After his brief speech before the National Assembly, which was also attend by President Raul Castro, Fidel started a dialogue with the Cuban deputies who thanked him for continuing to lead a fight for world peace and asked him questions about his views on the conflict.

Pura Aviles, a deputy from the eastern province of Holguin asked Fidel if the US government would be capable of ordering the beginning of a nuclear war, to which he firmly answered: “No, if we don’t persuade him [Obama],” and he went on to add that there are many people striving to persuade Obama.

Las Tunas deputy Kenia Serrano, president of the Cuban Insitute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), took advantage of the moment to wish Fidel a happy birthday on the upcoming August 13 and reaffirmed that the Cuban people are by his side in the battle to save the humanity.

Serrano noted that there are many people in the United States with high human values and for that reason it was important to keep on calling on Obama to defend the peace.

Fidel agreed with Serrano’s statement about the American people and pointed out that even great world powers like Russia and Chinaare trying to prevent a new war.

“This is the end of the Empire, wars don’t hold empires together,” assured the Revolution leader.
Fidel also referred to the nuclear weapons’ power and their capacity of destruction. He stressed: “the explosive power of arms altogether is 45,000 times higher than the two bombs launched on Hiroshimaand Nagasaki.” Deputy Yolanda Gomez, from Sancti Spiritus, was interested in the political perspectives in Latin America.

In Fidel’s opinion, in case of a nuclear conflict, only Latin Americaand part of the African continent would likely escape from total immediate destruction. He said discussions about the effect of radioactivity are still going on, but he has no doubts that if a nuclear war breaks out, we will return to prehistoric times.

In a moment during the dialogue with the Cuban deputies, Fidel asked three questions he considered crucial and requested the audience to think of the possible answers:

Does anyone believe that the powerful empire (USA) will withdraw its demand that Iranian merchant ships be inspected? Does anyone believe that the Iranians, a people with a millenary culture, much more familiar with death than we Cubans, will lack the valor that we Cubans have had to resist the demands of the United States? Can anyone give a solution to this contradiction? Another deputy Juan Miguel Gonzalez sent a message to the American people and president asking him to stop his war plans immediately so that all families of the world can be happy together.

Also, Deputy Ofelia Miriam Ortega, President of the World Church Council for Latin America and the Caribbeantold Fidel that the Cuban parliamentarians will do whatever he suggests to continue fighting against the war and encouraged the rest of the audience to take initiatives in favor of the fight for world peace.

In reference to the case of the five Cuban antiterrorist fighters imprisoned in the US, Ortega said the religious organization will send another request to Obama on Thanks Giving asking him to release the prisoners.