This what Cuba’s Ambassador in the Central American country, Carlos Céspedes Piedra, had to say on the Cubadebate website, referring to the self-sacrificing work of doctors aiding victims of the Volcán de Fuego’s eruption near the town of Escuintla, this past June 3.

Reading these words, recalling Fidel is obligatory, since he was the architect of this work, one of the most human undertaken by the Cuban Revolution, an expression of altruism, today in Guatemalan lands.

The volcano’s fury has not subsided, and the National Seismology Institute continues to report explosions by the hour. But neither has the work of Cuban medical brigades ceased in the most impacted area, where they conducted an active monitoring visit to the José Martí Official Mixed Federation School, serving as a shelter for those who lost their homes.

Relmar Quintana Martínez, coordinator of the group, told Prensa Latina, “We are checking everyone in order to have their condition stabilized, to act rapidly in the event of any emergency. Predominating in the population are children and the elderly, always the most vulnerable to respiratory and gastro-intestinal infections.”

The news agency verified that Cuban collaborators were on the scene from the first moments of the tragedy, working in 12 hour shifts, throughout the night when volunteer doctors depart and risks increase. The following day they continue their hospital work. It was also reported that Cuba has made available to the Guatemalan government all its medical brigades working without interruption in 16 of the nation’s 22 departments, as they have for the last two decades.

PL reported June 7 – according to an interview with the Guatemalan Health Minister, Ambassador Céspedes, and the coordinator of Cuba’s medical brigade, Yuri Batista – authorities were provided a complete list of available human resources, by specialty. Batista explained that a total of 431 healthcare professionals were working in 16 of the country’s 22 departments. Of these, 245 are doctors and 136 nurses. In particular, 39 are members of the Henry Reeve Brigade specialized in disasters, which was constituted September 19, 2005, on the initiative of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.

A majority of the collaborators currently in Guatemala have served on one or more previous medical missions, indicative of the group’s high qualifications, and are working in remote areas which never before had access to healthcare.

As soon as the number of injuries became known, the 26 collaborators assigned to Escuintla, one of the hardest hit areas, voluntarily offered their help at the shelters set up.

Fiama Roxana Dardoy, a Guatemalan social worker, told PL that the Cubans’ help has been critical at this time, when more than 200 families suddenly needed shelter.

“We are very grateful. They have been here all day and into the night, seeing children, women, the elderly, and always giving very humane, kind, and patient attention,” she said.

Yessenia Peralta, a volunteer firefighter, commented that the Cuban medical brigade has been attentive to controlling possible outbreaks of intestinal, respiratory, and skin illnesses.

These days take us back to the eternal presence of our Comandante en Jefe, when in 2005, the Henry Reeve Contingent was established, and he said, “Forward, generous defenders of health and life, victorious over pain and death!”

CUBAN MEDICAL COLLABORATION OVER 55 YEARS

- 407,000 professionals have participated in international missions

- 183,338 are doctors

- 1.688 million people treated

- 12 million surgeries performed

- 164 countries served

- 50,000 collaborators currently working abroad

- 64 nations currently served by Cuban doctors

IN GUATEMALA

- Cuban medical brigades have been present in the country for 20 years

- The first collaborators arrived November 5, 1998, to aid victims of Hurricane Mitch

- Present in remote areas

- Since 2006, Operation Miracle has helped 185,023 patients recover their eyesight

- 409,166 surgeries performed

- 43,749,222 medical consultations provided by Cuban doctors over the last 20 years

THE VOLCÁN DE FUEGO

- Its indigenous name: Chi’gag o Chakchiquel (in English: Where there is fire)

- More than 60 eruptions witnessed

- Last eruption: June 3, 2018

- Altitude: 3,763 metros

- Located 50 kilometers from the capital

- Currently erupting seven to nine times every hour

- Smoke plumes up to 4,800 meters tall

(Granma)

In a letter addressed to Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, the Cuban head of state extended his condolences to the families of the victims.

The volcanic eruption mainly affected the southern department of Escuintla, where dozens are reported to have died.

(Cubadebate)

The positive trend of the yes reached 95.89 percent of support after scrutinizing 92.80 percent of the votes nationwide, according to data offered at a press conference by Gustavo Castillo, IT director of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE).

The No only met 4.11 percent of the vote, although the data is preliminary until its official publication on April 20, as determined by law.

The day passed without incidents of violence and managed to call 24.4 percent of the registered population, a little over 7.5 million, confirmed Maria Eugenia Mijangos, president of the TSE in press conference four hours after the close of the schools.

Apathy dominated again the suffrages as it happened in 1994 (15.58 percent) and 1999 (18.55 percent), a fact that Mijangos attributed to the insufficient culture of participation of the population in this type of events.

However, he thanked the Guatemalans who exercised their right to vote and showed the world that ‘we are a people of peace and we understand and can be interested in important issues for our country.’

When questioned for alleged deficiencies in the information campaign, Mijangos said she was satisfied with the work of everyone, especially the young people and the polling stations, together with eight thousand volunteers.

The maximum representative of the TSE said that once validated the final data will be transferred to the Congress and the Executive.

The Guatemalan government insisted on the information campaigns prior to the vote on the need to put an end to the borderline lack of definition, today a line of adjacency that generates frequent tensions and civilian victims on both sides.

The Central American country arrived at the referendum on April 15 after an agreement with Belmopan signed in 2015 so that each nation, in turn, would take the issue to the approval of its population.

Guatemala took the first step despite criticism of the high spending of the suffrage, some 300 million quetzales (about 41 million dollars).

This is not counting the amount that would have to be paid later to the lawyers who will carry out the case in the ICJ, which could take five to eight years to give their verdict.

Analysts predict that the favorable outcome will demonstrate the will of the nation to comply with international decisions in peace, although a similar attitude by Belize will have to be expected.

The Embassy of Belmopan confirmed the day before that they are currently updating their electoral register and an information campaign to call a consultation by the end of this year or the beginning of the other.

(Prensa Latina)

The case, known as “La Línea” (The Line), in reference to the telephone line used by importers to offer bribes to avoid customs duties, was exposed in early 2015 by the country’s Attorney General and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).

The scandal, which is reported to have generated 3.6 million dollars between May 2014 and April 2015, led to Baldetti’s resignation and that of Pérez Molina – who refused to step down immediately after the customs corruption ring was exposed – a few months later. Both – in addition to other government officials – are currently standing trial for various corruption charges.
Today, Guatemala is once again in the eye of the storm after President Jimmy Morales declared head of CICIG, Iván Velásquez of Colombia, a persona non grata.
Created 11 years ago by a mutual agreement between the United Nations and Guatemalan government, the organization has been led by Velásquez since 2013.
According to its website, CICIG is an unprecedented institution within the UN, and “has many of the attributes of an international prosecutor, but it operates under Guatemalan law.
“CICIG carries out independent investigations into the activities of illegal security groups and clandestine security structures.”

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH CICIG & JIMMY MORALES?

After Guatemala’s second round of presidential elections in 2015, Jimmy Morales expressed his support for Iván Velásquez to continue as CICIG head, stating that if he won the elections he would work to ensure the permanence of the organization.
In fact, during a visit to the United Nations last year, Morales, whose winning campaign slogan was “Neither corrupt nor a thief,” called for CICIG to continue through 2019, a motion which was later approved.

However, relations between the organization and Morales began to deteriorate after Edgar Justino Ovalle, a figure close to the president and one of the founders of the ruling National Convergence Front (FCN), was accused of being involved in forced disappearances, and later of concealing information related to Party campaign funds.
A while later, in early 2017, Jimmy’s son and brother were implicated in a new case of missing state funds, which saw both stand trial for fraud and money laundering in July.
However, the turning point in the conflict came at the end of August, when CICIG and the Attorney General’s Office revealed that the President had received illegal financing during the campaign which saw him elected in 2015.
Shortly after, Morales declared Velásquez to be a persona non grata and issued an order for his expulsion from the country, which was later rejected by Supreme Court Justice (CSJ) Magistrates.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres reaffirmed his support for Velázquez as head of CICIG: “No complaints relating to the head of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala have been received… the Secretary-General heartily commends the work of Commissioner Velásquez and looks forward to continuing to support him carrying out his functions at the helm of the Commission.”

Meanwhile, the CSJ began legal proceedings against Morales for illegal campaign financing, a motion which was however recently blocked by Congress, meaning that Morales maintains his presidential immunity from prosecution.

(Granma)

Por Isabel Soto Mayedo

The dedication of this army of white coats, as Comandante en Jefe Fi­del Cas­tro named them, has earned the affection and respect of many people in this land, as was made clear during the celebration commemorating their arrival in 1998, following Hurricane Mitch.

Testimony from former patients who have recuperated their vision thanks to Operation Miracle, the Brigade’s flagship program; friends from the solidarity group Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unit (URNG); Catholics; and Cuban residents in the country made clear just how much the collaborators have done along the way.

“This solidarity work, this work the Brigade has given us as a country, as a society, with so much dedication over these 18 years, is commendable,” said Juan Ramón Ruiz, the URNG’s secretary for International Relations.

He emphasized that Cuba arrived with the sole purpose of filling an enormous void, a void that, many years after their initial arrival, continues to exist. Ruiz expressed the hope that, “One day, the Guatemalan health system will be capable of reaching these villages, these remote places, and save hundreds of human lives as the Brigade has.”

“Nothing could repay the Cuban people’s love for the Guatemalan people. We could never, in any way, be able to repay the Cuban people for what they do for the Guatemalan people,” said psychologist Julissa Martínez, who emphasized the devotion of those who work with so much care, far from their families, from their friends, and their land.

Speakers took note of the absence of Guatemalan government authorities at the event, and in particular that of the Public Health and Social Assistance Minister, though the human warmth of those present surpassed expectations.

Protagonists of the Brigade’s memorable accomplishments in the wake of the 1998 hurricane were also in attendance.

“I had the privilege, as a Cuban doctor, to work in the initiation of the comprehensive health program that year, precisely when hurricanes George and Mitch devastated these countries,” Dr. Yilian Jiménez told Prensa Latina.

Now Brigade coordinator in the country, Dr. Jiménez said that coming to Guatemala and making Fidel’s idea a reality was a privilege, and that there is good reason to celebrate how much has been done to strengthen the health infrastructure of a country where it is much needed.

The Cuban Medical Brigade has a presence in 16 Guatemalan departments, and more than 156 professionals work in primary health care in remote areas, where no other medical services are available to patients, she reported.

The doctor likewise expressed the great satisfaction she feels seeing Guatemalan graduates from the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana – which number more than 1,000 – now working across the entire country.

Cuban Ambassador to Guatemala, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, reported that Cuban specialists have restored the eyesight of 156,000 Guatemalans and saved

400,000 lives, while providing 40 million consultations over the years.

“We don’t have the financial capital, but we do have good human capital – you. This is what we must defend,” the diplomat said, emphasizing the importance of continuing the Brigade’s work, sharing love, and fulfilling the sacred duty of serving others.

Those present recalled the first Cuban health professionals who were sent to the

La Tinta Hospital, located in the community of the same name in the northern department of Alta Verapaz, where they overcame multiple obstacles to treat those injured during Hurricane Mitch.

Since then, this facility has become a symbol of fraternity, and one of the bastions contributing to the development of medicine in the country, where this brigade of hope and love between Cuba and Guatemala has undoubtedly left an indelible mark.

(Prensa Latina)

Representatives from the Campesino Development Committee (Codeca), organizing the protest, noted that the march comes in response to the national government’s failure to resolve important issues, presented by the bloc to President Jimmy Morales during two similar protests held February 10 and May 11, 2016.

According to PL, the group’s demands include an end to corruption, the criminalization of social movements, and corruption in Congress, as well as investigations into dubious companies, and corrupt judges.
Protesters are also calling for the Investment and Employment Law and decrees 19-2016 and 29-89 to be revoked, as they only benefit corrupt entities.

Activists are also demanding the nationalization of the Quetzal Container Terminal, which operates out of the country’s main trade port and is owned by Dutch firm APM Terminals, a subsidiary of the world’s largest container and shipping company, Maersk Group. Meanwhile, the group is also demanding a Popular and Pluri-national National Constituent Assembly be held.

(Juventud Rebelde)

According to Morales, this 7th ACS Summit seeks to further strengthen the ties between the countries bathed by the Caribbean Sea, which have historically been separated by communications and transport problems, one of the causes of little contact and inter-Caribbean trade.

However, the Foreign Minister noted that the ACS was established in 1994 and emerged with the purpose of creating direct links and common interests among its member countries, with transport as one of the main areas of action.

The Association has seen times of crisis but in recent years has found the direction needed to strengthen our ties and ensure the understanding that our countries share a magnificent wealth: the Caribbean Sea, he noted.

FACING THE CHALLENGES

From the Inaugural ACS Summit held in Trinidad and Tobago in August 1995, its areas of focus were identified, currently trade, transport, sustainable tourism and natural disasters.

Among them is also climate change, which according to the Guatemalan Foreign Minister is of great concern, given that Central American countries and the Caribbean islands are highly vulnerable to this phenomenon.

We are affected by earthquakes, tropical storms and drought, which make joint efforts necessary, and therefore we have made efforts to coordinate a single policy to combat climate change, he said.

According to Morales, in Guatemala there is a risk that thousands of families are left without food due to an excess, or a total lack, of water. He noted that one thing is clear – climate change, together with drug trafficking, is one of the greatest threats to the entire Latin American region.

Referring to the fight against drug trafficking, the official explained that this is a complex issue for Central American countries, as drugs are produced in the south and consumed in the north.

Guatemala is a country that serves as a transit route for drugs, and where the vast majority of the population does not consume them, but has experienced their terrible effects.

The authorities of my country have worked very hard on the issue of security and it has paid off: in 2008 we had a rate of some 48 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, and today that figure has been reduced to 29.

Morales noted that most of these deaths are caused by the phenomenon of drug trafficking, and the decline is due to more effective policing, an institutional framework on public security, and an increased awareness of the population.

Coordination with countries in the region is critical because we are small states and there are large cartels operating in our region, many of them from Mexico and Colombia.

In this sense, we depend on the High-Level Group on Security and Justice (GANSEJ), created last year and composed of the secretaries of Defense and Security and the Public Ministry of Guatemala and Honduras.

In addition to these institutions, are the operations of the Maya-Chortí Bi-national Task Force, with the aim of developing joint action on issues such as security and immigration control.

GANSEJ has already been very effective in reducing the violent effects of drugs, the Foreign Minister noted.

GUATEMALA IS COMMITTED TO INTEGRATION

My country has a commitment to integration, the Guatemalan official said, adding that the country is a member of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the ACS, the Mesoamerica Integration and Development Project and the Central American Integration System (SICA), among others, all of which have their own objectives.

In particular, the regional mechanism of SICA goes beyond measures of consultation, coordination and cooperation, and seeks political integration, he noted.

One of the most important events for Latin America and the Caribbean was the declaration of the territory as a Zone of Peace, signed in Havana during the Second CELAC Summit of 2014, he stated.

In this regard, Morales stressed that in our region there are no atomic bombs or serious conflicts, as is the case elsewhere in the world, and that this should be appreciated in proper perspective.

Referring to the relations between Cuba and Guatemala, Morales described these as excellent, and noted that they are the best reflection of bilateral cooperation.

My country has the privilege of the presence of a Cuban medical brigade to reach the most remote communities, and thanks to the Miracle Mission, vision has been restored to more than 180,000 low-income Guatemalans.

Likewise, more than 800 young Guatemalans have graduated from the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Cuba.

This is the best example of South-South cooperation, and we hope that the friendship between Cuba and Guatemala is increasingly strengthened, the Foreign Minister concluded.

(Prensa Latina)

The political and military support provided by the Eisenhower administration and the CIA to Idígoras, saved the dictatorial regime which had approved the use of an estate – the Helvetia owned by Roberto Alejos, brother of the country’s ambassador in the U.S. – for the purpose of training troops to invade Cuba. This attack did eventually take place at the Bay of Pigs, in April of 1961.

The arrogance of CIA officials and their Cuban agents provoked the uprising in Guatemala by a group of officers who were able to take the Matamoros Garrison with the goal of assuming government power. The insurgents demanded the closing of the Retalhuleu base, in the country’s southwestern region, and the removal of corrupt officers collaborating with Idígoras, who had taken the place of puppet Carlos Castillo de Armas, installed as head of state in 1954 by the CIA, after the overthrow of Jacobo Arbenz, the elected President of Guatemala. Castillo was dealt justice by a soldier within the government’s own headquarters.

Among the 1960 insurgents were the Lieutenant Colonels Ricardo Sesam Pereira and Augusto Vicente Loarca (considered leaders of the revolt), and Major José G. Chicas Lemús, Captain Arturo Chur del Cid and Lieutenant Francisco Orellana. The rebels took the garrison in an operation in which

Colonel Lizandro Ortiz and Captain Ernesto Juárez Mayen were killed. Part of the troops there joined the rebellion and confiscated a large number of weapons. From Matamoros they marched to Zacapa where the majority of officers supported the uprising, meeting up there with Lieutenants Marco Antonio Yon Sosa, Luis Turcios Lima and Luis Trejo Esquivel.

Upon hearing of the insurrection, the CIA office in Guatemala City sent a message to J.C. King, head of the agency’s Western Hemisphere Division in Washinton, at 3:00am, November 13, 1960, reporting that “unidentified forces” had carried out a military attack. Another urgent message refers to the Secretary of Defense who was asking for information about ships in position to attack Guatemala.

CLOSING OF CIA TRAINING CAMP

Shortly thereafter, the CIA command recommended analyzing the possibility of canceling the GS-46-007 project (the Helvetia estate training camp) and reported that preparations were being made to use the U.S. personnel there and Cubans recruited for an invasion of the island, against the Guatemalan insurgents. CIA officials also reported supporting Idígoras’ forces, transporting troops on C-46 and B-52 planes as requested.

King responded that all of the Cuban recruits should be put on alert – if that had not already been done – and directed the CIA staff to be ready for any contingency. He asked that he be advised if the situation deteriorated any further, and shortly thereafter ordered the suspension of the GS-46-007 plan, and the evacuation of all forces to a secret location, to support the Idígoras government.

At 3:00pm that afternoon, U.S. Secretary of State Christian Herter was informed that the command post in Zacapa, as well as the military base and airport in Puerto Barrios were in the hands of unidentified rebels, with comments indicating that it was not known if the attack was solely to secure to weapons, ammunition and vehicles, or whether the assault was part of a bigger plan.

An embassy functionary called from Puerto Barrios and reported that the governor of the department had been arrested, and that the rebels were making radio broadcasts without mentioning any names of persons or parties involved.

Mid-morning reports indicated that bombings were taking place on Zacapa and the Puerto Barrios base, with missiles and 50 caliber machine gun fire. The army attempted to retake Puerto Barrios with troops transported from the capital and aerial support. Counterrevolutionary Cuban pilots bombed, while Idígoras ordered a state of siege and Congress met.

U.S. B-26 AIRCRAFT FLOWN BY CUBAN COUNTERREVOLUTIONARIES

The U.S. ambassador requested that aerial and maritime space between Cuba and Guatemala be monitored, and told the Guatemalan Air Force not to interfere if activity were noted. The morning of the 14th, aerial patrols of airspace over the Gulf of Honduras began, where a destroyer was also sent as requested by the Idígoras government’s Minister of Defense. A decision was also made to send 200 Cuban recruits, training at the Helvetia estate, to fight the rebels in Zacapa and Puerto Barrios, and participate in the defense of the main camp there.

The U.S. command noted that the insurgents are not linked to the Cuban government, but suspected that ties did exist with Communists in the Guatemalan Workers Party (PGT), which was promptly denied.

Ydígoras named Colonel Ricardo Peralta Méndez as head of operations and ordered troops sent to repress the rebels.

With the CIA’s B-26 aircraft, later used against Cuba, counterrevolutionary Cuban pilots machine gunned and bombed facilities taken by rebels in Zacapa and Puerto Barrios.

The U.S. participation was kept secret to protect the CIA’s plans to bomb Cuba on April 15, sacrificing Ambassador Adlai Stevenson, who had been a Presidential candidate in the previous elections. The CIA official David Attlee Philips pressured Stevenson to present false testimony in the UN, to state that the attacks on Cuban airports had been carried out by Cuban pilots who had deserted that very day, taking off in Cuba, not from Nicaragua which was actually the case,

Years later Philips participated in the CIA’s assassination of General René Schneider in Chile, and was identified by the Congressional Select Committee investigating the shooting of President Kennedy , as the agent who ‘managed’ Lee Harvey Oswald.

OUTCOME OF THE ARMED CONFLICT

November 13, the Guatemalan people had awakened in a tense environment, with news of the armed uprising. On the 14th, the Foreign Ministry released a note sent to the Organization of American States, describing the events as “an invasion coming from Cuba,” an accusation which was denied by the CIA itself. The Guatemalan government and press reported that the rebels had been immediately neutralized, while admitting that high ranking officers had been killed at the Matamoros Garrison, where troops had joined the uprising and ammunition captured.

Insurgents there decided to openly rebel against the regime given “its incapacity, and responsibility for the chaos reigning in the country’s politics and economy,” adding that they wanted to cooperate with the people to overthrow a government which did not respond to the desires of Guatemalans.

They then marched in the direction of Zacapa, to join the larger group of rebel officers, and called for a struggle to save Guatemala and install a government to establish social justice, in which wealth would benefit those who work and not the exploiters of the people.

The government’s air forces launched continual attacks on rebel positions to force them out. The majority of its troops, infantry and aerial, converged on key points where the rebels were strong, and bombing by U.S. B-26 planes, stationed at the Helvetia, was decisive.

The government announced that the insurrection had been ended with a balance sheet of 13 dead and 60 wounded. Military and political leaders of the rebellion sought asylum in the Mexican embassy, including 52 Army officers who departed for Honduras.

Nevertheless, the 1960 uprising led to the formation of a strong revolutionary current in the country, and continued resistance in the mountains by the November 13 Movement, led by Marco Antonio Yon Sosa and Luis Augusto Turcios Lima.

Armed conflict persisted until the creation of the National Reconciliation Commission to resolve and end the confrontation, which culminated its work with the establishment of peace accords, in 1996.

The 1960 uprising had sought such an outcome, but was frustrated principally by U.S. support for the regime, and the intervention of the CIA and its Cuban mercenaries.

(Granma)

Likewise, official presidential spokesman, Jorge Ortega, told news agency EFE that Pérez Molina signed the letter of resignation at 7:00pm local time on Wednesday, September 2. (01:00 GMT Thursday, September 3).
According to Ortega, Molina resigned in order to “preserve the State’s institutionality,” as well as “personally respond” to the accusations being made against him.

Confirmation of his resignation came six hours after he signed the document, while the former President’s whereabouts are currently unknown and the presidential spokesman has refused to give further details, highlights TeleSUR.

n the wake of the letter’s publication an extraordinary session must now be called to swear in Vice President Alejandro Maldonado as Guatemala’s new Head of State; given that the county’s constitution dictates that the position must be occupied.
Otto Pérez Molina is the only president in Guatemala’s history to have had his judicial immunity suspended, given his involvement in customs fraud ring, La Línea.
The country’s Attorney General, Thelma Aldana, stated on September 2 that Pérez Molina will be brought to trial, although it is unknown how long the process could take.
Meanwhile, the Public Ministry reported that the former president will face charges of bribery, illicit association and customs fraud.

CONTEXT

The Public Ministry and International Anti-Corruption Commission in Guatemala (CICIG) are accusing Otto Pérez Molina of participating in customs fraud ring, La Línea, together with former Vice President Roxana Baldetti, who was previously arrested.
The La Línea network is believed to have embezzled some 1 billion quetzales (130.3 million dollars) a year.
Members of the Public Ministry’s Anti-Impunity Special Prosecution team and the CICIG exposed an audio recording linking Pérez Molina to La Línea.
The former leader of Guatemala had previously denied any involvement in the case on repeated occasions, stating that the audio recording was taken out of context.

(Telesur)

By José Pertierra

Today the prosecution suffered a profound setback. Judge Kathleen Cardone ruled that a key document that links Luis Posada Carriles to the financing of a series of bombings in Havana in 1997 was inadmissible.