Fidel Castro Takes Blame for Persecution of Cuban Gays
BBC: Fidel Castro has said that he is ultimately responsible for the persecution suffered by homosexuals in Cuba after the revolution of 1959.

The former president told the Mexican newspaper La Jornada that there were moments of great injustice against the gay community.

"If someone is responsible, it's me," he said.

In the 1960s and 70s, many homosexuals in Cuba were fired, imprisoned or sent to "re-education camps".

Mr Castro said homosexuals had traditionally been discriminated in Cuba, just as black people and women.

But, nevertheless, he admits he didn't pay enough attention to what was going on against the gay community.

"At the time we were being sabotaged systematically, there were armed attacks against us, we had too many problems," said the 84-year-old Communist leader.

"Keeping one step ahead of the CIA, which was paying so many traitors, was not easy."

In 1979, homosexuality was decriminalised and, more recently, there have been efforts to legalise same-sex unions. >>> | Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Fidel Castro signe son retour
leJDD.fr: Fidel Castro s’est exprimé samedi devant le parlement cubain lors d’une séance extraordinaire convoquée à sa demande. Une première depuis que le chef historique de la révolution cubaine a cédé le pouvoir à son frère Raul.

L'ancien président cubain Fidel Castro s'est exprimé devant le parlement cubain pour la première fois depuis 2006. Photo : leJDD.fr
Seulement douze minutes à la tribune mais déjà un événement. L’apparition de Fidel Castro à la tribune du parlement cubain est sa première apparition depuis son opération intestinale, il y a quatre ans. L’occasion d’une séance extraordinaire au Parlement au cours de laquelle l’ancien président a évoqué le risque d’une guerre nucléaire entre les Etats-Unis et l’Iran. Accueilli par les vivats de l’hémicycle, le chef historique de la révolution cubaine s’est contenté de douze minutes de discours déjà écrit, lui qui était habitué à de longs monologues de plusieurs heures. Un discours de 12 minutes >>> Mustapha Sandid, leJDD.fr | Samedi 07 Août 2010

Cuba to Relax State Control of the Economy
THE TELEGRAPH: Raul Castro has said that his government will scale back controls on small businesses, lay off unnecessary workers and allow more self-employment - significant steps in a country where the state dominates nearly every facet of the economy.

Fidel Castro (left) and brother Raul. Photo: The Telegraph
Cuba's president, however, quashed notions of a sweeping overhaul to the country's communist economic system in response to the financial crisis it is facing.

"With experience accumulated in more than 55 years of revolutionary struggle, it doesn't seem like we're doing too badly, nor that desperation or frustration have been our companions along the way," the president said.

Speaking in parliament, Castro said that authorities would "update the Cuban economic model," suggesting reforms could be on the horizon. Cuban officials plan to reduce state control of small businesses, authorize more Cubans to become self-employed and build a new tax structure that will compel state employees to contribute more. >>> | Monday, August 02, 2010

Raúl Castro to Allow Cubans More Private Sector Jobs
THE GUARDIAN: Leader says prohibitions on licences and commercialisation will be rolled back in effort to reduce 'bloated' state sector

More Cubans will be allowed to work for themselves and hire their own workers, the country's president has said, while ruling out wholesale reform of the communist economy.

Raúl Castro, who was speaking to parliament at the opening of its biannual session, said the steps were aimed at creating jobs as the government seeks to cut jobs from the public sector over the next five years.

About 95% of all Cubans work for the government and Castro suggested that as many as one in five state employees were redundant in what he called a "bloated" state sector.

Castro said those left out of work would be retrained or reassigned to other jobs but warned that few sectors would be immune to cuts. While sketchy, his comments signalled a liberalisation of the economy at a time of financial crisis. Raúl Castro took power from Fidel, first temporarily, then permanently, in July 2006. He has a reputation for being more pragmatic than his brother. >>> Mark Tran | Monday, August 02, 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Raul Castro will den Sozialismus zukunftsfähig machen: Kuba erlaubt Privatwirtschaft im Kleinen– Die kommunistische Führung in Kuba hat beschlossen, Kleinbetriebe mit Angestellten zuzulassen und den Staatsapparat verkleinern. Präsident Raul Castro will so das soziale System des Landes für die Zukunft erhalten. >>> sda/dpa | Montag, 02. August 2010

Fidel Castro Returns to TV with Dire Warning of Nuclear Conflict
THE GUARDIAN: In rare appearance, Cuba's former president, 82, analyses Middle East situation and says Iran will not be cowed by the US

The Middle East is on the verge of a nuclear war triggered by a US attack on Iran in the name of preventing the country from developing its own weapons, according to ageing Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro.

"To do this on the basis of a calculation that the Iranians are going to come running out to ask the Yankees for forgiveness is absurd," Castro said. "They [the US] will encounter a terrible resistance that will spread the conflict that cannot end up any other way than turning nuclear."

The former Cuban president said Israel would throw the first bomb, but the risk that red buttons would also be pressed in Pakistan and India was latent.

Castro made the prediction on Cuban TV last night, in a dramatic return to public life after four years in near-seclusion.

"The US is activating the machinery to destroy Iran," he said. "But the Iranians have been building up a defensive force little by little for years."

Castro said attacking Iran would have a very different result from invading Iraq. "When Bush attacked Iraq, Iraq was a divided country," he said. "Iran is not divided."

The Cuban leader also emphasised that India, Pakistan and Israel are the three nuclear powers who have refused to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

"The control that Israel has over the United States is enormous."

"US foreign policy is better described as the policy of total impunity." (+ video) >>> Jo Tuckman in Mexico City | Tuesday, July 13, 2010



THE TELEGRAPH: Fidel Castro returns to Cuban TV: Fidel Castro appeared relaxed and lucid in his most prominent television interview in years Monday. >>> | Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Cuba's Fidel Castro Hails Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize
THE TELEGRAPH: Cuba's Fidel Castro is the latest world leader to opine on the controversial award of the Nobel peace prize to President Barack Obama.

But the endorsement of the veteran communist revolutionary may be the last thing Mr Obama wanted, as his words will only strengthen conservative complaints that the prize was an anti-American gesture.

The former dictator, who handed power to his brother Raul last year after falling seriously ill, made clear that he believed the award was primarily a repudiation of Mr Obama's predecessors.

"Many believe that he still has not earned the right to receive such a distinction," he wrote in a column published in state media. "But we would like to see, more than a prize for the US president, a criticism of the genocidal policies that have been followed by more than a few presidents of that country."

Mr Castro, 83, who has spent half a century railing at international bodies, said he had often disagreed with the choice of Norway's Nobel judges.

But this time, he noted modestly, "I must admit that in this case, in my opinion, it was a positive step". >>> Philip Sherwell in New York and Leonard Doyle in Washington | Saturday, October 10, 2009

Fidel Castro, 83 ans, toujours là
leJDD.fr: Fidel Castro fête ce jeudi ses 83 ans. L'ancien dirigeant cubain, qui n'est pas apparu en public depuis trois ans, conserve une certaine influence sur la vie politique de l'île.

"La mémoire de la révolution." C'est en ces termes que Granma, le journal du Parti communiste cubain, évoque Fidel Castro. L'homme fête ses 83 ans ce jeudi et, à cette occasion, une exposition lui est consacrée à La Havane. "Ces photographies promeuvent nos souvenirs et nos sentiments, mais surtout, elles transcendent le temps, et demain, elles seront les témoins de moments historiques", poursuit le quotidien officiel, lyrique. A Cuba, toute l'île rend hommage ce jeudi à son "Lider Maximo" – titre qu'il avait lui-même inventé -, et ce, bien qu'il ne soit plus apparu en public depuis trois ans. Seules des photos et des vidéos – notamment à l'occasion des nombreuses visites du président vénézuélien Hugo Chavez – ont été diffusées.

Mais Fidel Castro continue à influer sur la vie politique de l'île, notamment au travers des nombreux éditoriaux publiés dans la presse officielle. Récemment encore, il dénonçait le coup d'Etat perpétré au Honduras contre le président Manuel Zelaya. Si de l'avis des observateurs, l'ancien président reste aux affaires, il est difficile de dire de quelle façon. Nombreux sont ceux qui s'interrogent notamment sur l'influence, réelle ou supposée, qu'il a sur son frère, Raul, qui a pris les rênes du pouvoir l'an dernier. "Je pense que c'est encore un partenariat, mais que Raul est maintenant le principal partenaire. Fidel n'est plus capable de s'impliquer dans les affaires quotidiennes", analyse pour Reuters Brian Latell, chercheur à l'Institut pour les études cubaines de l'université de Miami. >>> Marianne Enault, leJDD.fr | Jeudi 13 Août 2009

Fidel Castro offenbar wieder erstarkt: Neues Foto zeigt Máximo Líder in unerwartet guter Verfassung
NZZ ONLINE: Fidel Castro scheint bei besserer Gesundheit zu sein als vermutet. In einer Ausstellung in Havanna ist ein Foto gezeigt worden, das sein Sohn kürzlich von ihm gemacht hat. Mit gestutztem Bart und weisser Sportjacke sieht Castro erholt und vital aus.

In Kuba ist anlässlich des 83. Geburtstages von Fidel Castro an diesem Donnerstag ein Foto des Ex-Präsidenten veröffentlicht worden, das ihn in unerwartet guter Verfassung zeigt.

Die Aufnahme ist Teil einer Ausstellung in der kubanischen Hauptstadt und stammt von Fidels Sohn Alex Castro, einem professionellen Fotografen. Dieser hat seinen Vater mit gestutztem Bart und weisser Sportjacke im Gespräch mit anderen Personen nach eigenen Angaben erst vor kurzem fotografiert. >>> sda/dpa | Donnerstag, 13. August 2009

Raul Castro: Cuba Will Never Renounce the Revolution
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Cuban president Raul Castro has warned the US and Europe he will not 'restore capitalism' and will never renounce the revolution.

Mr Castro said the Caribbean country's socialist political system was non-negotiable.

In a speech marking the end of the annual parliamentary session, which has been dominated by Cuba's grave economic crisis, he said he would be willing to "discuss everything" with foreign leaders except the island's political and social system.

The Cuban leader, who succeeded his ailing brother Fidel Castro as president three years ago, said he wanted to respond to comments by Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, who has linked dialogue with Cuba to democratic reform in the country.

"With all due respect, in response to Mrs Clinton, but also to the European Union ... I was not chosen as president to restore capitalism to Cuba or to renounce the revolution," he said to applause from Cuban politicians.

"I was chosen to defend, maintain and continue to perfect socialism, not to destroy it," said Mr Castro. >>> The Telegraph’s Foreign Staff and Agencies in Havana | Sunday, August 02, 2009

Fidel's Words Cool US-Cuba Hopes
BBC: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro says President Barack Obama misinterpreted recent comments by his brother Raul about a possible thaw in US-Cuba ties.

Fidel Castro makes frequent comments about current affairs. Photo courtesy of the BBC
President Raul Castro said last week Cuba was ready to discuss "everything".

Mr Obama responded by saying the US sought new ties with Cuba but linked progress to advances in human rights and the freeing of political prisoners.

In an essay on a government website, Fidel Castro suggested it was up to the US not Cuba to change to improve ties.

"Without doubt, President [Obama] misinterpreted Raul's declaration," Fidel Castro wrote in an article on the CubaDebate website.

Raul Castro's offer "to broach any subject", the article said, was meant to show "courage and confidence in the principles of the revolution".

Correspondents say Fidel Castro appears to be trying to dampen expectations of a possible improvement in ties, by suggesting that too much has been read into Raul's offer to discuss everything. >>> | Wednesday, April 22, 2009