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CUBA
NEWS
The
Miami Herald
Health rumors amuse Raúl Castro
Posted on Mon, Dec. 08,
2003
Cuba's Defense Minister Raúl Castro
jokes about recent widespread rumors that
he is suffering from a life-threatening
illness.
HAVANA - (AP) -- Cuba's No. 2 man, Defense
Minister Raúl Castro, joked with
reporters Sunday about recent widespread
rumors that he was suffering from a life-threatening
illness.
''I have cancer, you know,'' the 72-year-old
Castro told journalists ironically. "In
the colon, I think.''
Castro recalled similar rumors about his
health in the early 1990s, including some
that said he had died. ''Now I am half-dead
again,'' he joked.
Rumors about the health of Cuba's defense
minister and his older brother, 77-year-old
President Fidel Castro, have always been
common. They have grown more frequent as
the brothers have grown older. Perhaps because
Raúl Castro has appeared in public
less this year, there recently has been
more speculation about his health than the
president's.
Fidel Castro has long designated Raúl
as his successor, but it is unclear who
the designated successor would be should
the younger brother die first.
Raúl Castro is first vice president
of the Council of State, Cuba's supreme
governing body, and second secretary of
the Communist Party.
''I don't have a lot of time,'' Raúl
Castro told reporters about his less frequent
public appearances this year. He spoke after
presiding over a military ceremony remembering
independence hero Antonio Maceo on the 107th
anniversary of his death.
''I'm dedicated fundamentally to defense,''
he said, adding that he'll appear in public
when it's considered necessary.
Raúl Castro also appeared on Cuban
television Saturday evening speaking at
a meeting of revolutionary commanders.
He read a letter from a revolutionary leader
who is sick, Commander Juan Almeida, who
announced that he would ease up on his activities
because of an unspecified heart ailment.
''A cardiovascular ailment has obligated
me to reduce my activities,'' the 76-year-old
Almeida wrote in the letter, adding that
he felt "relatively well.''
Almeida was with the Castro brothers at
the start of their revolutionary struggle
50 years ago and is a highly visible member
of Cuba's ruling elite. He sits on the Communist
Party's politburo and serves as a vice president
on the Council of State.
Cuba travel ban opposed
Lesley Clark. Posted on
Sun, Dec. 07, 2003.
A poll conducted for The Herald and the
St. Petersburg Times found that Florida
voters, like those nationwide, overwhelmingly
favor lifting the ban on travel to Cuba.
Congress has moved to ease the ban, but
President Bush has opposed such a move and,
under pressure from influential Cuban-American
exiles, has moved to crack down on illegal
travel to the island.
The issue could prove complicated for the
president's reelection. He needs the continued
backing of hundreds of thousands of Cuban
Americans, but doing so means he risks alienating
the rest of the state and voters in farm
states where businesses are eager to trade
with Cuba.
Cuban-American legislators in Florida had
warned President Bush that he could lose
crucial support if he isn't tougher on Fidel
Castro. Indeed, the poll done by Democratic
pollster Rob Schroth and Republican pollster
Kellyanne Conway, shows that only Hispanics
are opposed to easing restrictions -- by
55-43 percent.
Overall, respondents said they support
allowing U.S. citizens to legally travel
to Cuba by 64-26 percent.
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