Castro brandished a rifle as he led thousands in a rally.
By Daniel Schweimler in Havana. Tuesday, 17 April, 2001,
05:13 GMT 06:13 UK. BBC News Online
Cubans have begun celebrating the 40th anniversary of what they see as one
of the most important events since President Fidel Castro came to power - the
victory over US-backed forces at the Bay of Pigs in southern Cuba.
President Castro likes a crowd, and tens of thousands of Cubans gathered in
the same spot in Havana where 40 years ago their president declared Cuba to be a
socialist state.
Without socialism, he told them, Cuba would not have the health system, the
education system or the sporting success it has today.
It was the only country in the world that did not need to trade with the
United States. The crowd, waving Cuban flags and rifles, roared their approval.
Soviet camp
President Castro's speech 40 years ago put Cuba firmly on the road to
becoming a socialist state and firmly into the Soviet camp.
The day before the speech, US-backed forces had bombed Cuban airfields; the
next day, Cuban exiles trained by the CIA came ashore at the Bay of Pigs in
southern Cuba to try to overthrow President Castro's government.
After three days of heavy fighting, the US-backed force was defeated,
causing one of the greatest embarrassments to the then US President, John F
Kennedy.
The Cuban victory consolidated President Castro's government in power but
meant reconciliation with the US was impossible.
The Cuban media has been assessing and reassessing the importance of the
victory at the Bay of Pigs for several weeks.
Posters celebrating the victory have gone up all over the country, and the
festivities will culminate in President Castro giving another speech at the site
of the battle itself on Thursday.
Relations with Washington have hardly improved since then and the
celebrations, while important to Cuba, will hit a sensitive nerve with many
Americans. | 