Dear Rafael:

I congratulate you on your courageous speech today and the great moral and political authority with which you are once again assuming the Presidency of Ecuador.

I noted the firmness in your voice when, irrefutably, you condemned the economic blockade of Cuba. However long the hazardous history of our species lasts, nobody will ever be able to demonstrate that crude material interests are capable of creating more virtuous and honest citizens.

The young girl who presented the presidential insignia demonstrates the contrary.

“A just idea, from the depths of a cave, can do more than an army,” stated José Martí, our independence hero.

I also congratulate you on your just and heartfelt tribute to Hugo Chávez, who so much loved Ecuador.

A strong embrace

Fidel Castro Ruz
May 24, 2013
8:32 p.m.