No sign of Fidel Castro at Cuba parade

No sign of Fidel Castro at Cuba parade
(Reuters)
2 December 2006

HAVANA - Thousands of troops marched through the streets of Havana on
Saturday in a massive military parade marking Fidel Castro's 80th
birthday, but there was no sign of the ailing leader.

The event, expected to last perhaps 1 1/2 hours, is being closely
watched to see if Castro is well enough to appear in public for the
first time since he had intestinal surgery in late July and temporarily
turned over power to his brother, defence minister Raul Castro.

Raul Castro gave a speech to the several thousand people gathered in
Havana's Revolution Square, but only quoted from a past speech by his
brother and at the end shouted "Viva Fidel."

He said nothing about his absence or his state of health, but praised
the Cuban people for showing "maturity" the past four months.

Raul Castro also blasted the United States for, among other things, its
decades-long trade embargo and general hostility toward Cuba.

He did leave the door open to improving relations with the U.S. saying,
"We take this opportunity to once again state that we are willing to
resolve at the negotiating table the longstanding dispute between the
United States and Cuba."

Castro's health and questions about his future have overshadowed the
military display that experts say is a show of muscle to anyone who
thinks communist Cuba is vulnerable because of uncertainty about the man
who has led it for 47 years.

The parade began with Raul Castro riding on a jeep through Havana's main
square after a 21-gun salute.

His speech was followed by long columns of soldiers and civilians
estimated to number about 300,000 and a replica of the Granma, the
leaking yacht that carried Castro and his small band of rebels from
Mexico to Cuba on Dec. 2, 1956 to start the revolution that put him in
power in 1959.

The event included tanks, rocket launchers and MiG jet fighters provided
by the Soviet Union, which was Cuba's biggest benefactor before its
collapse in 1991.

The loss of Soviet aid forced the Revolutionary Armed Forces to cut its
troop strength by 80 percent. It is now believed to have no more than
60,000 active-duty soldiers.

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