Fidel absent on Cuba's National day
Cuba's acting president, Raul Castro, has led revolution day
celebrations, filling in for his ailing brother Fidel who was last seen
in public a year ago.
Raul said that the months without Fidel had been "difficult" but
insisted that his brother was recovering well.
Fidel temporarily handed over power on 31 July last year ahead of surgery.
The holiday marks the 26 July 1953 rebel attack on the Moncada barracks
which set in motion the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power.
An estimated 100,000 people packed into the main square in the city of
Camaguey some 500km (300 miles) east of the capital, Havana.
Fidel will always be the boss but now Raul is the boss too
Candida Alvarez, Camaguey resident
The people nearest the stage all wore official red t-shirts and almost
everyone was waving a Cuban flag.
But without Fidel Castro present, the mood appeared somewhat subdued,
says the BBC's Michael Voss in Camaguey.
Olive branch
Raul Castro said his brother's illness had been a "hard blow".
"These have been difficult months but the outcome has been diametrically
opposed to the hopes of our enemies, who dreamt that chaos would be
unleashed and Cuban socialism would end in collapse," he said.
Raul Castro again indicated that he may be open to a warming of
relations with the US which has maintained an embargo against Cuba for
45 years.
He offered an "olive branch" to whoever is elected US president in 2008.
"The new administration...(will have to decide) whether to maintain the
absurd, illegal and failed policy against Cuba or accept the olive
branch we have offered," he said, referring to an offer of dialogue he
made last December.
His remarks drew a quick reaction from the Bush administration.
"The only real dialogue he needs is with the Cuban people," said State
Department spokesman Sean McCormack.
"I think that if the Cuban people were able to express the opinion on
the question of whether or not they would like to freely choose their
leaders, the answer would probably be yes.
"Unfortunately, that is not the dialogue that is taking place in Cuba at
the moment."
But five days later, it was announced that he was undergoing intestinal
surgery and he temporarily handed over control of the government to Raul.
Since then, there has been no indication of when or if Fidel Castro, who
turns 81 next month, will resume his duties as president.
He has appeared only in photographs and videos, although he has voiced
opinions on international affairs in a series of articles published by
the official press.
"I am certain Fidel is recovering but there's no problem because we have
Raul," Candida Alvarez, a Camaguey resident, told the Associated Press.
"Fidel will always be the boss but now Raul is the boss too," she said.
US relations
Correspondents say Raul Castro, 76, has none of his brother's charisma
but has played a key role in recent Cuban history.
Raul Castro has said he is not fond of long speeches, unlike his brother
Shortly after taking over as acting leader, he indicated that he would
be willing to discuss improving ties with the US, which has maintained a
trade embargo against the Caribbean island for 45 years.
However, analysts say any major political reforms are unlikely while
Fidel is still alive.
Thursday's commemorations mark the attack on the Moncada barracks, when
Raul was at Fidel's side along with about 100 poorly armed guerrillas.
Their uprising failed but the attack on the barracks became a rallying
cry for the revolutionary movement that gained in strength and
eventually topped Fulgencio Batista from power.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2007/07/070726_roaulnational.shtml
No comments:
Post a Comment