Friends of Cuba Congratulate the Venezuelan People for their Victory

Artemisa, Cuba, Jul 31 (ACN) The members of the Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity with Cuba Brigade which arrived on Monday to the Julio Antonio Mella International Camp in Artemisa province congratulated the Venezuelan people for their victory in Sunday's Yes Vote for the Constituent Assembly.

The victory of the Venezuelan people gives continuity to the ideals of Hugo Chavez who we cannot only see as the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution but also as an example to follow in the revolutionary movements said young Marcos Antonio Soto from Guatemala.

The President of the International Peace, Justice and Dignity of the Peoples Committee, Graciela Ramirez mentioned the Constituent Assembly Yes, Interference No Declaration whose first signature went to Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Adolfo Perez Esquivel and it constitutes a demand to end attempts to destroy the achievements of the Bolivarian Revolution.

Regarding Cuba, he said, we are organizing a week of solidarity in Washington DC for September 11th and we will discuss issues like health care which is of great concern for the international community with priorities like cancer and diabetes.

We will attempt to explain how the US blockade against Cuba affects not only the Cuban people that deprives them of medicines, equipment and medical instruments.

He added that the people in the US, as a consequence of their own blockade imposed on Cuba are limited in receiving for example the Cuban vaccines and other medication produced on the island.

The First Vice President of the Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, (ICAP), Elio Gamez told the visitors on the importance in maintaining and increasing solidarity groups which were key for the return of the Cuban Five to their homeland.

Among some of the speakers in the welcome activity was the President of the Mexican-Cuban Jose Marti Cultural Ties Institute in Guadalajara who motivated the brigadistas into chanting "Yo Soy Fidel" (I am Fidel) in honor of the leader that promoted a social equality program, only of its type in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The brigade will remain in Cuba for 15 days and will tour various parts of the island and whose main objective is to pay tribute to Fidel in the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery and visit the Che Guevara Memorial in Villa Clara.