CUBA NEWS
The Miami Herald

Cuban press: Castro recovering, not close to death

By Oscar Corral, Andres Viglucci And Martin Merzer, mmerzer@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

Cuba's official media, reacting to speculation about Fidel Castro's prognosis after a serious operation, said Tuesday afternoon that his recovery was underway and his survival seemed assured.

The Cuban leader's final moment is still ''very far away,'' according to the island's Prensa Latina news service. The Venezuelan government also said Castro was recovering from the surgery, attributing that information to representatives of Cuba's government.

At the same time, however, top Cuban exile leaders urged dissidents inside Cuba to ignite a nationwide movement of civil disobedience to protest the succession of power from Castro to his brother, Raúl Castro.

''It's time for the military not to shoot'' at those who mount peaceful protests, said Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Miami.

Speaking during a news conference in his Miami office, he said that the dissident community within Cuba has been appealing to exiles in South Florida and elsewhere to serve as its mouthpiece to promote passive resistance.

Castro's regime is ''historically dead,'' Diaz-Balart said, even if Fidel Castro is still alive after his emergency surgery for intestinal bleeding.

Cuba's uncharacteristically detailed announcement Monday night of Castro's serious illness, the major surgery and his ceding of power to his brother triggered speculation and anticipation in Miami and Havana.

Havana Radio frequently broadcast excerpts of his recent speeches, sometimes interspersed with martial music, creating an atmosphere that further fueled speculation.

Castro has been in questionable health for years, said to be suffering from Parkinson's disease and other ailments.

Now, Diaz-Balart said, it boils down to this: People inside Cuba must demand change.

Cuba and South Florida both settled Tuesday into workaday routines tinged by eager, apprehensive expectation for news, one day after word that Castro was temporarily surrendering power set off street-dancing, horn-honking celebrations in Miami's Little Havana and in Hialeah.

By mid-day, there was wide-ranging speculation on both sides of the Florida Straits as to Castro's possible fate, but precious little in the way of hard information from Cuba.

Before signing off its U.S. broadcast at 11 a.m., Radio Havana offered no further news or commentary, just regular re-readings of Monday's announcement that the Cuban leader had undergone surgery to correct "a sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding.''

In addition, the station broadcast at least one excerpt every hour from one of Castro's recently recorded speeches, usually dealing with health care and education under the revolutionary system.

The excerpts were generally of Castro, 79, at his healthiest and most combative and featured some of his witticisms. His voice sounded strong.

The next chance for news or discussion from Cuba may come at 6:30 p.m., the start of the nightly ''Mesa Redonda,'' or Round Table, a government TV news show.

Meanwhile, get-well messages poured in to Havana from all over the world, including the governments of Spain, Italy, Nicaragua, and, in Latin America, presidents and Castro friends Evo Morales in Bolivia and Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

Chile's ambassador to Cuba, Jaima Toha, said there was complete calm across the island despite the ''strong and surprising'' news of the power transfer to Raúl Castro, who is 75.

''Havana saw a night of absolute tranquility,'' he told Chile's Radio Cooperativa, according to Spanish news agency EFE. "No differences were noticed -- neither a police presence nor gatherings of people, and this morning I have received no information to the contrary.''

Miami was equally quiet.

Though a few small demonstrations lingered through the day, most of the celebrating crowds dispersed without untoward incident long before dawn, authorities said. There were no arrests or injuries related to the late-night celebrations, according to Miami-Dade police.

The county's emergency operations center in Doral remained activated Tuesday morning, more out of an abundance of caution than anything else. Miami-Dade's 24-hour answer center was up and running, and had received more than 500 calls regarding Castro's health and street closures.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez said authorities were ready for more celebrations, should they come, but urged that they be orderly.

''We cannot block streets, and the reason is public safety,'' he said.

Said Miami-Dade spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta: "As long as everybody celebrates in a peaceful way, which is what's happened so far, we're fine with it. We don't want to interfere with their joy.''

The Archdiocese of Miami called on Cuban Catholics to pray for a peaceful transition in Cuba. In a statement released Tuesday, Archbishop John Favalora urged Catholics to remain calm and pray that the power shift in Cuba will benefit the Cuban people.

''The archbishop has asked that we all pray; that we have tranquility and peace so that we are in deep communion with the people of Cuba,'' said Father Fernando Hería, pastor of St. Brendan Catholic Church, a native of Cuba who left the island at age 11. "I hope and I pray that whatever happens politically in Cuba will be peaceful and for the betterment of the people.''

In workplaces, local TV and radio broadcasts, restaurants, talk and speculation swirled around one question: Did the announcement Monday night that Castro was temporarily handing over power because of health concerns truly mean an end to his nearly 47-year-reign?

Is he dead or is he alive?

''I hope to God he's dead. But I think he might still be alive,'' said Miami-Dade Commissioner Jose ''Pepe'' Diaz, a late arrival at a Chamber of Commerce military affairs committee meeting because he had slept little.

''Either way, this will be the start of the demise of the regime,'' Diaz said. "It's history because this is the first time that Castro relinquished power.''

But financier Raúl Mas Canosa, younger brother of late exile leader Jorge Mas Canosa, said in an interview that it's "a little bit premature to sort of celebrate.''

''Fidel Castro's been around for much longer than any of us care to remember, and I think he's a very wily, very conniving individual,'' he said. "It wouldn't surprise me if this was just sort of a test run to sort of figure out how people are gonna react to his eventual transfer of power to his younger brother, Raúl.

"I think we just need to be on guard, be on ready for what will probably be a convoluted transition process as the eventuality happens and he ceases to exist.''

During the morning news conference, Diaz-Balart said that the U.S. government had just received a list of 56 people inside Cuba who have engaged in violent reprisals against dissidents and pro-democracy activists. He said those people would be "brought to justice.''

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, speaking at the same news conference, said she did not believe the U.S. should reach out diplomatically to Raúl Castro, labeling him an ''assassin'' and ''thug,'' words she has often used to describe Fidel Castro.

Miami-Dade's three Cuban-American congressional representatives, Diaz-Balart, Ros-Lehtinen and Diaz-Balart's brother, Mario, all Republicans, said they planned to meet Wednesday with top White House officials.

By Tuesday, many in Little Havana had grown more wary in their observations. Spanish-language radio station WQBA, which has been carrying continuous coverage of the power transfer since Monday night, reported things were calm in Havana, Cuba, as well.

''It's still not clear what is happening over there,'' said Daniel Torres, news director at WQBA, which he said has five human-rights activists working as journalists across the island.

Some of the early-morning regulars at Versailles, the Cuban restaurant that is a community institution, even suggested that Monday's announcement could be a trick.

''No one knows anything for sure,'' said Luis Cabral, a Cuban migrant who has been in South Florida since 1966. "I think he's sick, but I think he's dying slowly. I don't think he'll die anytime soon.''

Added Cabral: "If people really want to take back Cuba, they need to forgive and start anew without him.''

Though the restaurant was crowded Tuesday morning -- partly with television news cameras -- few patrons wanted to discuss their thoughts with news reporters over Cuban coffee. Some feared that premature celebrations could imperil Cubans on the island.

''Naturally, I'm happy to hear that he's ill,'' said Caridad Mora, who has been in South Florida since 1962. "But people need to be careful, because there could always be consequences. They need to wait to make sure it's official that he dies before they take to the streets, because it's too dangerous.''

Alicia Alonso, who was carrying a Cuban flag, said she wished her grandparents could have lived to see this day.

''Let's hope he croaks fast,'' she said. "I have a mixed reaction. If it's true, I'm glad. But if it's another one of his scenarios, then he's playing with the feelings of the Cuban people.''

Herald staff writers Alexandra Alter, Susan Anasagasti, Pablo Bachelet, Lesley Clark, Elaine De Valle, Larry Lebowitz, Tere Figueras Negrete, Susannah A. Nesmith, Charles Rabin, Carol Rosenberg and Nikki Waller and Herald translator Renato Pérez contributed to this report.

White House: No changes in U.S.-Cuba policy as a result of Raúl Castro's temporary ascension to power

By Lesley Clark And Pablo Bachelet, pbachelet@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration reacted cautiously Tuesday to Fidel Castro's decision to temporarily hand over power to his brother Raúl, saying no change in U.S. policy on Cuba is forthcoming.

At an afternoon briefing at the White House, spokesman Tony Snow said the change in power won't mean any changes in the U.S.-Cuba relationship, at the moment.

''There are no plans to reach out,'' Snow said.

He said the president is committed to democracy in Cuba and called Castro's brother his ''prison keeper'' and that the temporary appointment was "not a change in that status.''

''The one thing we're going to continue to do is assure the people of Cuba that we stand ready to help,'' Snow said, referencing the report that spells out how the administration would handle a post-Castro Cuba.

The administration does not have many details on Castro's condition, but does not believe he has died, Snow said.

The State Department reiterated its longstanding policy that the United States would only act if a transition government moved toward democracy.

''In the event that Cuba . . . started to make a transition to a democracy, the United States and the American people will do everything that we can to stand by the Cuban people in their aspirations for a democracy,'' State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

''We believe that the Cuban people aspire and thirst for democracy, and that given the choice, that they would choose a democratic government and that they would choose the option of being able to choose their own leaders,'' he added.

The Bush administration has pushed a no-contact policy with the Fidel Castro government, curtailing travel and other privileges by Cuban Americans in an effort to deny resources to the Cuban government.

In a report issued last month on U.S. actions in a post-Castro Cuba, the Bush administration pledged $80 million in additional money to strengthen the Cuban opposition and to help Cubans overcome censorship of the media and the Internet.

The multi-agency Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, co-chaired by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, recommended initiating U.S. assistance to Cuba soon after a transition government takes power, which under U.S. law cannot include Raúl Castro.

The report, which contains a classified annex, says Castro and "his inner circle have begun a gradual but intrinsically unstable process of succession.''

The regime is ''unquestionably attempting to insulate itself from the consequences of Fidel Castro's incapacitation, death, or ouster,'' the text says.

Castro's health crisis could transform island, exiles here

Video | Unedited (Spanish): Castro temporarily hands power to brother Raul

In what was apparently a first in the long reign of Fidel Castro, the Cuban leader ceded power -- to his brother Raúl -- to cope with a health crisis that required surgery.

By Frances Robles, Elaine De Valle And Martin Merzer, mmerzer@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006

In a stunning development, Cuban leader Fidel Castro temporarily ceded presidential power to brother Raúl Castro due to ''an intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding'' that required ''complicated surgery,'' according to a letter read Monday night on Cuban television.

The letter, reportedly signed by the Cuban leader at 6:22 p.m. and announced after 9 p.m., said that Castro was assigning his top duties to his brother because Cuba is "threatened by the United States government.''

It is the first time that Castro is known to have ceded power, even temporarily, since he seized control of Cuba on Jan. 1, 1959. His regime, one of the most brutally repressive of modern times, also stood as one of the most enduring.

Seventy percent of Cuba's 11 million people were born after Castro took power and have never known another leader. Reaction there seemed muted.

''It's a day like any other,'' said José, 54, a resident of Alturas de Ceiba in the Playa neighborhood of Havana. "Nothing is different. Everything is normal here.''

Apparently, it was. Reached by telephone from Miami, he asked that his last name not be published.

IN SOUTH FLORIDA

In South Florida, where the Cuban exile community has awaited such news for decades, word of Monday night's developments swept through the region and something very close to jubilation reigned in Little Havana and elsewhere.

''My heart is thumping so hard you can see it,'' said Angelina Adrian, 67, of Westchester,

Miami-Dade County officials activated their Emergency Operations Center late Monday night. Miami Mayor Manny Diaz predicted that the next few days would be "very tense.''

Coast Guard officials said they were on standby.

''We haven't mobilized anybody yet,'' said Miami Coast Guard spokesman Dana Warr. "We're watching it just like everybody else.''

Castro's precise condition, the nature of his surgery and the prognosis could not be determined, but the illness appeared to be quite serious. Castro apparently underwent surgery Monday or possibly Sunday, and he seemed likely to be incapacitated for some time.

Now 79, he has been in questionable health for years, said to be suffering from Parkinson's disease and other ailments. Raúl Castro, the defense minister, is 75 and has been taking on a more public role in recent months.

Hours before the news broke, one source with connections in Cuba told The Miami Herald that no one had been allowed into or out of the CIMED state security hospital in Havana since Sunday. Employees could not leave at shift change and incoming staffers were not allowed in.

IN WASHINGTON

In Washington, the White House was ''monitoring the situation,'' a spokesman said. Without speculating on Castro's health, the spokesman said the administration will "continue to work for the day of Cuba's freedom.''

Eric Watnik, a State Department spokesman, said: ''We are not in a position to comment on Fidel Castro's health.'' He said the department might have more information today.

The streets were quiet around the U.S. Interests Section in Havana on Monday night, according to mission spokesman Drew Blakeney. He said the Cuban security presence around the building along the Malecón seaside promenade had been increased a bit, but is "not heavy.''

''It's very hard to judge the mood at this late hour. . .,'' he wrote in an e-mail Monday night. "People are paying close attention, but aren't sure what to think, and are taking a wait-and-see attitude. There are no public celebrations here of which we're aware.''

Teresita, a woman who rents an apartment in her central Havana home to tourists, said she learned of the news when the special announcement interrupted normal broadcasting, breaking into a 9 p.m. telenovela called La Señora del Destino.

''Everyone is worried, but everything is calm,'' said the woman in her 40s, who also asked that her last name not be published. "There is no problem here.''

Still, she said, many relatives from Spain and South Florida had called, worried about her and her family.

CASTRO'S LETTER

Castro's letter, read on national television by his secretary, Carlos Valenciaga, attributed his ailment to stress from recent public appearances in Cuba and Argentina. A signature said to be Castro's was shown during the broadcast.

Suggesting that the illness, at the least, would keep Castro out of action for quite a while, the letter postponed a celebration scheduled for Castro's 80th birthday on Aug. 13. Now, that celebration is scheduled for Dec. 2, the 50th anniversary of the landing of Castro's ship, the Granma, on Cuba's eastern coast, marked as the official beginning of the revolution.

''Days and nights of continuous work, barely able to sleep, my health, which has withstood all trials, was subjected to extreme stress and broke down,'' the letter said.

''This provoked an acute intestinal crisis, with sustained bleeding, that forced me to face a complicated surgical operation . . .,'' the letter said. "The operation will force me to spend several weeks in repose, away from my responsibilities and duties.''

The letter closes, in part: "I have not the slightest doubt that our people and our revolution will fight to the last drop of blood . . .. On to victory always.''

U.S. PLANS

The news came three weeks after the Bush administration released a 95-page report on what the administration would do to usher democracy onto the island after Castro's death or incapacitation.

The report by the multi-agency Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba pledges to help a transition government with humanitarian aid and organizing free and fair elections. It earmarked $80 million in assistance for Cuba's opposition.

U.S. law states that a transition government cannot include Fidel or Raúl Castro, and must meet conditions such as calling for free elections and releasing political prisoners.

Fidel and his brother took power New Year's Day 1959, after what at first was an unsuccessful attempt at toppling Fulgencio Batista.

The revolution began on July 26, 1953, after an attack on the Moncada army barracks. But the assault was a disaster, many men were killed and the Castro brothers were jailed. They eventually were freed and fled to Mexico, where they renewed their plans.

Since their 1959 victory, Fidel's brother has been close at his side. And although he is a trusted successor, he is believed to be a heavy drinker -- and one who lacks the charisma of his older brother.

Many experts believe Raúl would be a more pragmatic leader, one who might be open to economic reforms. In recent months, Cuba's government-run media have raised his profile, including a glowing story that ran on his birthday in June.

''Choosing Raúl is no surprise,'' dissident Oscar Espinosa Chepe said Monday night by phone from Havana. "In reality, this process has been going on for some time.''

Herald staff writers Pablo Bachelet, Lesley Clark, Larry Lebowitz, Juan O. Tamayo, and Nikki Waller and Herald translator Renato Pérez contributed to this report.

A prelude: Miami streets burst with spontaneous joy

Miamians, eager to celebrate a change of any sort in Cuba's leadership, reacted to news of Cuba's power transfer with spontaneous partying, honking, yelling and joy.

By Oscar Corral, Tere Figueras Negrete, Susannah A. Nesmith And Susan Anasagasti. Ocorral@Miamiherald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006

For two generations, Cuban Americans in Miami have waited patiently for the news that reached them through cellphones, televisions, BlackBerries and radios Monday night: Fidel Castro is no longer the leader of Cuba.

At least temporarily.

But the disclaimer meant little to the thousands who took to the streets, oozing 47 years of pent-up joy as they leaned madly on car horns to awaken anybody who may not have heard:

Fidel Castro, suffering from a serious illness, ceded power Monday night to his brother, 75-year-old Raúl Castro, the leader of Cuba's armed forces.

Minutes after the announcement from Havana, news spread like electronic wildfire, with countless hands reaching simultaneously for telephones and television remotes. Nostalgia clashed with disbelief in an electrified Miami.

''We just wish [Castro] a slow and painful death,'' said Lourdes Cambo, outside Versailles restaurant in Little Havana.

On Bird Road and Southwest 87th Avenue, where police blocked off the streets to traffic, dozens of revelers formed a makeshift conga line and banged on pots and pans, chanting "¡Cuba si, Castro no!.''

They danced on Calle Ocho and in Broward, Hialeah and Sweetwater.

''Do what you're going to do, this is a happy moment, but please celebrate on the sidewalks, don't block the street and don't block traffic,'' said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, who was born in Cuba.

Across the street from Versailles restaurant, the default epicenter of exile political life, Teresita Del Cueto said Castro's time had come.

''It's time for him to pay for all the suffering he has caused, not only to Cuban people but the whole world,'' del Cueto said.

Cautious Miami-Dade county officials fired up the emergency operations center and set up the 311 line for information, standard operating procedure the county had prepared in the event of Castro's death.

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, a Cuban exile, hit the town. Crazed celebrants banging kitchenware surrounded him as he stepped onto the traditional backbone of Cuban Miami, Calle Ocho.

While many Miamians popped beers, partied and vented decades of pent-up angst, other exiles who watch Cuba more closely were more cautious.

Ninoska Pérez-Castellón, a commentator on Radio Mambí and stalwart anti-Castro hard-liner, could barely contain the glee in her voice during an interview. But still, she didn't say IT.

''IT'' in Miami is best translated for the layperson in this way: ding dong, the witch is dead.

''I think the moment has arrived, but we can't even savor the moment,'' said Pérez-Castellón. "We don't want to go out and start saying anything because it's not confirmed. It would be irresponsible to fuel that. Maybe they are just buying time in Cuba before taking that step.''

Ding dong. . .

It's been 47 years of waiting, of praying on Christmas eve for the possibility of celebrating the holidays in Havana the following year.

This is the day Miami Cubans itched for all these years. The day the news trickled down that Fidel is no longer Cuba's leader.

At the Bernado Garcia Funeral Home on Southwest Bird Road and 82nd Avenue, about 20 Cuban exiles had been mourning the loss of a loved one when news of Castro's potential demise filtered in.

For 64-year-old Mercedes Valdes of Hialeah, who came to Miami in 1968, the emotions were bittersweet.

''They forgot about the dead and started talking about Fidel,'' she said.

But then, she added, "It's a ray of hope in the midst of so much sadness. We're all scared it's not true.''

Zoila Castro, 85, stood on West 49th street screaming and hollering with other Hialeah residents. "I am crazy with joy.

Radio personalities like Marta Flores of Radio Mambí cautioned the audience to temper their celebration.

''People, listen to me, no one has confirmed that Fidel is dead,'' Flores reminded her audience, who clogged her radio lines.

But the callers didn't care.

''This is the happiest day of my life,'' one woman caller said joyfully.

Many people longed for the report to go further, hoping it meant Castro was already dead.

''That's the only reason Cuba said anything; otherwise, we wouldn't even know he was sick. He's dead,'' said another caller.

At WQBA-La Cubanisima, radio personalities said they had seen a copy of the statement issued by Castro and the signature did not appear to be the comandante's, giving fuel to the ''he's dead'' theory.

At La Ideal Babystore's parking lot in Hialeah, dozens sang and danced along to Willy Chirino's Ya Viene Llegando, (The Time is Comin), practically a Cuban American Anthem, as it blared from a red Toyota Camry's speakers. On woman was on the brink of tears.

Aiza Rodriguez, 33, said though they hadn't pronounced Castro dead she felt it inside.

''It reeks of death,'' she said. ''The Cuban government never says it all,'' she said. "Either way, one thing is for sure, Cuba is free. Raul Castro can't stop us, nobody can.''

Jose Chavez, 32, predicted the partying would go on well into the night and for weeks to come.

Other exiles didn't want to believe that THE DAY had come. Exile activist Ramón Saúl Sánchez, head of the Democracy Movement, theorized this could just be a dress rehearsal.

''Castro could have planned this. Castro could be watching to see how it will really go if he really hands over the reigns to his brother,'' he suggested.

But Democratic Party activist Joe Garcia, former director of the Cuban American National Foundation, said he thinks the announcement from Havana is key.

''Something major happened,'' Garcia said. "If it turns out it was all a joke, then it'll just be a night where people had a few too many beers and that's it.''

Miami Herald staff writers Luisa Yanez, Elaine De Valle, Marc Caputo, Frances Robles, Monica Hatcher, Diana Moskovitz, Pablo Bachelet, Evan S. Benn, Jennifer Mooney Piedra, Yudy Pineiro, Charles Rabin, Gladys Amador, Carli Teproff, Ben Torter, Carolyn Guniss, Betsy Martinez, Jack Dolan and Jim Murphy contributed to this report.

Raúl groomed for top job

Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

Fidel Castro's steadfastly loyal brother, Raúl, takes the helm in Cuba.

The transition of power in Cuba, however temporary, moves control from an ailing Fidel Castro, who turns 80 on Aug. 13, to his 75-year-old brother, Raúl, who has also had health problems.

Even so, Raúl Castro already had begun taking on a wider role in recent months and the Cuban press has given heavy coverage to his public appearances. His birthday was commemorated with a glowing 6,300-word feature story, and a speech he gave in June is still posted on the Granma newspaper website.

Last month, he was named to a new secretariat, a policy-implementing group of the Communist Party.

''Only the Communist Party -- as the institution that brings together the revolutionary vanguard and will always guarantee the unity of Cubans -- can be the worthy heir of the trust deposited by the people in their leader,'' Raúl said last month during a ceremony observing the 45th anniversary of the Western Army. "Anything more is pure speculation.''

Raúl Castro long enjoyed utter trust from his older brother and is said to have been the steady, pragmatic counterweight to the more mercurial and charismatic Fidel.

He had joined Fidel in the 1953 attack on the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba that marked the start of the Cuban Revolution and later followed him into exile in Mexico.

After the rebels returned to Cuba in December 1959 on a leaking yacht to set up camp in the eastern mountains, Fidel Castro dispatched Raúl to spread the revolution through the area.

After the fall of the regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista on Jan. 1, 1959, Raúl became second in command of the military and 10 months later minister of defense.

He is largely credited with turning a motley collection of rebels into a force capable, with mandatory military service and massive Soviet aid, of fighting a U.S. military intervention.

It was his troops who defeated the CIA-organized Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 and rushed to Angola in 1975 and Ethiopia in 1977 to defend Marxist governments. It was his trainers and warehouses that helped a dozen guerrilla movements around Latin America and eventually Nicaragua's Sandinista army.

In 1981, his troops began digging a vast network of bomb-proof tunnels beneath the island and storing weapons and other supplies inside, in response to a perceived threat by the Reagan administration.

By the mid-1980s, the Cuban armed forces had about 300,000 troops equipped with top-of-the-line Soviet weaponry and were regarded as the second-best military in the Americas, behind the U.S. armed forces.

In 1993, The Miami Herald reported that federal prosecutors in Miami were preparing to charge Raúl and 14 other top Cubans with smuggling Colombian cocaine through Cuba to the United States, but the indictment was never brought before a grand jury.

Meanwhile, his health was reported to be compromised. He has been reported to have been treated for prostate cancer, liver disease and diverticulitis, a painful condition of the digestive tract. A former aide said he had been a heavy smoker and drinker.

But Fidel Castro's faith in him continued to be strong, bypassing younger leaders who might have kept the socialist flame going longer.

Local leaders skeptical of Cuba's political strength

Florida's leaders have little faith in the ability of Raúl Castro to govern, expressing hunches that communism is on its last legs.

By Lesley Clark. lclark@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006

The end of Fidel Castro's regime would be a major boost to President Bush, who has maintained a hard line against the communist government and courted South Florida's Cuban-American community.

And the news of Castro's surgery came hours after Bush -- on a two-day trip to Miami -- visited the veritable heart of Miami's Little Havana. Sipping a cup of Cuban coffee at Versailles, Bush gave a radio interview to staunch anti-Castro radio hosts, Radio Mambi's Armando Perez Roura and Ninoska Pérez-Castellón.

''I believe strongly that all people should live in freedom,'' Bush said, sitting across a dining room table from the two hosts. "I believe it's important for the Cuban people to live in freedom.''

NEWS TRAVELED FAST

The news traveled the political circuits rapidly.

Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart was driving home late Monday when his phone began buzzing with the news. Fidel Castro was ceding power to his younger brother.

The staunch anti-Castro lawmaker -- one of three Miami Republicans in Congress who have pushed for sanctions against the island nation as a means of squeezing Castro -- remained cautiously optimistic late Monday that the news out of Havana would soon lead to an end to any Castro regime.

''It's such a dictatorship built around one individual, I don't see it lasting under Raúl,'' Díaz-Balart said, referring to Fidel Castro's brother.

LAST LEGS

Though many familiar with the Cuban government said they remained skeptical of any news from the Cuban government, he called the reports "a reminder that the dictator and his dictatorship are on their last legs.''

And quoting his late father, Rafael Díaz-Balart, he said he expects Raúl Castro would not be able to hold power. His father, Díaz-Balart said, routinely said that once Castro dies, "that regime disintegrates like a sugar cube in a glass of water.

''I know that his days are numbered and so is the regime,'' Díaz-Balart said.

SHARED SENTIMENTS

His words were echoed by his brother, Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, R-Miami, who called the reports out of Havana "a clear reminder that the end of the Castro regime is approaching, and that the only solution for Cuba is free elections and the rule of law.''

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a member of the House International Relations committee, called the events "a great day for the Cuban people.

''I welcome this news because if Castro has relinquished power, even if on a temporary basis, it is a great day for the Cuban people and for their brothers and sisters in exile,'' she said in a statement.

She said Castro has brought "ruin and misery to Cuba so if he is incapacitated, even for a short period of time, it is a marvelous moment for the millions of Cubans who live under his iron-fisted rule and oppressive state machinery.''

Miami Herald staff writer Pablo Bachelet contributed to this report.

Castro's illnesses in public light

After five decades of reported ill health, Fidel Castro is finally starting to show his infirmities.

By Larry Lebowitz And Glenn Garvin, ggarvin@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

To hear Fidel Castro tell it, he's had a much easier time dodging exile invasions and assassin's bullets than news media reports of his ill health.

''They have tried to kill me off so many times,'' he cracked to a group of Havana students last year after stories circulated that he was ill with Parkinson's disease. "I feel, luckily, better than ever.''

It's true that exaggerated rumors of Castro's health problems, amplified by anxious supporters and implacable enemies, have crackled through the world's news media ever since he was hospitalized with a respiratory ailment two years after coming to power.

But it's also true that as Castro approaches his 80th birthday, the reports have been more frequent and their reality more obvious:

o In October 2004, TV cameras recorded Castro -- then 78 -- tumbling from a stage after a graduation speech in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara. His government confirmed he broke his left knee and right arm, and former Ecuadorean President Lucio Gutiérrez later said he had to prop up a dozing Castro several times as he sat next to him at an international ceremony following the accident.

o Castro nearly collapsed during the inauguration of Argentine President Néstor Kirchner in 2003.

o He fainted two hours into a speech in a Havana suburb in June 2001, apparently the victim of heat stroke.

But in every case, Castro has been up and around quickly, demonstrating he's not debilitated.

His jokes to the students last fall came during a five-hour speech intended to blunt a Miami Herald report that the CIA had concluded he was suffering from Parkinson's disease.

The rumors of Parkinson's began in the mid-1990s. The CIA began briefing senior State Department officials and congressional leaders in 2004, saying its analysts were convinced the reports were true.

Before the turn of the century, Castro's most serious verified health problem was a small malignancy in a lung, discovered by doctors in 1989.

Ways to tell how grave Castro's condition may be

By John Dorschner. jdorschner@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

''The next 36 to 72 hours are going to be crucial in Cuba,'' said Andy Gomez, a senior fellow at the Unversity of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies.

The key signals may be first revealed by United States satellites. ''Looking at the special forces base south of Havana, if we see heavy tanks moving around, then we can be sure that Castro is gravely ill or close to death,'' said Gomez, who has spend years studying Cuba.

Other major indicators: If Raúl Castro doesn't speak in public in the next 72 hours, it might indicate that he is not in firm control of the power his brother left him with.

Gomez questions whether Raúl will be able to obtain the absolute power that Fidel has always had. ''The three army generals now,'' the ones who control the three large areas of the country, ''are Fidelistas, not Raúl men.'' And one of them has such a strained relationship with Raúl that they haven't talked in a long time.

''Our [satellite] telescopes need to be watching troop movements very carefully,'' Gomez said.

''I think Raúl is going to have to have collective leadership,'' Gomez said. He suggested that Fidel's temporary ceding of power might be a test to show who sides with Raul and who doesn't.

Daily charter flights to Cuba still on schedule

Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

Miami-based air charter company owner Eddie Levy said that his daily flight from Miami to Havana went off without a hitch Tuesday morning.

''We had a flight this morning, and it went perfectly normal,'' said Levy, owner of Xael Charters. "We called Cuba, and everything was normal at the airport in Havana.''

Levy, like other Miami-based air charter operators, said he didn't anticipate any sudden changes to his business.

Despite a call from CNN trying to get reporters into Cuba, it was normal operations for Cuban air charter company owner Tessie Aral Tuesday morning.

Aral owns Miami-based ABC Charters, which now runs four flights a week between Miami and Havana, mostly for people visiting family. Tuesday morning, she had a few calls from people worried about travel. But she expects little immediate change.

''The embargo will stay on,'' said Aral, who added the U.S. government still prohibits most travel to the island. "Tourism still can't go''.

South Florida TV, radio stations kick into overdrive

Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

South Florida's media kicked into overdrive today as the news that hundreds of thousands of listeners, viewers and readers have been waiting for 47 years appeared close to breaking.

Telemundo's WSCV-TV 51, the first on the air with the video from Havana, went into continuous coverage mode throughout the night on Monday into this morning and repeated that from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today.

WTVJ-TV NBC 6 extended its noon newscast to an hour today.

The story came close to the hearts of many of those who work in South Florida media outlets.

Hundreds of callers jammed the phone lines at Spanish-language radio stations today, eager to espouse their theories about the situation on the island.

''Cuban radio is abuzz with every sort of conspiracy theory you can imagine,'' said José Cancela, who was a stand-in host of a morning program on WQBA-AM. "But everything is speculation. There's no information.''

Sen. Martinez says moment of transition could be near, cautions against migration

By Pablo Bachelet, pbachelet@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

WASHINGTON - Florida Sen. Mel Martinez this morning said Cuba could be beginning a ''moment of transformation and transition'' but urged Cubans to keep their emotions in check and avoid a mass migration to the United States.

The Republican lawmaker, who fled Cuba when he was 15, called a mass migration ''very dangerous'' but believes that the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy are prepared to handle such an event, which he said could lead to ''tremendous'' loss of life.

Slipping into Spanish when he sought to address the Cuban people, he told reporters that "I think people need to keep their emotions in check, difficult as it is.''

He said Cuba was living a "moment of uncertainty.''

''Internally the Cuban government is trying to transfer power,'' he noted. "My hope is that there will be an opportunity for voices of freedom to be heard within Cuba, that this would begin a moment of transformation and transition to a better life and better day.''

Martinez said he did not have details of Castro's health but that the transfer of power to Raúl Castro ''would not have occurred were he not in a very serious condition'' and there was a possibility that Castro may be dead.

If one were to imagine how the Cuban government were to react to Castro's death, "this is how they would do it.''

''You would trickle it out, you would try to avoid the shock to the Cuban people,'' he said, noting that Gen. Francisco Franco's death in Spain in 1975 was unveiled over several days.

Martinez did not expect Raúl Castro to transition the country to a democracy, but suggested that others within the government may want to change course.

''But I would hope there would be others, within the hierarchy of Cuba's government, who have, maybe, wished secretly or privately that there be a different future for the people of Cuba, one in which repression, oppression and tyranny was not the way,'' the lawmaker said.

The senator, who has criticized the Bush administration's policy of allowing Cuban migrants who make it to shore to stay in the United States while those caught at sea are sent back to Cuba, said the U.S. government was prepared to stop a mass migration.

"I think it's a very important thing for us to be vigilant on. I think it would be a tremendous loss of life plus a disorderly thing that at this moment in history the United States just cannot tolerate.''

Asked if the United States was too constrained by the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, Martinez said Congress could act on short notice to change the legislation "if we thought it would advance a transition in Cuba.''

Helms-Burton conditions any U.S. support to Cuba for the establishment of a transition government in Havana on such actions as the release of political prisoners and the calling of elections.

Seriousness is still unclear

By Amy Driscoll, adriscoll@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

Fidel Castro's ''intestinal crisis'' could be serious enough to result in death or as simple as a single surgery that could have him out of bed in a week, a Miami gastroenterologist said Monday night.

''A 79-year-old man having surgery is never minor, by definition,'' cautioned Dr. Howard Manten, a gastroenterologist at the University of Miami School of Medicine. "But the information we have on this is very nebulous. It's hard to tell from what we know. But stress ulcers? That doesn't really sound kosher to me. We don't have enough information to know.''

The Cuban leader said he had suffered a bout of intestinal bleeding apparently triggered by stress from recent public appearances in Argentina and Cuba, according to the letter read live on television by his secretary, Carlos Valenciaga.

Castro said that the extreme stress "had provoked in me a sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding that obligated me to undergo a complicated surgical procedure.''

Manten said the Cuban leader's travel schedule and public appearances indicated a fairly healthy person, especially at his age. Castro's 80th birthday is less than two weeks away.

Other factors that will tell the tale, he said, include how long Castro is in surgery, how much bleeding there is, what efforts already have been made to stop the bleeding and how long he has been in intensive care.

Without knowing if the bleeding was in the upper or lower gastrointestinal areas, Manten said, a long-distance diagnosis is very limited.

He said that bleeding in either area can be "critical.''

Factoring in Castro's age, he said, there is even a possibility of death.

If the bleeding is caused by peptic ulcer disease, he said, that might also be serious.

If the surgery is successful, he said, recovery time is likely to mean at least a week of hospitalization.

''Eighty is old but in this day and age, we do 80- and 90-year-old surgeries with no complications and fairly simple recovery,'' Manten said. "People pooh-pooh the health care system in Cuba but it's pretty good in the developing world. They have some very well-trained doctors.''

Could Castro recover in a week or so?

''He could be fine enough to get out of bed and function, although maybe not run a country right away,'' Manten said.

Miami Herald staff writer Evan S. Benn contributed to this report.

Celebrations abound outside restaurants, in streets

By Jennifer Mooney Piedra. jmooney@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

Dozens of people stood in front of La Carreta in Southwest Miami-Dade early Tuesday, honking, jumping up and down and shouting "Cuba libre.''

''We believe the commando has died. We think he died but they don't give that news that quickly,'' said Ramon Ortega, 55, of Miami, who came to Miami during Mariel 26 years ago. "We're going to Cuba soon.''

Ortega's 17-year-old daughter Iettel Ortega stood with her father waving a Cuban flag.

''I've never been to Cuba before,'' she said. "That's the first thing I am going to do is go there. All my life I have been waiting for the day Fidel died.''

Jose Reyes stood in the median of Bird Road and 87th Avenue with his nephew clutching on to a Cuban flag the size of a door.

Reyes was honoring his dead father who always wanted to see a free Cuba. The flag lay atop his father's casket when he died.

''When he died we put the flag in the closet waiting for this day. I hold it up proud for him.'' said Reyes, 46, from Kendall.

Nestor J. Navarro Jr., 58, was born in Cuba and lives in Mexico. In Miami on business, Navarro said he was optimistic but guarded since Castro's death has not been confirmed.

''This is the best time to be in Miami,'' Navarro said. "I hope this is a reality and we can really celebrate this in the next few days.''

Gladys Arce, 66, who lives in West Miami-Dade, said the last time she was in Cuba was 1960. ''I want him to pass away,'' she said. "When he dies I go back to Cuba.''

Alabama pilot who aided Cuban invasion leery of Castro's demise

Jay Reeves, Associated Press. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Retired military pilot Joe Shannon isn't writing off Fidel Castro in Cuba, and he's got good reason.

Shannon, 85, is one of the few surviving American fliers who participated in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. He fears Cuban exiles in Miami and elsewhere are getting excited too quickly over Castro giving up power to his younger brother Raul.

"I think the celebration might be a little premature," Shannon said Tuesday. "His brother is more radical than him, and a little younger. I think they'll have more of the same."

About 1,500 Cuban exiles trained under CIA guidance in Guatemala invaded the island in April 1961 in an unsuccessful bid to overthrow Castro's communist regime. Shannon was part of a contingent of about 60 Alabama National Guard members recruited to help because they flew B-26 bombers like those used by the Cuban military.

One of four Alabama pilots who flew a combat mission to Cuba during the Bay of Pigs, Shannon avoided Castro's T-33 fighter planes and escaped. Two Alabama guardsmen went down with their plane, and two others were shot to death after a crash landing.

"They survived the crash and were killed by the Cubans," said Shannon, who was barred from talking about the invasion for years because of national security.

Shannon said he never got to drop his load of napalm on a column of Cuban vehicles once his formation came under attack. Instead, he turned his B-26 into the path of a Cuban T-33 and stayed out of the pilot's sight by hugging the ocean.

"It was the only way I had to escape," he said. Another two-person crew from Alabama also got out alive.

The Bay of Pigs invasion ended after three days with about 100 invaders killed and another 1,000 captured by Cuban forces.

The Cuban government kept the body of one of the executed Alabama troops, Thomas "Pete" Ray, for years as proof Americans assisted with the failed invasion. His remains were returned to the United States in 1979 after years of attempts by his family and the U.S. government.

A judge in Miami in 2004 awarded more than $86 million to the daughter of Ray, Janet Weininger of Miami, who sued the Cuban government over her father's death.

Weininger, who has yet to collect any money, said she has heard from the relatives of several "Bay of Pigs people" since Castro ceded power.

"There's a lot of excitement. It is the beginning of hope," said Weininger, who was 6 when her father was killed.

Shannon remains friends with one of the Cuban pilots he helped train for the mission, but the State Department advised him against traveling to Cuba with a group from Duke University a few years ago because of his ties to the Bay of Pigs.

"Castro still had me on a hit list," said Shannon.

Political strategist, congressman weigh in on Castro

By Marc Caputo, mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006

Joe Garcia, a former director of the Cuban American National Foundation, said the United States would use military force if it perceives a serious threat of instability in Cuba.

''It just depends on the ifs. And there are a lot of them. God knows what could happen,'' said Garcia, now a Democratic strategist in Washington. "The instability is there in Cuba. The ruling people are in their 70s -- they're not fleet-footed. And they're not Castro, and he's the charismatic leader, he's the country. Without him, there is no Cuba as we have known it all these years.''

Garcia pointed out that Castro in 2004 bragged about refusing surgical anesthesia after suffering a bad fall. Not this time.

''This is very strange,'' U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart said. "It's unusual for that dictator, who refuses to give up power, to do this.

''We have the aid. We have the plans and we're ready to help the people of Cuba when they ask for freedom. And they want freedom,'' said Díaz-Balart, a Miami Republican who was related to Castro by marriage.

Experts doubt stress caused Castro's bleeding

By John Dorschner And Jacob Goldstein. jdorschner@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

Cuba's official explanation that stress caused Fidel Castro's bleeding is probably false or misleading, experts said.

''Stress is not playing a role here as far as I'm concerned,'' said Jeffrey B. Raskin, the the Unversity of Miami's interim chief of the division of gastroenterology.

His thoughts were backed up by experts at the Cleveland Clinic, Mount Sinai Medical Center and South Miami Hospital.

Noting that any thoughts he would give from afar on a patient he hadn't examined would be speculative, Raskin said he thought the bleeding might have been from a fairly serious cause if it could not be stopped by less invasive means, such as endoscopy -- snaking a small tube through the intestine to deal with the problem.

Raskin said Castro's age -- he will be 80 years old next month -- and his rumored Parkinson's condition -- could cause the surgery to be more complicated and dangerous. Raymond Sandler at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston said surgery on someone Castro's age would certainly be "high-risk.''

Jamie Barkin, chief of gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, questioned whether the use of the word ''complicated'' in describing the surgery was suspect because much gastrointestinal bleeding can be handled easily.

''Either that's a publicist's word or there's something wrong with him that's really bad,'' said Barkin. "It could be anything from inflammation to a tumor.''

Severe bleeding that would require complicated surgery, which is what the Cuban government announced, could be an indication of a broad range of serious problems, but Raskin said it was hard to know without more knowledge.

''They could be hiding something more serious,'' he said, but without further information, it was impossible to tell.

Peptic ulcers -- lesions in the stomach or the top part of the small intestine -- are the most common cause of ''high-volume, life-threatening'' intestinal bleeding, said Dr. Peter Kelsey, a Harvard gastroenterologist. Bleeding ulcers can often be treated with endoscopy and drugs, though in rare cases surgery is required.

Alfredo Rabassa, a gastroenterologist who works at South Miami Hospital, said it was possible stress could intensify problems with an existing condition, but would not by itself cause bleeding. Sandler at the Cleveland Clinic said it was ''basically a myth'' that stress caused stomach or intestinal bleeding.

Almost all ulcers are caused by some combination of a bacterial infection and the use of common painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen, Kelsey said. Castro was probably treated with drugs such as these after he broke two bones in a 2004 fall, but the drugs alone would not usually be enough to cause an ulcer serious enough to need surgery, Rabassa said.

Castro's bleeding might also be caused by colon cancer. In that case, the outlook would depend on the extent to which the cancer has spread. Typical treatment could include both chemotherapy and surgery to remove part of the colon.

In the official explanation given Monday night, a Cuban spokesman read a purported letter from Castro in which he said that his trip to Argentina and work commemorating the anniversary of the assault on the Moncada barracks involved "days and nights of continuous work, barely able to sleep, my health, which has withstood all trials, was subjected to extreme stress and broke down.

"This provoked an acute intestinal crisis, with sustained bleeding, that obliged me to face a complicated surgical operation. All details of this health accident are evident in the X-rays, endoscopies, and filmed materials. The operation obliges me to spend several weeks in repose, away from my responsibilities and duties.''

That explanation is so vague that it makes it impossible to know the root cause of the bleeding, doctors said. Dr. Charles Gerson, of the Mount Sinai school of Medicine in New York, listed a range of possibilities. His conclusion:

"Unless he has colon cancer that's spread, all of it is treatable''

In New Jersey, Cubans celebrate and speculate on future

Janet Frankston, Associated Press. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006

UNION CITY, N.J. - By the time Felix Alfonso's restaurant opened early Tuesday morning, Fidel Castro's surgery and his temporary turnover of power were clearly the specials of the day in this city filled with Cuban immigrants.

"It was definitely a topic of conversation as soon as we opened up," Alfonso said while making Cuban sandwiches for the afternoon lunch rush at El Artesano.

Residents said they and their fellow Cuban natives were rejoicing at the news that Castro underwent intestinal surgery and temporarily handed power to his brother Raul.

"We are very happy. I came to the United States in 1960. I've never been back to Cuba," said Carlos Barberia, 70, a former band conductor who was born in Cuba. "I want to go back to Cuba. I love my country."

Cuban government opponents said Castro's move gave them hope for eventual openings in the island's political and economic systems. In New Jersey, Barberia and others spread gossip that Castro will not return to power.

"The opinion that we have is Castro is dead," said Angel Yasell, 65, who was eating a Cuban sandwich for lunch. "I believe so and so do many Cubans."

As he spoke, Yasell's cell phone rang with friends calling to share the latest news.

"Everyone is jumping," he said. His friend Tony Perez called the day a big fiesta.

The turnover marked the first time that Castro, two weeks away from his 80th birthday, had relinquished power in 47 years of rule.

New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, whose parents left Cuba before he was born, welcomed the news and said the United States needs to "send a clear message to the Cuban people that we stand with them."

"We all have the same goal for the Cuban people: freedom and democracy," Menendez said. "I can only hope that the news that Fidel Castro has ceded power to his brother, Raul Castro, will bring us closer to that goal."

Some Cuban Americans were more measured than others in their comments.

Alfonso, 38, who left Cuba at age 2, said there are some mixed emotions when it comes to talking of Castro's death.

"Some people feel it's premature," said Alfonso, the restaurant's manager and co-owner. "Some feel it's the beginning of the end. Overall, there is a positive vibe."

Alfonso, whose shop is filled with maps of Cuba, posters of Havana and smells of empanadas and Cuban sandwiches, said it's unclear how the Cuban people would adapt if such a long regime ended.

"They're accustomed to a system," Alfonso said. "It's for the better of the country if that does happen and they will sacrifice for freedom."

Mario Sanchez, 43, said the day Cuban people have been waiting for could be near.

"It's good if he dies," said Sanchez, a mechanic who was born in Cuba and came to the U.S. in 1980. "And then the people will be free."

Either way, Sanchez said he does not plan to return to Cuba.

"I'm staying here," he said. "If he dies, Cuba's politics are going to change. People want to be free."

Castro's temporary hand-over reveals deep involvement in government details

By Pablo Bachelet, pbachelet@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006.

WASHINGTON - Fidel Castro has long been known for his personal involvement in the minutiae of government, personally overseeing such tasks as meeting sugar production quotas or refurbishing energy plants.

His proclamation on Monday declaring he was temporarily transfering power to his brother Raúl reveals just how much Castro controlled Cuba after ruling for 47 years -- and two weeks short of his 80th birthday.

Castro delegated to his designated successor Raúl his triple functions as first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, commander in chief of the armed forces, and his position as president of the Council of State and Government.

But he passed on day-to-day roles in health, education and energy to other members of his entourage, revealing the extent of his involvement in lesser-known areas.

He passed on to José Ramón Balaguer, the minister of public health, his functions as ''principal promoter of the national and international program of public health'' -- which includes Cuba's vast international doctor exchange programs.

Similarly, he delegated to José Ramón Machado and Esteban Lazo Hernández, both members of the Political Bureau, his role as "principal promoter of the national and international program of education.''

His functions as ''principal promoter of the national program of the energy revolution in Cuba'' was passed on to Carlos Lage, a member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers.

Castro has always prided himself in what he says were his government's achievements in health and education, and he pushed for an energy ''revolution'' aimed at making Cuba more energy efficient.

The statement says the money for those programs ''must continue to be managed and prioritized, as I have been doing personally,'' by a commission that includes Lage; Francisco Soberón Valdés, the head of Cuba's Central Bank, and Felipe Pérez Roque, the foreign minister.

Castro's involvement in detail is well known. In March, Castro received a delegation of U.S. energy experts and academics to discuss energy issues and spoke to them for eight hours. At one point, he read out Cuba's hour-by-hour energy consumption, commenting on specific spikes and the reasons behind them.

Bloggers report on Miami reactions

By Evan S. Benn, ebenn@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006

South Florida's bloggers began to buzz when news of Castro's announcement rippled around 10 p.m. Monday.

A Miami-based blog called Stuck on the Palmetto, which posts commentaries about South Florida life, logged a Castro announcement at 10:12 p.m.:

"Could this be the beginning of the end? The champagne is being chilled in Little Havana.''

Another, Critical Miami, posted a photo of Raúl Castro waving a Cuban flag around text updates of Miami celebrations and links to news articles about the Cuba situation.

From Critical Miami's 12:50 a.m. update this morning: "Channel 4 just replayed the announcement that Castro's office manager read, and it's some crazy stuff.''

Official: Castro's last moment 'far away'

Vanessa Arrington, Associated Press. Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006

HAVANA - Cuba's Communist government tried to impose a sense of normalcy Tuesday, its first day in 47 years without Fidel Castro in charge. A senior Cuban official insisted Castro's final moment is still "very far away," despite his handing over power to his brother after surgery.

Parliament Speaker Ricardo Alarcon said the Cuban leader is known for fighting through to the very end but that his "final moment is still very far away," the government's Prensa Latina news service reported.

Alarcon also expressed disgust over celebrations taking place in Miami's Cuban exile community, "vomit-provoking acts" he said were being led by "mercenaries and terrorists."

He called on Cubans to unite and follow the example of Castro, who "watches over every detail and takes measures to confront any enemy aggression."

U.S. visitors less welcome in Cuba

As part of a shifting of diplomatic priorities, Cuba is refusing visas to some U.S. delegations, but is maintaining its interest in U.S. visitors looking to do business on the island.

By Pablo Bachelet, pbachelet@MiamiHerald.com. Posted on Mon, Jul. 31, 2006

WASHINGTON - The Cuban government has become more selective of the U.S. groups that it allows in, disillusioned with efforts to lobby for easing U.S. sanctions and trying to shift its foreign policy priorities elsewhere, Cuba watchers say.

Organizers of two missions -- one of congressional staff members and another of former chiefs of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Cuba -- say they have been denied visas in recent months. But more trade-related missions have been given the green light.

''My guess is that they are having some discussions over foreigners coming, and until they come to some agreement, they're going to sort of hold off,'' said Wayne Smith of the Center for International Policy, a liberal Washington think tank that promotes more contacts with Cuba.

Smith was organizing the delegation of former heads of the U.S. Interests Section, which serves as a quasi-

embassy, as the two countries have no formal diplomatic relations. Smith is a former Interests Section chief and has been critical of U.S. policy toward Cuba.

Many experts believe the rejections underscore the increasingly low priority that the United States represents for Cuban leader Fidel Castro's government.

''For well over a year, they have judged, correctly, that there is little chance that Congress is going to force a change in U.S. policy,'' said Phil Peters, a Cuba analyst with the conservative Lexington Institute think tank, based in Arlington, Va. "So they turn their diplomatic energies to greener pastures, where the political and economic benefits are greater: Venezuela, China, Mercosur.''

U.S. officials have estimated that Cuba receives up to $2 billion in subsidies from Venezuela, and experts say China is Havana's second-biggest trading partner when donations and other subsidies are included. Cuba has also signed cooperation agreements with the Mercosur trade bloc, made up of Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Paraguay and Uruguay.

This month, Castro traveled to Argentina to attend the latest Mercosur trade summit.

In contrast, the Bush administration has systematically tightened the enforcement of sanctions against Cuba, making it harder for Cuban Americans to travel to the island and send remittances or gift parcels. It has cracked down on everything from religious and student exchanges to banking and agricultural transactions with the island.

Efforts by some lawmakers and Cuban lobbyists to ease or overturn those sanctions have been systematically defeated, first by a White House veto threat and, since mid-2005, by a majority in the House of Representatives opposed to any changes in U.S. policy.

The Cuban Interests Section in Washington did not return calls seeking comment, but Cuba appears to retain an interest in receiving U.S. visitors focused on business.

Kirby Jones, who for almost 30 years has been advising U.S. businesses that want to do business with Cuba, says he has not been affected by Cuba's new selectivity.

Earlier this month, he took a business delegation from Corpus Christi, Texas, headed by Rep. Salomon Ortiz, the Democratic congressman from the area.

''It all worked out very well, standard operating procedures,'' he said.

But he added that ''the U.S. is less relevant to Cuba than it ever has been'' and that Cubans have concluded that under President Bush, "any change of policy is going to be difficult, if not impossible, and what can be done will be done at the margins.''

The Corpus Christi delegation met with Cuban economic officials and had dinner with Ricardo Alarcón, president of the Cuban National Assembly.

In March, the World Security Institute, a Washington group that promotes research and understanding of international issues, took a delegation of academics and energy specialists to Havana and met with Castro for eight hours.

Some specialists believe Cuba may be deliberately refusing some U.S. delegations so that organizers complain more to Congress and the media.

Cuba goes through ''peaks and valleys'' in assessing the need for visible relationships with the United States, said John S. Kavulich, a senior policy advisor with the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a group in New York City that keeps tabs on U.S.-Cuba economic ties.

Like a Cuban cigar, he said, the more it is restricted, the more people want one.

Cuba ''feels muscular as a result of its relationship with Venezuela and China,'' Kavulich said, and by ''implying that the United States is no longer important'' those wanting to participate in the delegations will complain that Washington is missing an opportunity to be relevant in Cuba.

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