Nando Media. Agence France-Presse. June 14, 2000

LOS ANGELES (June 14, 2000 11:00 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan Wednesday criticized the way the United States has handled the case of Cuban shipwreck survivor Elian Gonzalez, in an interview with The Los Angeles Times published Wednesday.

"The U.S. is still very naive about a lot of what goes on in Cuba with Castro," she said.

"But we (exiles) are no longer naive about the United States. Things were handled badly all around, from beginning to end," she said.

Estefan, known for her staunch anti-Castro stance, although less radical than other exiles, said that she decided to publicly take a position on the case "to avoid violence."

"I went there to avoid violence in the community," she said. "All of the people in the Cuban community here listen to me. They know I have no agenda. I knew they would take it for what it was, a mother and a concerned Cuban-American."

Asked if she identifies more with her Cuban roots or her U.S. home, Estefan said, "I feel Cuban-American. I have the best of both worlds. I have a Cuban heart and an American head. It's a good balance."

Estefan recently released her 20th album, the third in Spanish, "Alma Caribena," inspired by the songs her grandmother used to sing to her when she was young.

Copyright © 2000 Nando Media

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