VARIOUS: Government tight-lipped over Castro health; Cubans edgy

Cuba's government stayed tight-lipped over ailing leader Fidel Castro on Wednesday (August 2), keeping nervous Cubans waiting for fresh word on his condition and for the brother to whom he handed power to appear in public. State-run media repeated a message from the previous night quoting the 79-year-old president, who stepped aside temporarily on Monday (July 31), saying his health was stable but that a verdict on his recovery from stomach surgery would take "many days." There was a small increase in police presence in poorer parts of Havana and communist neighborhood groups said that "rapid response groups" used to put down riots in the past had been activated. Hopes held by exiles and other die-hard opponents that Castro's failing health would trigger a crisis of confidence in Cuban communism have been dampened by the apparently smooth succession plan set off by his illness. The immediate appointment of his defense minister brother Raul as provisional president and calm coverage by state media have sent a strong message that the communist system will survive - even without its 79-year-old founder, Local residents said they were firmly behind the handover of power to Raul. "He (Raul Castro) has been there on the frontlines, as the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, he is the best person to continue our Commander's job," said Cuban resident Denia Fleitas. "He (Raul Castro) and Fidel are not the same person. He (Raul Castro) has more of a serious personality, but a person who likes sharing with Cubans as well. Maybe he comes across as a more serious person because he is linked to the military, but overall I think he will defend us just as well as Fidel did and will continue Fidel's path," added compatriot Raul Valdez. Still, some believe a smooth transition over the longer term will be difficult to achieve, given the force of Castro's charisma and doubts about his 75-year-old brother's leadership skills. For many, continuing with the revolution is the key issue. "At this point, we will not accept the fall of Cuban Socialism," declared Cuban citizen Maide Piloto. Foreign tourists in the city have also been caught up in the political debate over the Cuba's temporary new leader. "They (Cubans) don't trust Raul Castro enough, and they love Fidel very much, therefore they don't want in power anybody other than him," said Chilean tourist, Ana Maria. "If Raul is the president things they won't change, they would stay as they are today. I think that things could change if the United States can have some roll in the transition," said Italian tourist Marco. Meanwhile in Washington, the White House on Wednesday urged Cubans on the communist-ruled island and exiles living in south Florida not to begin a mass migration spurred by Cuban leader Fidel Castro's health problems. "It's also however important at this juncture, to tell people stay where you are. This is not a time for people to try to be getting in the water either way. We have talked about the importance of eventually finding an orderly and safe way for people to make transit between the two places," said White House spokesman, Tony Snow. An estimated 650,000 people of Cuban descent make their homes in Miami, the Florida city remade by Cubans who left the communist-ruled Caribbean island in waves following Castro's revolution. U.S. officials have long anticipated that Castro's death could prompt a chaotic exodus from Miami of Cuban exiles crossing the narrow Straits of Florida to visit or pick up relatives in their homeland. There have been no signs of such movement in recent days. Reactions to Castro's health and transition of power to his brother also continued to reverberate throughout the Latin American region. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a long-time friend of Castro, said in Brasilia on Tuesday (August 1) that Cubans alone should decide on a possible presidential successor. "The succession process is a decision the Cuban people will have to make. In the same way that I don't want Cubans to say what the succession process will be like in Brazil, I can't say how the succession process will be in Brazil. The only thing I ask is the following, the Cuban people should deserve the best as any other people of the world," Lula told reporters. Some analysts say it could well be a smart move by Castro to test the resilience of his succession plan while he is still around and in charge, even from a hospital bed. Miami Cuban exiles, in the meantime, continued to hope on Wednesday (August 02) that Cuban President Fidel Castro's rule was over. Cuban exiles streamed into the streets of Miami's Little Havana on Monday (July 31), dancing and cheering to celebrate news that -- for the first time since he took power in 1959 -- Castro had handed over power temporarily due to surgery. "It's not that it's premature (celebrations). It's people that have been suffering for 40 years, anything against the Tyrant (Castro) makes us happy, makes us euphoric, and sometimes we lose control," said Alberto Morales. Details of his health are a state secret, which Cuban authorities say is because of the ever-present threat of U.S. hostility. However Castro's long-estranged sister Juanita Castro Ruz said she had received information on her brother's health. "The latest information I have is that he has left intensive care. That's all I can say but information is limited," she told Miami's NBC affiliate, WTVJ on Wednesday. Juanita Castro, who left Cuba in 1964 and has not spoken to her brother for years, admitted that it had been difficult watching Cuban exiles in Florida celebrate news that Fidel Castro was ailing and temporarily sidelined. Juanita Castro, who owns a pharmacy in Miami's plush Coral Gables neighborhood, is not viewed in Cuba as someone with access to inside information, given the decades of political disagreement with her brother. Fidel Castro, who has ruled since his 1959 revolution ousted a military dictator, ceded power to his brother Raul Castro on Monday after surgery to stop intestinal bleeding. Neither he nor Raul Castro have been shown publicly since.

ITN Source | August 3, 2006

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