Mahathir speaks in Havana on security

C U B A	Havana. April 25, 2008
1st International Conference on Security and Defense in Havana Mahathir Mohamad, former prime minister of Malaysia speaks BY LISANKA GONZALEZ SUAREZ—Granma International staff writer— • THE first International Conference on Security and Defense has taken place in Havana with the participation of close to 100 specialists from 10 Latin American, European, African and Asian countries. General (ret.) Guillermo Rodríguez del Pozo, president of the Cuban Defense Information Studies Center (CEID), the non-governmental organization that convened the conference, made clear, from the outset, the fundamental goals of the gathering, affirming that it should promote a greater understanding of the current threats to world security. Rodríguez del Pozo pointed out that the meeting was taking place at a time when "humanity is witnessing a complex and dangerous international situation, characterized by wars and fighting on three continents, the threat of the use of force in some 60 or more dark corners of the earth, conflicts of interest among large countries, economic crisis and a serious deterioration of the environment…" He warned: "We are seeing the hardening of a war policy in order to save the world, supposedly, from terrorism and the enemies of freedom and democracy, when every day it is becoming clearer that the real objective is world domination and the control of energy resources, to make the rich richer at the expense of the poor." The participants listened carefully to the master lecture entitled "Security problems in Asia and their likely impact on world stability" presented by Dr. Mahathir Mohammad, whose attendance generated special interest. The former prime minister of Malaysia’s comments covered the entire history of colonialism in Asia through current conflicts. "Security is a problem for every country and every region," he said. Later he emphasized that war is no longer an option for the resolution of conflicts among nations. In another part of his lecture, he pointed out that the United States wants to make other peoples feel insecure and that this country is creating insecurity not only in Southeast Asia, but also in the case of Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Iraq, with the threat of invasion, intimidation and talk of regime change." Over the course of the three-day event, political and academic figures, experts and researchers in the field, meeting in the Press Information Center (CIP) analyzed the general issue of war and peace. A number of Cuban specialists and those from other countries discussed a variety of topics: the construction of a new continental security system; human security and cooperative security; the influence of the U.S. in the hemisphere’s security system; opportunities for integration of security and defense; military bases and military presence; global problems affecting humanity; climate change and its global effects; natural disasters and their effect on national security; problems associated with terrorism, drugs, national security and other international threats, among other topics of mutual interest. The subjects addressed also included human trafficking; immigration; energy resources and alternative sources, as well as natural resources and their role in national security. Among the participants were Fernando Remírez de Estenoz, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and head of its International Affairs Department, as well as other prominent individuals.