke with a specialist from the Museum and listened to Ramiro’s explanation about the period in the Sierra.

During the program, a video of his meeting with Fidel was also shown, in which the two heads of state exchanged commentaries on the histories of their respective peoples and the strong bilateral relations between the two countries.

The president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela demanded justice for the five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters unjustly imprisoned in U.S. jails, and reiterated the call on Washington to extradite notorious terrorist Luis Posada Carriles.

On several occasions, Chávez called Fidel “the sower of consciences” and affirmed that he is a father to the revolutionaries of this continent.

“You will never die, you will always remain on this continent and a part of this people,” he said.

And he said to Aleidita: “Che wrote to you, but also to us. We are the sons and daughters of Che, we will be like Che. We are the sons and daughters of Fidel, we will be like Fidel. We are helped by what Fidel was saying yesterday: we have to save humanity.

“We will build socialism with love and with passion, and we will save humanity from imperialism, from capitalism, from the destruction of the human species. We will always see you Che. You live among us. Hasta siempre Fidel, you live among us.”

Translated by Granma International

Granma 15-10-2007