Cuban News December 01 2006

PHOTO (color): A portrait of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who temporarily ceded power in late July, is among souvenirs sold at a shop in Havana. Getty/AFP photo by Rodrigo Arangua.

PHOTO (color): A man watches armored vehicles conduct a practice run Thursday through Havana's Revolution Plaza in preparation for the parade. New York Times photo by Joao Pina.

HAVANA

The tanks are in place. The missile launchers are ready to move. The jet fighters and attack helicopters are set to take off.

Cuba is planning to hold its first military parade in more than a decade Saturday, and the guest of honor is supposed to be ailing leader Fidel Castro, who has not appeared in public since he temporarily ceded power four months ago.

While reporters from all over the globe are rushing in to cover the event, which is being held in part to belatedly celebrate Castro's 80th birthday, Cubans are reacting to the military parade and the possible re-emergence of Castro with a mixture of curiosity, frustration and a collective shrug.

Many Cubans have come to believe that Castro is terminally ill and will never return to power. They now have set their sights beyond him, toward hopes for economic reforms and a political opening that would ease the daily grind and government controls in this impoverished island nation.

"It's a political show," said a 50-year-old Cuban intellectual who asked not to be identified out of fear of government retribution. "Nobody cares that much. They may watch it on television, but their main concern is surviving everyday life."

Diplomats in Havana say one reason for the lack of interest in the birthday celebrations that began Tuesday is that Cubans have been kept in the dark about Castro's health.

Since his July 31 announcement temporarily ceding power, Castro has appeared infrequently in photographs and brief videos. Cuban authorities have not disclosed the nature of Castro's illness.

"If people knew that he had cancer and had only one month to live, they could feel something," said one Havana-based diplomat who asked not to be identified. "Because there is no information, there is no reaction. The nation is not part of the collective suffering of their leader."

Baffled by celebration

But some Cubans are baffled by the decision to celebrate Castro's birthday--and mark the 50th anniversary of the landing of the Granma, the ship that brought Fidel Castro and 81 others from Mexico to Cuba to begin the guerrilla war that toppled the government in 1959--with a giant military parade through Havana's Revolutionary Plaza.

Adorned with portraits of revolutionary heroes, the immense plaza will be the site of the parade featuring 300,000 participants, including uniform-clad schoolchildren, and a plethora of Soviet-era armament.

"What does this have to do with Fidel's birthday?" asked a 44-year-old Cuban journalist. "Are they trying to demonstrate a show of force with ancient equipment? It's copying what the Soviets used to do."

The journalist suggested the event was being staged for the international news media.

Yet some diplomats argue that the military parade is designed to show Cubans that the nation's influential and respected armed forces remain united behind the government, which is now being led by Raul Castro, Fidel's younger brother and Cuba's defense minister.

Analysts also say the military parade is meant as a signal to the United States and other nations that the Raul Castro-led government is firmly in control even though many Cubans dislike the younger Castro and express doubt that he can govern effectively.

"The U.S. government wants to have a Cuba that gradually changes but where stability and security is of primary concern," said a second Havana-based diplomat. "They have so much on their plate now with the Middle East, North Korea. Why would they want another crisis only 90 miles from their shores?"

But the tenor of the event also is confusing to many Cubans. Are the carefully scripted festivities a birthday celebration or a goodbye party for a leader who is both beloved and despised by many of the island's 11 million residents?

Taking on an obituary-like tone, state-run Cuban newspapers have been publishing lengthy biographical stories about Fidel Castro's extraordinary life, while television stations rebroadcast historical footage of his triumphant moments.

Fading legacy

Many older Cubans already are grieving what they believe is Castro's imminent demise and taking stock of his legacy even as younger Cubans identify little with the revolution.

The Cuban journalist said he avoids talking with his 70-year-old father, a veteran of the rebel war and a Castro supporter, about Castro's failures because it would be "too painful."

"It would force him to speak about the unspeakable," the journalist explained. "He sacrificed his whole life for this. My dad holds on to the illusion that things will be better."

The 50-year-old intellectual said in recent months he misses listening to Castro's speeches and continues to admire Castro for fostering Cubans' sense of pride and nationalism.

But he laments that his 20-year-old son takes for granted the revolution's successes in education and health care and thinks only about possessions.

"My son asks for clothes from Adidas and Banana Republic," the intellectual said. "When he goes to the hospital and it's free, he assumes that's a natural thing and it's not."

Experts say Raul Castro has placed loyalists in key positions and is increasing Communist Party control over government institutions in preparation to implement economic reforms once his brother is gone.

Yet while the Cuban intellectual is convinced that such changes are on the horizon, other Cubans say their hope of a better life has vanished after so many years of hardship.

"While the country is waiting, people are ground down to the point of having no expectations," the Cuban journalist said. "What could be worse?"

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gmarx@tribune.com

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Cubans anxiously wait for appearance of Castro in milestone anniversary parade

By ANDREW O. SELSKY

30 November 2006

HAVANA (AP) - Banners hanging from restored buildings in this seaside city encourage ailing leader Fidel Castro to live to 160, but Cubans are now grappling with the realization that his days as their charismatic leader may be over.

Most Cubans have known no other ruler than Castro, who 50 years ago Saturday landed on a boat from Mexico with fellow rebels to launch a revolution that triumphed on Jan. 1, 1959. But Castro, waylaid for four months with an intestinal ailment, was still too sick to attend Tuesday's kickoff of a five-day celebration of his 80th birthday. He turned 80 on Aug. 13 but postponed the party because of surgery two weeks earlier.

Castro's supporters in this Caribbean island of 11 million fervently wish he will at least appear for the military parade Saturday marking the semicentennial anniversary of the boat landing.

Traffic cops in blue uniforms and black boots this week were directing traffic, primarily smog-belching Russian Lada sedans and 1950s-era American cars, from the enormous Plaza de la Revolucion, which was being readied for the parade.

But if Castro fails to appear on the grandstand, some will take his absence as a sign he will never return to power, although it is considered sacrilege among the Castro faithful to even speak of the possibility.

"I hope he attends the parade on Saturday," Amparo Mora, a 45-year-old housewife, said in her home in Havana's colonial section. "He doesn't even have to stand, just be there, with doctors at his side if that is necessary. I want him with us. I want him with us eternally."

The birthday bash is being attended by hundreds of personalities from Latin America and beyond. They praised Castro's revolutionary achievements in a colloquium entitled "Memory and Future: Cuba and Fidel" at Havana's convention center.

But with Castro absent, it seemed at times more like a memorial service.

Tomas Borge, a founder of Nicaragua's leftist Sandinista National Liberation Front, denied the birthday celebrations have turned into a goodbye to Castro, even as he stressed that his legacy is more important than his physical presence.

"We will never say goodbye to Fidel," Borge told reporters Wednesday. "He will exist forever ... so this is not a goodbye. It is an homage."

It is impossible to gauge the extent of Cubans' loyalty to Castro. American-style opinion polls are not conducted.

There is no free speech, limited free enterprise and little political freedom on the island. That his communist regime is not universally loved is underscored by the departure of thousands of Cubans each year in risky ocean crossings to Florida.

But many Cubans appreciate the government's free health care and education that extends through the university level. They remember, or have learned, that the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista that Castro ousted was brutal and corrupt.

Several Cubans interviewed appear to genuinely want Castro to get well and return to power. His 75-year-old brother, Defense Minister Raul Castro, has been running the country since Fidel handed him power in an unprecedented move July 31 after undergoing surgery for intestinal bleeding.

At the government's gigantic Coppelia ice cream shop -- where one scoop of vanilla, the only flavor available on a recent day, goes for five cents for locals -- two waitresses discussed Castro's health during their break.

"Fidel is sick and needs time to recover, but I want him to appear at the parade, if only for five minutes," said Susana Gonzalez, 25. Near the entrance to the flying-saucer-shaped structure that seats 300 customers, Castro's words were etched in stone: "Revolution is an historic moment, it is changing all that must be changed."

Waitress Yacmi Anni Bachiller proclaimed confidence that Castro will get better.

"My grandfather is also 80," she said. "He was down for a year after prostate surgery but he is back up and active again. Fidel too will recover."

In plazas spruced up in a face-lifting of old Havana that began more than a decade ago, European tourists with cameras dangling from their wrists strolled underneath banners proclaiming: "Viva Fidel - 80 more."

But even if Castro does return to power, Cubans know the banners represent wishful thinking.

At Havana's El Salvador Primary School, young scrubbed students wearing red neckerchiefs ran past a poster of revolutionary icon Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Unlike most Cubans, this younger generation will likely not have Castro as their sole leader.

But school principal Yenisel Lorenzo said she is confident he will remain a spiritual guiding force.

"We teach the children solidarity, brotherhood, moral values," Lorenzo said. "We never talk about Castro not being here. But we will always follow his thoughts."

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Press organization says nothing to celebrate in Cuba

Paris, Dec 1 (EFE).- As Cuban Communists and some high-profile sympathizers from around the world mark revolutionary watersheds, a major free-press advocacy organization staged a counter-event here Friday, saying wholesale imprisonment of independent journalists on the island deserves international reproach rather than festivities.

The Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it hopes with its demonstration here "to rain on the parade" of those in Havana and other Cuban cities marking a half-century of insurgent zeal and taking part in a delayed birthday party for Fidel Castro.

"In Cuba they are celebrating the beginning of the revolution. We want to rain on their parade, because the fact that it was a revolution should not hide the fact that now it is a very repressive dictatorship," said RSF chief Robert Menard.

He noted that, after China, Cuba is the country with the greatest number - 23 - of reporters jailed for exercising their vocation.

RSF set up on an area in front of the Eiffel Tower known as the human rights explanade cages in which 23 volunteers were enclosed to represent the plight of the imprisoned newsmen and -women.

"We want to underscore that there are 23 jailed journalists in Cuba and hundreds of prisoners held for expressing their opinion and they must not be forgotten," Menard told EFE.

He said that repression has worsened since Fidel Castro handed power "temporarily" late last July to his younger brother Raul after the "maximum leader" had intestinal surgery.

Castro, whose condition is unknown, turned 80 in August, but the celebration of the date was put off until these days to coincide with the festive marking of other dates.

"People opposed to the regime are even more closely watched now," said Menard.

He criticized the posture of some European leftists, particularly the Socialist government of Spain, which he said was coddling the Communist regime.

"In Madrid they tell me there must be dialogue in order to make progress. But I see that they keep putting journalists in jail and things do not change," he said.

Cuban expatriate writer Zoe Valdes was in one of the fake jail cells here. She called on governments around the world to demand that authorities in Havana release all political prisoners.

She described Raul Castro, 75, as "a very violent man who is behind many politically motivated killings."

On Thursday in the eastern Cuban city of Santiago, some 200,000 people attended a ceremony and military parade commemorating the 50th anniversary of the uprising there against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

The local event was part of the week-long nationwide celebrations surrounding the 80th birthday of Fidel Castro, a varied program of activities that will include another massive military parade on Saturday in Havana.

Earlier this week, an ailing Fidel failed to appear at the opening gala of the week's belated birthday celebration, saying in a message that his doctors told him he was not yet fit enough to take part in big public events.

The foundation that, along with the government, organized the celebrations said that more than 1,300 notables had confirmed they would attend the festivities honoring Castro, including actor Gerard Depardieu, Danielle Mitterrand - widow of French President Francois Mitterrand - and Spain's Federico Mayor Zaragoza, a former head of UNESCO.

Besides Castro's birthday, Saturday's parade marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the "revolutionary armed forces."

On Dec. 2, 1956, the yacht Granma reached Cuba from Mexico carrying Fidel and Raul Castro, Ernesto "Che" Guevara and other militants who launched the struggle that would lead in 1959 to the overthrow of Batista and the installation of the current regime. EFE lmpg/dgm

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Castro watch on alert: Whether or not the Cuban leader attends a key parade Saturday is seen as a clue to his health and island's future.

MIKE WILLIAMS

Cox International Correspondent

792 words

1 December 2006

The Atlanta Journal - Constitution

Miami --- It's shaping up as one of the biggest events in Cuba in a long time, but not because the pride of the Cuban military will be on display.

The big question hanging over a massive armed forces parade scheduled for Saturday in Havana is whether ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro will appear in person.

The occasion is a joint celebration of a key event of the Cuban revolution and Castro's 80th birthday, which passed in August about two weeks after the strongman announced that a stomach ailment was prompting him to temporarily cede power to his brother, Raul.

Since that bombshell, Cuba-watchers have been fixated on every scrap of news about Castro and his condition. Rumors swirl in Miami's Little Havana that the hated dictator is dying, while on the island, leaders have issued guarded statements.

"If he doesn't show, it's huge," said Camila Ruiz, a spokeswoman for the Cuban-American National Foundation, a leading exile group in Miami. "But whether he shows or not, the change had already begun."

Castro's absence would underscore speculation that the aging Cold War icon is seriously --- perhaps terminally --- ill.

Many Cuban experts say a successful transition of power is already under way.

"What the U.S. and the exile community have totally misread is [their belief] that this is a regime that stays in power solely through repression," said Julia Sweig, a frequent visitor to Cuba and head of the Council on Foreign Relations' Latin America program. "The leaders in place now are functioning within institutions that have legitimacy. I expect continuity with gradual change."

It appears that Raul Castro --- at 75 the longtime head of the Cuban military --- is adequately filling in as his brother's stand-in. Already, he is sharing power with younger leaders, including Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Vice President Carlos Lage, who are expected to play a growing role in the future.

But the exact shape of that future remains clouded.

The last glimpse of the Cuban leader came in October, when a video showed a gaunt, unsteady Castro reading a daily newspaper. The details of his illness --- and condition --- remain a state secret. Time magazine reported in October that U.S. officials believe Castro is dying of cancer.

He did not attend events this week during his extended birthday bash, instead sending a note to visiting dignitaries saying his doctors would not allow him to come. But he left open the possibility that he might attend the weekend parade.

Castro has ruled with an iron fist for 47 years, dominating every aspect of life on the island.

He survived the Cuban missile crisis and the Bay of Pigs invasion in the early 1960s, then held on to power after the fall of the Soviet Union, his chief financial sponsor, in the early 1990s.

Cuba's recovery from the loss of some $4 billion in annual Soviet subsidies has been remarkable, achieved by welcoming foreign investment and reviving tourism.

But repression has never eased. Dissidents are routinely jailed, and Castro regularly rallies his people with warnings about a looming U.S. invasion.

The Bush administration has tightened the economic embargo first imposed on Cuba in the 1960s, limiting visits to the island by Cuban exiles and other Americans. Sales of food and medicine by U.S. companies are allowed, but most other interaction has been cut off.

Cuban-American exiles have long dreamed of Castro's death, and many vow to quickly return home to help set up a free and democratic state.

"Cuba will change very fast once he dies," said Justo Espinosa, 76, of Miami, who left Cuba 40 years ago.

"Fidel Castro has destroyed my country, and all of us are waiting to go back there and rebuild it."

<ImageData | ID: 0005729701 Type: Photo Name: 193539_CASTRO nw1201 Date: 12/01/2006 Page: A3 Edition: Main Pub: AJC Caption: ROBERTO CANDIA / Associated Press A Havana woman hangs a portrait of Fidel Castro from a balcony Thursday as Cubans observed their ailing leader's 80th birthday. </ImageData <ImageData | ID: 0005731864 Type: Photo Name: castro.3 Date: 12/01/2006 Page: A3 Edition: Main Pub: AJC Caption: ANTONIO LEVI / Getty Images) Cuban schoolchildren raise newspapers Thursday with pictures of President Fidel Castro. A military parade Saturday will mark both the 50th anniversary of a key part of the Cuban revolution and wind up the celebration of Castro's birthday. </ImageData

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EXCLUSIVE-Family urges ailing Castro not to attend birthday

By Rosa Tania Valdes

HAVANA, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Fidel Castro's age and illness have prompted his family to urge him not to attend his 80th birthday celebration, and make his full return to power unlikely, the daughter of provisional Cuban leader Raul Castro said on Thursday.

Mariela Castro Espin told Reuters in an interview her uncle was still fragile after emergency surgery in July for intestinal bleeding and must take care of himself.

Cuban officials have said repeatedly Castro is recovering and will return to power, but most diplomats and analysts believe he will be a figurehead at best, with his younger brother Raul in control.

Castro Espin, 44, said she had no inside knowledge, but thought that illness and age would prevent Castro from coming back as the full-blown leader of Cuba.

"My impression as an ordinary Cuban is that we are going to have him in another role, as the wise 80-year-old leader that now is going to take care of himself," she said.

Castro announced on July 31 he had surgery and had turned over power temporarily to his brother, his longtime defense minister.

He has since been seen only in photos and videos, including an Oct. 28 video that showed him gaunt and shuffling and cast doubt on his future.

Castro has not shown up at any of this week's events, which began on Tuesday and culminate on Saturday with a military parade in Havana's main square.

"He's not going to the festivities because everybody is telling him, 'We don't want you to move.' We're going to celebrate, but he should stay away and take it easy," his niece said.

"We in family gatherings say, 'Papa, you tell Fidel to stay quiet, looking after himself, that the Cuban people all want him to remain tranquil.'"

'NOT YET READY'

Castro turned 80 on Aug. 13, but postponed a public celebration until Saturday. An estimated 1,500 Castro supporters, intellectuals and allies have come from around the world to take part.

Castro sent a message to a Tuesday night gala saying his doctors told him he was "not yet ready for such a challenging engagement" but said nothing about whether he might attend later events.

Many observers think he may make a brief appearance at the parade, which marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the revolution that put him in power in 1959.

Castro Espin said her father has assumed power "very relaxed and very intelligently."

"He has his own style of working, very organized, sharing responsibilities," she said.

By contrast, she said, "All of us have given the comandante (Fidel Castro) too much responsibility."

She said Raul Castro was taking care his sick brother not try to do too much by making sure "each person assumes his responsibility without putting it on the comandante."

"He (Raul) has a lot of confidence in the intelligence of the comandante, not only to direct the revolution, but also to cure himself," she said.

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Friends wax optimistic despite doubts about Fidel Castro's health

HAVANA, Nov 30, 2006 (AFP) -

Friends of Fidel Castro, from writers to a film star here Thursday for his 80th birthday bash, had opinions on the ailing Cuban leader's health, but no word on whether he would sit out his own party.

French superstar Gerard Depardieu, Castro's favorite movie actor and a personal friend, said: "Yes, I have had new information. He is doing well."

Cubans' expectations are largely focused on whether he will show up for a military parade Saturday, or perhaps the close of the birthday celebrations Friday. That could shed light on whether the man who led Cuba for more than four decades might ever be able to retake its helm.

Asked about Castro's recovery, Depardieu said: "I have hope that he will pull it off." He did not say if he had met with or planned to see Fidel.

Franco-Spanish author and journalist Ignacio Ramonet also said Fidel was "much better" and working on a third edition of the latest authorized Castro biography. The Cuban edition is called "100 Hours with Fidel."

"I think he is recovering well because we have been working by email in recent weeks, and he has done serious work, which you will see in the book's third edition," Ramonet said. "He has worked hard, so there is no doubt he is doing much better."

Miguel Bonasso, an Argentine writer, lawmaker and personal friend of Fidel, meanwhile said he did not believe Castro had cancer, as reported in some US media. But he declined to speculate on whether Fidel would attend a military parade in his honor Saturday.

"It would be rash to predict" whether Castro will show up, he said, adding: Castro "always has shown great dignity and wants to show himself fully fit." Bonasso has met with Castro twice since his July intestinal surgery.

Castro has remained absent from the belated public celebrations marking his 80th birthday, which was August 13. The almost week-long fete was delayed in the hope his recovery would be well along by now.

But he has not been seen in public since he handed the government over temporarily to his brother and defense minister Raul Castro, on July 31. Few details have since emerged on his health, which is considered a state secret.

Though almost 2,000 foreign guests came to Cuba for the special celebrations, neither of the Castros showed up at the public events on Tuesday and Wednesday, including a colloquium entitled "Memory and the Future: Cuba and Fidel."

Then Cuba's interim leader Raul Castro was a no-show Thursday as some 200,000 people rallied in Santiago to mark the Revolutionary Armed Forces' 50th anniversary, amid uncertainty about his ailing brother's health.

Since Fidel took ill, "our Yankee enemy, and domestic opponents (of the regime), have received a clear warning not to get any ideas: We have never been stronger, more united or more alert," Communications Minister Ramiro Valdes assured a crowd in Cuba's second-largest city.

Fidel Castro, long known for charisma and boundless energy, last appeared in a video on October 28, appearing gaunt but in good spirits, to refute rumors he was seriously ill or even dead. He warned that his recovery would be long and "not without risks."

A letter attributed to the ailing Castro was read late Tuesday to some 5,000 guests at Havana's Karl Marx Theatre at the gala opening of the birthday celebrations.

"I was not yet well enough, according to my physicians, to take part in such a challenging event, so I decided to speak with you in this way," said the letter, read by a state television news presenter.

Some official media comments and graphics during the birthday celebrations have had a decidedly farewell tone. One new graphic run repeatedly ends with an ominous: "Fidel is ... all of us."

Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque late Thursday told a colloquium on Castro that "Fidel, who aspires for his ideas to be what remains of him, is recovering, recuperating and will return to deliver his enemies a defeat."

"The enemies of the Cuban Revolution are counting the minutes waiting and hoping that he dies, without understanding that Fidel no longer is Fidel.

"Now, he is the people, and he is every man and woman prepared to fight for the idea that a better world is possible," Cuba's top diplomat said.

Meanwhile Nobel literature laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 78 and a close friend of Fidel, arrived in Havana for a colloquium on "Fidelista" thought. bur-mdl/ksb

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Cuban city marks 50 years since uprising against Batista

Santiago de Cuba, Nov 30 (EFE).- Around 200,000 people attended on Thursday the ceremony and military parade commemorating the 50th anniversary of the uprising in this eastern Cuban city against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

The local event was part of the week-long nationwide celebrations surrounding the 80th birthday of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, a varied program of cultural activities organized by the Fundacion Guayasamin that will include another massive military parade on Saturday in Havana.

Castro actually turned 80 in August, but the official observances were postponed because of the illness that forced him to provisionally hand over power to younger brother Raul Castro, Cuba's defense chief.

The parade in Santiago de Cuba, the island's second city, was presided over by revolutionary commanders Juan Almeida, Ramiro Valdes and Guillermo Garcia, as well as Vice President Esteban Lazo, along with other top government and Communist Party officials.

Raul Castro was not present.

The residents of the city located about 970 kilometers (600 miles) east of Havana, began to fill the Plaza de la Revolucion before dawn, waving small Cuban and revolutionary flags.

"We came to this plaza to support our revolution and our president Fidel Castro and Raul," a university student, who was wearing one of the little Cuban flags on her hat, told EFE.

The closing remarks at the ceremony were delivered by Valdes, who is currently the minister of communications.

"Let's tell (Fidel Castro) that our best tribute (to him) on his 80th birthday is an entire people at their workplaces and defense positions," Valdes said, calling Raul the "Cerberus of the Revolution," referring to the three-headed dog that guarded the underworld in Greek mythology.

Valdes warned the "Yankee enemy ... not to have illusions" of trying to destroy the Cuban Revolution, since "we've never been stronger, more united ... (or) more alert."

After the ceremony, a meeting was held between the survivors of the Santiago de Cuba uprising and local political authorities.

Fidel Castro continues to convalesce from his July 31 emergency intestinal surgery, when he announced the temporary delegation of his duties to the 75-year-old Raul and other trusted aides. The exact nature of his illness remains a "state secret."

Whether or not Castro, who has not appeared in public since July 26, will participate in any of the assorted activities this week remains up in the air, but on Tuesday he said that he was still not well enough to attend the kickoff ceremony for the festivities.

The uprising in Santiago de Cuba was timed to coincide with the voyage of the yacht Granma, carrying Fidel and Raul Castro and other rebels home from Mexican exile. The 50th anniversary of the boat's Dec. 2, 1956, arrival in Cuba will be honored with Saturday's massive military parade in Havana. EFE

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Ausencia de Fidel y Raúl en festejos avivan la incertidumbre en Cuba

30 de noviembre de 2006, 10:27 AM
LA HABANA (AFP) - Un histórico homenaje a Fidel Castro por sus 80 años entró este jueves en su tercer día en Cuba con la ausencia del presidente y su hermano Raúl, mientras crece la incertidumbre sobre la reaparición del convaleciente líder cubano en el desfile militar del sábado.

La jornada comenzó temprano con una revista militar en la oriental Santiago de Cuba, segunda ciudad de la isla, prosiguió con un coloquio internacional sobre la obra de Fidel y cerrará con un megaconcierto en que artistas de América Latina cantarán al líder cubano.

Pero ninguno de los hermanos Castro se presentó hasta ahora en los actos, lo que, a poco concluir el festejo, aumentó la expectativa sobre si reaparecerá Fidel en el desfile militar en la Plaza de la Revolución o antes, el viernes, en la clausura del homenaje que le brinda la Fundación Guayasamín desde el martes.
Funcionarios cubanos que asisten este jueves al coloquio, entre ellos el presidente del parlamento Ricardo Alarcón, se niegan a hablar con la prensa sobre la salud de Castro -operado el 27 de julio tras una hemorragia intestinal-, o su eventual reaparición.

Un mensaje escrito de Castro en que explicó que no estaba "en condiciones" de asistir al tributo -leído el martes en la gala de apertura-, inquietó a sus seguidores, que esperan verlo de uniforme verde olivo en la revista militar, y agigantó las dudas sobre su real estado de salud, declarada "secreto de Estado".

Mientras tanto continúan las exaltaciones con tintes de despedida. "Es un hombre del renacimiento y el revolucionario más grande que ha producido la humanidad", dijo el diputado argentino Miguel Bonasso, quien aclaró no haber visto más a Castro desde que lo visitó en septiembre donde convalece.

"La vida de Fidel Castro puede tener fin. Pero su obra, sus ideas no tienen estación final", expresó el cantante uruguayo Daniel Viglietti, quien estará en el concierto, junto con los trovadores cubanos Silvio Rodríguez y Pablo Milanés.

Unas 1.800 personalidades de 80 países participan en el tributo, entre ellas el dirigente sandinista Tomás Borge, el ex presidente ecuatoriano Rodrigo Borja, el político chileno Volodia Teitelboim, el activista norteamericano James Cockcroft.

El primer presidente en llegar a Cuba para las celebraciones fue el haitiano René Preval este jueves, mientras se espera al de Bolivia, Evo Morales, y al electo de Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega.

Como preámbulo al desfile del sábado, que conmemora el 50 aniversario del desembarco del yate Granma y el 80 cumpleaños de Castro, este jueves tuvo lugar una parada militar en Santiago de Cuba para rememorar el levantamiento armado de esa ciudad en apoyo a la llegada de Fidel y otros 81 hombres a las costas del sur para iniciar la lucha guerrillera.

En el acto, en el que participaron unas 200.000 personas, era esperado Raúl, ministro de las Fuerzas Armadas y quien sustituye a Fidel en el poder desde el 31 de julio.

Casi siempre Raúl encabeza los actos históricos en esa ciudad, pero esta vez dejó a los tres Comandantes de la Revolución, Juan Almeida, Guillermo García y Ramiro Valdés, presidir la revista militar.

Durante el discurso central, Valdés, de 74 años, exaltó la figura de Raúl como "cancerbero" de la revolución y advirtió que la ausencia de Fidel del poder, no ha debilitado la revolución en estos cuatro meses.

"El enemigo yanqui y contrarrevolucionario ha recibido una clara advertencia de que no se haga ilusiones. Nunca hemos sido más fuertes", dijo Valdés, veterano del asalto al cuartel Moncada (1953), del desembarco del Granma (1956) y de la lucha en la Sierra Maestra.

Más de 300.000 personas marcharán el sábado y serán exhibidos aviones de combate Mig y helicópteros MI-17, tanques, cohetes antiaéreos autopropulsados, carros blindados y otros equipos soviéticos modernizados por las FAR.

En ese desfile se da por descontado que estará Raúl, quien reapareció el miércoles tras casi un mes de ausencia en la escena pública, en un homenaje a Silvio Rodríguez por su 60 cumpleaños.

Allí dijo que vería a Fidel poco después y le llevaría los saludos de los escolares que participarán en el desfile.
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EEUU: Empeoran actitudes hacia Venezuela y Cuba

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - La opinión de los estadounidenses sobre Venezuela y Cuba sufrió una abrupta caída en años recientes, pero mejoró la opinión sobre México, indicó una encuesta que evalúa las actitudes de los norteamericanos hacia otros países.

Los sentimientos más cálidos de los estadounidenses se orientan hacia Inglaterra, Canadá y Israel, y han mejorado sustancialmente en relación a China y a la India, según la encuesta, divulgada el jueves por el Instituto de Encuestas de la universidad Quinnipiac.

Los países con menos simpatía fueron Cuba, Irán y Corea del Norte. Por otra parte, Irak, Corea del Norte y Venezuela sufrieron la caída más pronunciada en el favor de los encuestados.

Desde la encuesta anterior, de agosto, la universidad determinó que habían mejorado los índices de 13 países. El llamado "Termómetro Global" midió la calidez que los votantes estadounidenses sentían por 16 países, las Naciones Unidas, y el gobierno palestino.

En orden de preferencias, figuraron Inglaterra, Canadá, Israel, Alemania, India, México, las Naciones Unidas, Rusia, Francia, China, Arabia Saudí, Venezuela, Irak, Siria, el gobierno palestino, Cuba, Irán y Corea del Norte.

Los resultados de la encuesta provienen de entrevistas efectuadas entre el 13 y el 19 de noviembre a 1.623 votantes inscriptos en los registros electorales a nivel nacional.

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Ramiro Valdés advierte a la disidencia y a EE UU que 'no se hagan ilusiones' en ausencia de Castro

'Reconocemos a Raúl como firme cancerbero de la revolución cubana', dijo en Santiago de Cuba el ministro de Comunicaciones.

Agencias , Ciudad de La Habana

jueves 30 de noviembre de 2006 16:36:00

AFP/ La Habana. El comandante Ramiro Valdés, en nombre de los militares, exaltó este jueves la figura de Raúl Castro como guardián de la revolución y advirtió a Washington y a la oposición interna que "no se hagan ilusiones" en ausencia de Fidel.

En las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias (FAR), "en sus méritos, en sus atributos, en su firmeza, en su lealtad, en su internacionalismo, reconocemos a Raúl como firme cancerbero de la revolución cubana", dijo Valdés en Santiago de Cuba ante 200.000 personas congregadas en un acto político y revista militar.

El acto, transmitido en vivo por la radio y una señal interna de la televisión oficialista, conmemoró el aniversario 50 del alzamiento en armas en esa ciudad, para apoyar el desembarco del yate Granma, que se atrasó dos días en su curso y llegó el 2 de diciembre.

Ante militares de alta graduación de las FAR y el Ministerio del Interior, Valdés (74 años), actual ministro de Informática y Comunicaciones, advirtió que la ausencia de Fidel Castro del poder, convaleciente de una crisis intestinal, no ha debilitado la revolución.

En esos cuatro meses, "el enemigo yanki y contrarrevolucionario ha recibido una clara advertencia de que no se haga ilusiones. Nunca hemos sido más fuertes, ni hemos estado más unidos y alertas", manifestó.

Junto a Valdés presidieron el acto los también comandantes de la Revolución Juan Almeida y Guillermo García, en lugar de Raúl Castro, quien casi siempre encabeza todos los actos históricos en Santiago de Cuba.

Valdés, quien fue también dos veces ministro del Interior, evocó la figura del Fidel Castro como el líder histórico del proceso revolucionario.

"En Fidel está (José) Martí, están todos aquellos hombres que forjaron nuestra Patria, está esa historia impresionante del pueblo y la nación cubana, están las ideas más avanzadas del mundo, están la comprensión y la acción ante los urgentes problemas que amenazan la humanidad", dijo.

Refiriéndose a Castro, Valdés dijo: "nuestro mejor homenaje a su 80 cumpleaños es un pueblo entero en sus puestos de trabajo y de combate, un país que sigue marchando adelante con creciente eficiencia a pesar del bloqueo y de todas las presiones de nuestros despreciables enemigos y la seguridad de que no habrá fuerza sobre la tierra capaz de detenernos, sorprendernos o doblegarnos".
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Candidato opositor venezolano ofrece asilo a médicos cubanos

'La mayor parte de los médicos que trabajan en Barrio Adentro están allí obligados', dijo Manuel Rosales.

Agencias , Caracas

viernes 1 de diciembre de 2006 12:34:00

AFP/ Caracas. El principal candidato de la oposición venezolana, Manuel Rosales, ofreció asilo a los médicos cubanos que trabajan en programas sociales en Venezuela en caso de ganar las elecciones que el próximo domingo disputará al presidente Hugo Chávez.

"La mayor parte de los médicos que trabajan en Barrio Adentro (programa de salud básica) están allí obligados. A los que pidan asilo, se lo concederé", dijo Rosales en una entrevista la noche del jueves con la cadena Radio Caracas Televisión.

Rosales sostuvo que en Venezuela hay "dos tipos de cubanos: el que es víctima del sistema totalitario, y el otro, el malo, que viene a espiar".

"Yo seré feliz el día que haya libertad en Cuba", subrayó.

El candidato opositor denunció que los 100.000 barriles diarios que Venezuela envía al gobierno de la Isla como pago por el trabajo de unos 20.000 médicos cubanos "no le llegan a ese pueblo, sino que el gobierno los comercializa con otros países".

Rosales aseguró que ha conversado con los médicos cubanos que trabajan en los barrios más pobres de Venezuela y que estos le dicen que "por malas condiciones que tengamos aquí, al menos estamos fuera de Cuba y tenemos libertad".

"Lo que no se ha dicho es que muchos de ellos han desertado y se han ido a Colombia u otros países", insistió Rosales.

El candidato repite reiteradamente que Chávez es un "títere" de Fidel Castro y quiere implantar en Venezuela un "sistema castro-comunista".

"Quiere ser el sucesor de Fidel. Quiere ser presidente toda la vida, hasta que se muera, quiere que haya un solo partido y que todos pensemos de la misma manera", sentenció.

Chávez, quien busca un nuevo mandato de seis años y ha planteado la posibilidad de aprobar mediante referéndum la reelección presidencial indefinida, es el favorito de las encuestas, que le dan hasta 30 puntos porcentuales de ventaja sobre Rosales.

Rosales, de 53 años, es gobernador reelecto del petrolero estado de Zulia (occidente).
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Pesquisa en la Oficina de Trasmisiones hacia Cuba

RUI FERREIRA

El Nuevo Herald

Una indagación en la Oficina de Trasmisiones hacia Cuba (OCB) que las autoridades federales calificaron de rutinaria, ha levantado la suspicacia de empleados de esa entidad dado que, hace sólo pocos días, un ejecutivo de dicha agencia fue acusado de aceptar $100,000 en sobornos para que comprara programas de producción externa.

Fuentes explicaron la semana pasada a El Nuevo Herald que los empleados de la OCB, que incluye las operaciones de Radio y de TV Martí, recibieron un formulario donde se les pide que informen de cualquier irregularidad en la entidad de la que tengan conocimiento, ya sean casos de corrupción interna, favoritismo o errores de programación.

''Básicamente te están pidiendo que denuncies todo lo que sepas que está mal hecho. Dicen que es una investigación confidencial, no secreta, pero lo que tú digas ahí no se va a saber quién lo denunció'', indicó una de las fuentes, quien pidió el anonimato por temor a presuntas represalias.

Esas quejas serían consideradas por inspectores que vendrán de Washington en los próximos días y permanecerán en Miami varias semanas.

Pero el lanzamiento de la indagación, a escasos días de que la fiscalía federal encausara al director de programa José M. Miranda, alias ''Chepe'', por supuestamente recibir sobornos de la productora televisiva Perfect Image, ha levantado suspicacias entre los empleados de OCB. Muchos de ellos, consultados por El Nuevo Herald, ven un nexo directo entre los dos hechos.

''Parece que la gente en Washington quiere limpiar casa'', señaló otro empleado que también pidió que no se mencionara su nombre. Sin embargo, según el portavoz de la Junta de Gobernadores de Transmisiones (BBG, por sus siglas en inglés), Joe O'Connell, quien supervisa las operaciones de la OCB, lo que está pasando en la agencia es una revisión cíclica.

''La gente de la oficina del Inspector General está haciendo algo que realmente es una rutina, se hace cada cinco años. Se trata de una revisión administrativa que sucede en todas las agencias, nada fuera de lo ordinario'', aseveró O'Connell.

En su opinión, ``definitivamente no se trata de limpiar casa, ni nada parecido, sino que es una forma útil de saber qué piensa la gente de su lugar de trabajo''.

Las fuentes en la OCB revelaron dijeron a El Nuevo Herald que un sector importante de los empleados ha visto con desconfianza que la administración de la entidad esté pidiendo que le entreguen las planillas, en vez de hacerlo directamente a los inspectores de la BBG en Washington.

''La planilla que recibimos tiene una hoja inicial donde se nos explica que lo que informemos es confidencial, y puede ser entregado en mano a los inspectores cuando vengan de Washington la próxima semana. Pero aquí en Miami la administración ha añadido otra hoja, donde incentiva a que esas quejas sean entregadas por adelantado y garantizando su confidencialidad'', reveló una de las fuentes.

En varias ocasiones, la semana pasada y ésta, El Nuevo Herald intentó hablar con el director de la OCB, Pedro Roig, pero éste no devolvió las llamadas.
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RSF organiza una manifestación para "aguar" festejos de Cuba

París, 1 dic (EFE).- La organización Reporteros Sin Fronteras (RSF) organizó hoy una manifestación en París para recordar que Cuba sigue siendo la segunda cárcel del mundo para periodistas, después de China, y "aguar" así la fiesta de conmemoración del inicio de la revolución castrista.
"A partir de mañana en Cuba van a festejar la conmemoración del inicio de la revolución. Nosotros queremos aguarles la fiesta, porque el hecho de que fuera una revolución no debe ocultar que actualmente es una dictadura durísima", dijo a Efe el secretario general de RSF, Robert Ménard.

La organización escenificó en la explanada de los derechos humanos, frente a la torre Eiffel, el cautiverio que sufren 23 periodistas en Cuba, para lo que utilizó falsas jaulas en las que se introdujeron otros tantos activistas de RSF o disidentes cubanos.

"Queremos decir a la gente que en Cuba hay 23 periodistas encarcelados y centenares de presos por delitos de opinión y que no hay que olvidarlos", dijo Ménard, que consideró "inadmisible" las condenas de "hasta a 27 años de cárcel" por el ejercicio del periodismo.

El responsable de RSF afirmó que tras la enfermedad de Fidel Castro y el ascenso provisional de su hermano Raúl, ha habido un endurecimiento de la represión de la oposición y señaló que "la gente que se opone al régimen está ahora más vigilada".

"Y ante esto hay gente que busca excusas, como el embargo. ¿Pero que tiene que ver el embargo con el encarcelamiento de periodistas?", se preguntó.

Ménard criticó la actitud del Gobierno español hacia Cuba y pidió a la Unión Europea una mayor firmeza con La Habana.

"En Madrid me dicen que hay que dialogar para tener avances, pero yo constato que sigue encarcelándose periodistas y que las cosas no cambian", dijo.

El escritor cubano exiliado en Francia Eduardo Manet se mostró "escéptico" sobre posibles cambios en la isla de la mano de Raúl Castro y afirmó que "la represión es tan fuerte y está tan bien articulada que la gente tiene miedo y no habla y eso da una sensación de normalidad".

Criticó a los "presidentes democráticamente elegidos en América Latina y que lo primero que hacen es ir a arrodillarse ante el último dictador del continente", entre los que citó al venezolano Hugo Chávez y el boliviano Evo Morales.

Para Manet "es cínico pensar que en una transición pacífica hay que dejar al pueblo que elija y al tiempo privar al pueblo la posibilidad de expresarse y de tener información".

El escritor se mostró muy interesado en conocer la opinión sobre Cuba de los candidatos a la presidencia francesa, sobre todo los favoritos, el conservador Nicolas Sarkozy y la socialista Segolene Royal.

La también escritora Zoe Valdes, que estuvo dentro de una de las falsas jaulas que montó RSF, exigió a los Gobiernos occidentales que pidan la liberación de los presos políticos y acusó a Raúl Castro de ser "un hombre de mucha violencia que está detrás de muchos asesinatos políticos".

Los periodistas cubanos Jesús Zúñiga y Mardin Hernández también participaron en la manifestación. EFE
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Evo Morales trajo a Cuba una torta de coca para 80 cumpleaños de Castro

LA HABANA, Dic 1 (AFP) -

El presidente de Bolivia, Evo Morales, llegó este viernes a La Habana con una torta de coca para el convaleciente mandatario Fidel Castro por sus 80 cumpleaños, reportó Radio Rebelde.

"Como estaba comprometido, torta de coca", dijo Morales al responder la pregunta si era portador de algún regalo especial para Castro, quien esta semana recibe los homenajes de 1.800 personalidades de 80 países, convocados por la ecuatoriana Fundación Guayasamín.