Question I wanted to ask you your position regarding the Cuban government of Fidel Castro, the question of the blockade, and the anti-Castro mafia based in Miami. Thanks.

LaRouche: I had an interesting discussion yesterday--I was in Rome, in the Vatican, on just this question of Castro. And this question has a very amusing side. That anybody who has any brains or sense of responsibility in the Americas, will always be willing to talk to Fidel Castro--even if you disagree with him, violently. Because Castro can be dealt with, if you proceed in the right way. Even when he disagrees with you totally. Even when you disagree with him totally. The Vatican has tried to deal with Castro in that way--the Pope and his immediate circles--and they've done a fairly good job. Carter tried to go down there and deal with Castro. The way we deal with Castro currently from the United States is idiotic. Yeah, Castro does represent problems. But Castro is also the head of state of Cuba, and Cuba is a nation. And we have certain power to influence the condition of life of Cuba.

Now, for example, let's take the case of something good that was done by Castro: In the 1980s, the early 1980s, I proposed a program for dealing with what is now called HIV, which is otherwise known as AIDS. My program was strongly destroyed--the effort initiated was destroyed in the United States very quickly. It was opposed in the World Health Organization, also. Fidel Castro, doing virtually exactly what I specified should be done, as the basic approach to health care, against HIV, had to deal with the spread of HIV into Cuba from people who were returning from the wars in Africa. And to this date, Castro has succeeded.

Now, at the same time, I have friends in Brazil. Friends in Brazil, associated with the scientific circles there, are one of the key resources for producing generic drugs, at low prices, with an orientation to provide these drugs to African nations, if that were possible. So therefore, we have practical reason for dealing with Castro on such things as his ideas, what his government has done with the question of HIV, is valuable for a world in which HIV is spreading rapidly.

Castro is also a factor in respect to what we have to deal with in Venezuela, and in Colombia, with the drug problems in Colombia. Therefore, we should be constantly in dialogue with him, to induce him to accept a good position on these matters.

We have the case of Lula da Silva, who I will not swear for, but he's President of Brazil now, and I respect the head of a sovereign country, elected President, such as Lula, and Lula and Carter tried to do something to avoid a bloodshed, outbreak of homicidal bloodshed in Venezuela. They may not have succeeded entirely, but it was a useful effort. Also, Carter's talking to Cuba, to Fidel earlier, was a part of the process enabling Carter and others to have a certain influence in Venezuela to try to prevent a bloody coup imposed by a U.S. or other military bunch of conspirators. The concern about Colombia is a concern to us.

So therefore, my view of Castro, is, rather than trying to be categorical about it, we should have very clear ideas about what we stand for, work for objectives that we stand for, and realize that we have two choices: First of all, we must try to deal with Castro, as with Cuba, as we would with any other state. We're not going to go into Cuba the way that Bush went into Iraq. We're not going in for regime-change by force. We will not go to war unless we have to, no unjustified warfare. Therefore, we deal with Castro because he is, presently, the head of government. We deal with him with a very clear idea of what our principles are and our concerns are. And we realize that we have resources, pressure resources, in which he can find it to his interest and Cuba's interest, to accept some of our strong proposals to him. The history of the relationship has shown that this is possible.

Therefore, we have to act like statesmen and diplomats, and deal with it, in a sense, the same way that the Pope and his retinue dealt with Castro on their visit to Cuba, and from abroad. That's exactly the way to approach it. We do not wish to have a war in the hemisphere. We have enough of a problem with this war on drugs. Admittedly, Castro has a certain relationship to that. We have to deal with this, to find a solution; we want a minimal war solution. And if we can get Castro to cooperate, in terms which are acceptable to us, we're very happy. And that's the way we have to approach this kind of problem, realizing that the choice is either war, or finding effective diplomacy to solve problems.

I believe that we have the resources, if we use them. If I were President of the United States, I could deal with this problem. We have the resources of diplomacy to deal with the problems of Cuba, and of Castro; in such a way, we can live with it.

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