By Pascal Fletcher
HAVANA, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Bulldozers and work crews replaced angry protesters on Monday in front of Havana's U.S. diplomatic mission -- the scene of recent demonstrations for the return of 6-year-old shipwreck survivor Elian Gonzalez.
Earth-moving vehicles leveled out a long section of ground, sweeping away lawns, shrubs and pavement in front of the mission, one of the most closely watched and heavily guarded buildings on the communists
island.
Last month, President Fidel Castro ordered that the open space in front of the U.S. Interests Section should be converted into a ``permanent stage'' for Cuba's youth to participate in public activities, especially political ones.
In a country where most ordinary citizens find it hard to obtain building materials and where some public works drag on for months, the construction project was clearly top priority.
Started last Saturday, work was going ahead day and night, illuminated by floodlights. Traffic was diverted by police around the building site.
Despite the rush, few people, not even the builders, were exactly sure what would finally be erected on the site.
``It's a public park,'' Martha Aosta, the engineer in charge of the initial construction work, told Reuters. ``It could have a monument, a fountain or millions of things,'' she said.
``It doesn't have a name for the moment, but it will have,'' she added. But she could not say what the name would be or if it was linked to Cuba's campaign to obtain the return of Elian, the subject of a politically charged custody dispute between Cuba and the United States.
Elian has been staying with relatives in Miami since he was rescued in the Atlantic Ocean on Nov. 25 by fishermen. His mother and 10 other illegal migrants died when their boat capsized in a bid to flee Cuba for the United States. Elian survived two days and nights on an inner tube.
The boy's father in Cuba, strongly backed by the Cuban government, is demanding he be returned to the island.
It is not the first time there has been a plan for a politically motivated monument in front of the U.S. mission.
In April 1997, Cuban officials announced that a 60-foot (20-metre) concrete and steel monument by Brazilian socialist architect Oscar Niemeyer and depicting Cuba's resistance to the U.S. economic embargo would be constructed in front of the U.S. Interests Section.
But there has been no visible work on that project so far.
For years a huge propaganda billboard faced the U.S. mission.
The brightly coloured billboard, which showed a Cuban militiaman thumbing his nose at a caricature of Uncle Sam with the caption, ``Gentlemen imperialists, we are not in the slightest bit frightened of you,'' had been popular with sightseers, especially visitors from the United States.
But it was taken down in December to make way for other billboards depicting Elian and calling for his return.
15:39 01-17-00
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