By Anita Snow. Associated Press Writer. Posted Tuesday,
January 1, 2002 in the The Miami Herald
HAVANA -- (AP) -- The government promised Tuesday to fight for the
repatriation of five Cuban agents sentenced in Miami on espionage charges as it
celebrated the 43rd anniversary of the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to
power.
"Cuban men and women, we toast this heroic nation capable of so many
great achievements, the revolution that illuminates our hopes, for the return of
the heroes to the homeland,'' read the government's New Year's message,
published on the front page of the Communist Party daily Granma.
Jan. 1 is the most important day on communist Cuba's calendar, marking the
day in 1959 that Castro and his bearded revolutionaries entered the eastern city
of Santiago after dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the country.
No large public events were held here on New Year's Eve, when most Cubans
celebrate the holiday at home with their families. The government did organize a
series of public concerts for Tuesday evening, featuring well-known performers
such as nonagenarian musician Compay Segundo and the Los Van Van band.
This year's Jan. 1 message indicates that the government plans to devote as
much time and energy to the fight for the five agents as it did to the battle
for the repatriation of boat-wreck survivor Elian Gonzalez. The child was
returned to Cuba in June 2000 after a seven-month custody battle between his
family in Miami and his father on the island.
The battle over the five spies has not created the kind of sympathy among
average Americans or Cubans that the fight for Elian did.
But it has become a top priority for Castro. Last week, he called a special
session of the National Assembly, which unanimously agreed to bestow the title
of "Heroes of the Republic of Cuba'' on the five men convicted on charges
of spying on the United States.
After a six-month trial, the men were given sentences ranging from 10 years
to life in prison for espionage conspiracy and lesser counts.
Castro says the men are patriots who were protecting their country from
possible terrorist attacks.
During the special parliamentary session on Saturday, Castro told the
assembly that because of the men's importance, 2002 would be officially known as
the "Year of the Heroic Prisoners of the Empire'' -- the "empire''
being the United States. The Cuban government regularly chooses a slogan for
each year, which is then used in official correspondence and in state media
instead of the year's number.
In its New Year message, Havana also mentioned the country's economic
problems, deepened by world recession, the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United
States and widespread damage caused by Hurricane Michelle.
The message said Cubans were working together to recovery from the damage
the hurricane caused in early November. "Not a single Cuban was forgotten
in the tragedy,'' the letter said.
It also repeated earlier government estimates that the Cuban economy grew 3
percent during 2001, despite a drop in tourism and sinking prices for Cuban
exports.
Copyright 2001 Miami Herald | 
