Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

P rince of A sturias A wards 1981-2014. S peeches 5 Excerpt from the speech given on the occasion of receiving the Prince of Asturias Award for Ibero-American Cooperation on 16/10/1984. Enthused by solidarity, the countries that make up the Contadora Group —Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela—, that is to say, the successor nations to Spain mixed with black and indigenous blood, have assumed the task of seeking peace in Central America. This task has been spurred by the understanding and support of friendly governments and peoples, among which Spain’s heartening words stand out, due to this country’s historical significance and close affinity. With the conviction that peace cannot be the conscientious utopia that conceives it as an abstract good, nor is it a generous gift and even less a trophy that can be gained by means of the indifferent repose of those who forsake any form of action. Peace is a vocation and a decision which becomes an imperative to fight back when threatened. The peace we seek is first and foremost an act of justice. With its burden of poverty and backwardness, social inequality alters our sense of balance, affects our nature as a continent of freedom. We have been the object of greed. Today, we are the focus of the craving for dominance of those seeking to exacerbate our contradictions and change our dream of living in a democracy for the nightmare of war. (…) We want democracy not as a formal structure or as a dream of a frustrated, ambitious mind, but as evidence of ways of life, of a permanent attitude of channelling society. We believe in political democracy as an instrument of social democracy. By social democracy, we understand the rule of justice, equitable distribution of wealth, guaranteed minimum living conditions: food, housing, education, the right to work. It is no wonder that it is Spain, the origin and font of our identity, which grants this Award as yet another irrefutable proof of its commitment to collaborate in furthering our development. Latin America is grateful for this deed and reiterates its irrevocable decision to continue fighting for peace and Latin American unity. Isidro Morales Paúl (Venezuela), on behalf of the Contadora Group — Contadora Group — Prince of Asturias Award for Ibero-American Cooperation 1984