Yaima Puig Meneses

"I lament the fact that Fidel is not the one occupying my place here today. He is the one who deserves it," said Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, President of the Councils of Ministers and State, in a brief statement to the press upon his arrival at Maiquetía’s Simón Bolívar International Airport, in the sister country of Venezuela, to participate in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States' foundational summit (CELAC).

"For the first time in history, we are going to have an organization of Our America. If it works and is successful, this could be considered the most important event in the 200 years of semi-independence of Latin America and the Caribbean," he commented, while at the same time expressing the satisfaction and joy he felt on returning to Venezuela.

Precisely at 7:00 am on December 2, Raúl left Havana's José Martí International Airport, on a Cuban aircraft to make the approximately three-hour trip. Upon his arrival, he was received by Vice President Elías Jaua, who accompanied him to the vehicle which would take him to Caracas.

The caravan of vehicles began its journey and at many points was greeted with expressions of solidarity by the people of Venezuela, as they often welcome international delegations. Along the way, billboards bearing photos of the region's presidents could be seen, as well as others describing Venezuela as the capital of solidarity, or stating that, for Venezuelans, the homeland is America, as Simón Bolívar said.

After about half an hour, the Cuban President and delegation entered the Fuerte Tiuna military complex, to later continue along the Paseo de los Próceres - decorated for the occasion with the flags of the 33 CELAC countries - to reach their accommodations.

Around 3:00 pm the official inauguration of the Summit began in the Teresa Carreño National Theater, where an enormous portrait of Simón Bolívar guards the stage where heads of state or their representatives are to be seated.

Upon entering the cultural center, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro welcomed the Cuban President and other leaders, while Armed Forces cadets honored Raúl.

Already seated within the auditorium was the rest of the Cuban delegation which included Ricardo Cabrisas, Vice President of the Council of Ministers; Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla; Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment and Cuba's ambassador to Venezuela, Rogelio Polanco. Little by little, other members of delegations, the diplomatic corps of CELAC countries, as well as authorities and guests of the government made their way to their seats.

Before the beginning of the ceremony, President Hugo Chávez, host of the memorable event, accompanied by his three daughters, waited on the stage to personally welcome his counterparts to the Summit.

Cuba was fifth to take the stage and as Raúl walked toward his seat led by a little girl, the applause seemed to go on forever. It was certainly moving to experience such a boisterous welcome in a sister country, surrounded by so many different people. Raúl smiled and, with him, all the Cubans. Within the few meters that separated him from President Chávez, he stopped on several occasions to show his affection to those who greeted him as he passed.

Once standing face to face, the two smiled and offered the customary military salute. Then it was time for an embrace and in a simple gesture of friendship, Raúl lifted his great friend's arm as the crowd erupted into applause again.

Thus, one by one, representatives from the 33 countries gathered on the stage, and for each individual President Chávez had a different greeting. When all were seated, the Venezuelan National Children's Choir sang the national anthem, Gloria al bravo pueblo, to officially inaugurate the 3rd Latin American and Caribbean Summit.

The initial words were the responsibility of Mexico's President Felipe Calderón who emphasized the importance of the meeting, since it constitutes an opportunity to work for unity and prosperity in the region, on the basis of political and economic integration.

"We hope," he said, "that this body will become the core of the unity which we, all inhabitants of the region, need," he said.

"This is Latin America's time and moment; we must, therefore, speed up the pace of integration," he emphasized during his comments, repeatedly recalling the words of Simón Bolívar and José Martí.

After Calderón, Chávez approached the podium to make his comments, but before doing so, he joked with President Correa and Raúl and thanked the Mexican President. He then launched into an improvised, moving and profound speech which included tributes to many. Among these was a greeting to his beloved Fidel, which was accompanied by the crowd chanting the Cuban leader's name. Chávez recalled, as well, that precisely on December 2, 55 years ago, a "love-crazed" group landed on a Caribbean coast, referring to the expeditionaries on the yacht Granma. "Greetings to the crew of the Granma and especially one of them, Raúl Castro, present here today."

Thus, for more than an hour, the Venezuelan President reviewed the history of America's peoples, constantly alluding to the words of Simón Bolívar.

"Only unity will allow us to be free; among us, there will be no more wars, but rather more integration, peace and unity," he emphasized. "And therefore, in the first place, we need to make an effort ourselves, those of us leading nations, to build consciousness and recognize that this is the only way forward for our peoples," he said.

Next, the heads of state moved to their respective seats for the plenary and a group of children and youth distributed a book about the Panama Anfictionic Congress of 1826. A video about the importance of integration for Latin America and the Caribbean, and the foundation of CELAC, was shown, immediately followed by a performance from Gustavo Dudamel's Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Late in the afternoon, the official delegations returned to the Fuerte Tiuna complex, where the first meeting of the Summit took place. In their comments, the heads of state expressed their agreement on the need to ensure that what was said during the event was done, since now more than ever, the conditions are ripe to consolidate Bolívar's dream of integration.

When taking the floor, Cuba's President emphasized the historic nature of CELAC's founding and described the organization as our most precious accomplishment, a political instrument to consolidate our peoples' commitment to unity and sovereignty.

Raúl once again reaffirmed, as he did in the 2010 Cancun Summit, the historic and moral responsibility which Latin American countries bear to make a substantial contribution to the reconstruction and development of Haiti, indicating that Cuba will be there as long as this sister country needs and wants its collaboration.

Thus, with straightforward but profound words, the Cuban delegation reiterated a commitment to unity, respect for the diversity of peoples and a willingness to offer sister countries not only readily available resources, but also those which on some occasions are in short supply. It is upon these principles that Cuba bases its hopes for integration.