International   

U.S. prediction of chaos has not materialised: Raul

CAMAGUEY (CUBA): Interim President Raul Castro told tens of thousands of loyalists on Thursday that the country suffered a serious blow when his brother Fidel Castro fell ill a year ago, but that the chaos that the U.S. had long predicted never materialised.

“We could hardly have suspected what a hard blow was awaiting us,” the younger Castro said of Mr. Fidel Castro’s illness as he took his brother’s place at ceremonies marking the launch of the Cuban revolution.

“These have truly been difficult moments, although with a diametrically different impact than that expected by our enemies, who wished for chaos to take hold and for Cuban socialism to collapse,” he said. The one-hour speech by Cuba’s 76-year-old Defence Minister came exactly a year after Mr. Castro’s last public appearances, when he celebrated the Revolution Day anniversary with speeches in the eastern cities of Bayamo and Holguin.

With his characteristic frankness, he acknowledged that Cuba suffers from numerous problems that require “structural changes” he did not detail, especially government salaries that fail to cover workers’ needs. He said authorities were studying salaries and other issues, but advised that production must improve to create funds necessary to increase wages.

Mr. Raul Castro signalled his willingness to talk with American officials, saying if the new U.S. presidential administration taking power after next year’s election “desists from their arrogance and decides to converse in a civilised manner, it would be a welcome change.” — AP

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

U.S. prediction of chaos has not materialised: Raul
U.K. Minister seeks to soothe Pakistan’s ruffled feathers
Call for hostage release
Nepal faces food insecurity: U.N.
Pakistan test-fires Hatf 7
Promise to establish new order
Five British Pakistanis jailed on terror charges
Remains of extinct elephant discovered in Greece
Rajapaksa hails Pratibha’s election
Australia to ‘negotiate’ uranium sale to India
N-deal: lawmakers warn Bush administration
We have our facts right: Keelty
Hu writes to Pratibha on firming up ties

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu