Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hints that ex-Cuban leader may have
taken turn for worse
By Ray Sanchez | Havana Bureau
January 14, 2009
HAVANA - The question is swirling on the streets of Cuba: Where is Fidel?
The ailing 82-year-old hasn't appeared publicly in more than two years.
He hasn't written one of his "Reflections" in the official press in four
weeks. On the 50th anniversary of his revolution, the former president
issued only a 16-word New Year's Day statement congratulating the Cuban
people.
Then, Sunday, one of Fidel Castro's closest friends, Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez, fanned the flames.
"That Fidel in uniform who walked the streets and towns at daybreak,
embracing the people, will not return," Chavez said during his Sunday
television and radio program. "That will remain a memory."
Chavez, who has emerged as a sort of spokesman for the aging
revolutionary, did not discuss Castro's condition or say why he believed
Castro would not return to the public stage.
In Biran, the town in eastern Holguin province where the Castro brothers
were born, Castro's prolonged absence and silence has provoked some anxiety.
"People have been asking because he hasn't been shown in a long time,"
said Martin Castro, 79, half brother of the former president. "I called
Havana the other day and they said he was regular. But they wouldn't
give me any more information."
Martin Castro is family, but he holds no position in the Communist Party
hierarchy and has no special knowledge of his older brother's condition
other than news his eldest brother, Ramon Castro, and other officials
bring when they visit.
"One of Fidel's assistants was at the family house recently and he said
Fidel was fine, but we don't know," he said.
"Where is El Caballo?" asked Ernesto, a 41-year-old hotel security guard
in the capital, using one of Castro's nicknames, the Horse. "Of course,
every Cuban feels his absence. He isn't writing. There're no new photos.
What's happening?"
Castro was last seen publicly on July 26, 2006, days before he underwent
emergency intestinal surgery. Since then, Cuban authorities have
periodically released photos and videos of Castro with Chavez and other
foreign leaders.
His last "Reflections" column appeared on Dec. 15. The last published
photo of Castro was released Nov. 18 after meeting with Chinese
President Hu Jintao. In recent weeks, the Cuban press has been
publishing his old speeches.
U.S.-based analysts said Chavez's remarks could mean that Castro's
health has deteriorated after months in which he appeared to gain
strength and weight.
"Does this mean Fidel is worse?" asked Vicki Huddleston, a Cuba expert
and former head of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. "Is it a
reiteration that Fidel is not coming back or is it just to underline
that Raul really is in charge?"
Huddleston said the both the Cuban people and the government have had
ample time to prepare for Castro's demise.
The days after Castro stepped down in 2006 "was the most volatile time,"
she said. Now though, she continued, "I just don't have the feeling that
the Cuban people are going to react in any way that is not controllable."
Brian Latell, a former CIA analyst and author of the book After Fidel,
said a "standard indicator" of a downturn in Castro's health or even
death would be a sudden increase in security on the streets. That has
not been the case in Havana in recent days.
In contrast to the reaction in Cuba, Chavez's comments hardly caused a
stir in Miami. Spanish talk radio hosts briefly mentioned the incident
with other news of the day on anti-Castro stations like Radio Mambi and
La Poderosa.
Castro's failing health isn't big news to Cuban exiles anymore, said
Jorge Rodriguez, director of La Poderosa, AM 670, and Radio Cadena Azul,
AM 1550. The community has been waiting for the day too long, he said.
"It's not significant anymore. It gets to the point where it becomes
agonizing ... where all the excitement is lost," he said.
Staff Writer Alexia Campbell in Miami contributed to this report.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-flbcuba0114sbjan14,0,1838678.story
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