Thread: Cuba concern over US Castro plans

Cuba concern over US Castro plans
By Emilio San Pedro
BBC News



Castro will celebrate his 80th birthday in August
A senior Cuban official has sharply criticised a US report on the future of Cuba after Fidel Castro leaves office.

A draft of the report calls for a "democracy fund" to boost opposition to Cuba's communist government.

The report is being issued by the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, created by President George W Bush in 2003.

Cuba's government has had notoriously bad relations with Washington for well over 45 years.

For the government, the fact that the US would plan for the day when Fidel Castro's time in power ends should come as no surprise.

However, the president of the Cuban parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, feels there is cause for anger and even concern.

Mr Alarcon describes the report as nothing short of an aberration which should be read as an act of war, as it publicly contemplates how to bring the government of a sovereign foreign nation to an end.

Speculation ongoing

A draft version of the report by the commission, a final version of which is due out next week, calls on President Bush to create an $80m pro-democracy fund to boost support for political opponents of the island's communist government.

It also says that Cuba, along with its political ally Venezuela, is a threat to political and democratic stability in Latin America.

And it says President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela has been subverting democracy in Cuba by giving money and financial assistance to the Cuban government.

One thing is certain: speculation on what will happen in Cuba when President Castro dies or is no longer capable of governing the country has been on the increase in recent months, and not only in Washington.

The Cuban leader, who has been in power since 1959, turns 80 in August.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5136736.stm?ls

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How many of you are tired of so much of our tax dollars going to foreign countries everywhere?
Just think how many American's could be helped with all this money flowing to foreigners!

moosetracks,

Regardless of what the understandably rabid anti-Castro folk here want, the 'experts' on Cuba down here, have been interviewed on local TV, saying that they believe that Castro's brother &/or the military will take power after Castro dies.

I agree, things will stay the same in Cuba with the backing of Argentina and Bolivia helping them.

Chavez is dangerous and MUST not be underestimated

Too bad the Cubans who are in the USA who came here to escape don't gather their forces and go wish the old codger a happy birthday.

Junius

That's exactly what I told one 20+ year old Cuban who TOLD me that it was the USA's responsibility to remove Castro from office.

I told him that Russia was gone now from the scene, and that why didn't the anti-Castro forces here, do what Castro did, go into the mountains and from there, mount a coup.

HE glared at me, then left me alone after that.

It is up to the people of that country if they want a new government to change things. We have enough issues here to deal with. Let them deal with theirs. With regards to Bush giving money to support an anti-communist effort down there. Take care of our own first George.

I CANNOT STAND CASTRO!

Cuba si!

Castro no!

Originally Posted by curiouspat

Junius

That's exactly what I told one 20+ year old Cuban who TOLD me that it was the USA's responsibility to remove Castro from office.

I told him that Russia was gone now from the scene, and that why didn't the anti-Castro forces here, do what Castro did, go into the mountains and from there, mount a coup.

HE glared at me, then left me alone after that.

Another Bay of Pigs? laughs Just send a few Divsions of US Infantry in there and end it once and for all, case closed and Chavez should be next!

That's exactly what I told one 20+ year old Cuban who TOLD me that it was the USA's responsibility to remove Castro from office.

I don't know what makes these damn fools think that it is our responsibility to take back their countries for them. They snuck into this country and got automatic amnesty in exchange for their crime of sneaking in. Isn't that enough?

DD-- nobody can stand Castro. probably Castro's own family can't stand Castro. Therefore if people who are in this country still calling themselves "Cubans" as opposed to Americans want their country back, then they should jump back on the same boats that brought them and go after Castro themselves. I'll sit on the shore and cheer them on if I can get a guarantee that they will never come back here.

People who don't want to be American citizens shoudn't be in our schools, in our hospitals and in our jobs. People who call themselves something else even though they possess papers that say they are American citizens don't deserve to be here. Every time I hear that dork, Martinez talk about how he came here illegally, I want to puke!