castledoom.com

[s_stabeler]

Fidel Castro announces retirement
Fidel Castro has not been seen in public since his operation in July
Castro's career
Cuba's ailing leader Fidel Castro has announced he will not return to the presidency, in a letter published by official Communist Party paper, Granma.

"I neither will aspire to, nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief," he wrote in the letter.

Mr Castro handed over power temporarily to his brother, Raul, in July 2006 when he underwent intestinal surgery.

The 81-year-old has ruled Cuba since leading a communist revolution in 1959.

In December, Mr Castro indicated that he might possibly step down in favour of younger leaders, saying "my primary duty is not to cling to any position".

Soon afterwards, Raul Castro appeared to suggest that his older brother still had an important political role to play, saying the president still had full use of his mental faculties and was being consulted on all important policy issues.

'No saying farewell'

In the letter, published on Granma's website during the middle of the night in Cuba, Mr Castro said he would not accept another five-year term as president when the National Assembly meets on Sunday, because of the health problems.

My only wish is to fight as a soldier of ideas
Fidel Castro
Letter published in Granma

"It would betray my conscience to take up a responsibility that requires mobility and total devotion, that I am not in a physical condition to offer," he wrote.

However, Mr Castro insisted he was "not saying farewell".

"My only wish is to fight as a soldier of ideas," he added. "I will continue writing under the title, Reflections of Comrade Fidel."

"I will be one more weapon in the arsenal that you can count on. Perhaps my voice will be heard. I will be careful."

The National Assembly is widely expected to elect 76-year-old Raul Castro as his successor, although analysts say there is speculation about a possible generational jump with Vice-President Carlos Lage Davila, 56, a leading contender.

If elected, Raul Castro has indicated that major economic reforms could be on the way.


FIDEL CASTRO
Born in 1926 to a wealthy, landowning family
Took up arms in 1953, six years before coming to power
Brother Raul was deputy and Che Guevara third in command
Has outlasted nine American presidents
Target of many CIA assassination plots
Daughter is a dissident exile in Miami

The BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says nobody knows whether Mr Castro's decision not to seek another five-year term has been prompted by a decline in his health - it has been an official secret since the moment he was taken ill.

The president has not been seen in public for 18 months, although the government occasionally releases photographs and pre-edited video of him meeting visiting leaders from around the world.

Last month, Mr Castro was shown talking to his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who described him as being lucid and in good health.

Mixed legacy

In power since he led a communist revolution which ousted the regime of President Fulgencio Batista in 1959, Mr Castro has been a dominant force in Latin American politics and a thorn in the side of the United States.

Under his leadership, Cuba underwent an economic and social transformation. Most foreign and local businesses were nationalised, land reform was introduced, and education and health care for the poor improved.

His government saw off an early threat from Cuban exiles, backed by the US, who launched an abortive invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961.

The following year saw the Cuban missile crisis, when the US and the Soviet Union came to the brink of war over the presence of Soviet nuclear warheads in Cuba.

Mr Castro also backed a string of left-wing leaders in South America and Africa and, in 1975, sent thousands of troops to fight in Angola.

It is said that Mr Castro has been the target of many CIA-sponsored assassination plots as a result of such policies - in 1999 a Cuban interior ministry official put the figure at 637.

Our correspondent says the news of his retirement will take some digesting by Cubans, 70% of whom have known no other leader.

Mr Castro will leave a mixed legacy, he adds, with both friend and foe recognising him as an iconic leader and major figure in the post-war era.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/7252109.stm

Published: 2008/02/19 09:53:23 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

I thought he wasn't going to return to power, but it looks like George W Bush certainly did one think no other US president has done ( outlasted castro) opinions?

[ExarKun]

I just heard about it this morning too. Not real sure what it will do for us, will there be an easier to work with ruler? Or a worse one (which would be intresting to see)

[s_stabeler]

it's likely to be Castro's brother, Raul Castro, who is usually thought of as more extreme than Fidel. although they could pass the presidency to a younger generation, which could then be better, i don't know.

[broomdalf]

We have consistently refused to work with Cuba against our best interests due to the voting blocks of angry Cubans anyways. Are things going to really change when the guy that has been running Cuba for the last two years is running Cuba?

I mean, seriously, we mended relations with Vietnam... I mean, we certainly could have tried actually engaging in diplomacy with Castro instead of just shaking our finger at him and saying "Bad! Bad!" for overthrowing our puppet regime and never talking to him again... For crazed pompous socialist leaders of semi-backwards countries though, he doesn't seem like that bad of a guy... I don't think the Cubans in FL will be happy unless we try to invade them again or something though. Politics seem to overrule pragmatism here.

[JuntaJoe]

broomdalf wrote: For crazed pompous socialist leaders of semi-backwards countries though, he doesn't seem like that bad of a guy...

Only Tropico players could say something like that. :lol:

[s_stabeler]

it;s Raul Castro succeeding his older brother.

Raul Castro named Cuban president
Raul Castro has been unanimously selected to succeed his brother Fidel as leader by Cuba's National Assembly.

Fidel Castro stepped down last week after nearly half a century in charge.

Raul has in effect been president since Fidel had major surgery in July 2006. It is understood that he was the only nominee in a vote seen as a formality.

But the real shock came when he chose 78-year-old Politburo hardliner Machado Ventura as vice-president, says the BBC's Michael Voss in Havana.

The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution is unique, Fidel is Fidel, as we all know well, he is irreplaceable
Raul Castro

There had been speculation that Raul Castro, aged 76, would name one of Cuba's younger generation of communist leaders as his number two.

But he instead opted for one of the original leaders of Cuba's communist revolution.

What this means for the prospects for change remains unclear, our correspondent says.

Economic challenge

In an address to the nation, following the behind-closed-doors vote, Raul Castro said the Cuban government would continue to consult Fidel Castro, 81, on major decisions of state - a move backed by the National Assembly deputies.

Raul Castro paid tribute to his older brother as he accepted the presidency and said that he was accepting the job on the understanding that Fidel Castro would remain as the "commander in chief of the revolution", a title he was given during the 1959 uprising.

"The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution is unique, Fidel is Fidel, as we all know well, he is irreplaceable," Raul Castro said.

Our correspondent says Raul Castro now has to steer the Caribbean island through un-charted waters in an unpredictable period of economic and political renewal.

Before Sunday's session, Raul Castro had suggested implementing major economic reforms and "structural changes".

HAVE YOUR SAY The Cuban people need international assistance to uplift the standards of life in all fields. Only a young blood will think in theses terms, otherwise the older will continue to act wickedly and selfishly. Sailani, Karachi, Pakistan
He has worked to ensure a smooth political transition, keeping the army loyal to the regime and strengthening the Communist Party's hold by introducing reforms and weeding out corrupt officials.

He has also had the advantage of continued economic support from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in the form of millions of barrels of cheap oil, our correspondent adds.

Mr Chavez was quick to congratulate Raul Castro on his appointment, leading a standing ovation to the new Cuban president on his weekly television programme in Caracas.

"Let's applaud Raul, who is a comrade, a companion, more than the brother of Fidel," Mr Chavez said.

Mr Castro said that Venezuela would continue to support the communist state.

Letter announcement

Fidel Castro, who has ruled Cuba since leading a revolution in 1959, announced his retirement in a letter published on the website of the Cuban Communist Party's newspaper Granma last week.

He said he had not stepped down after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in 2006 because he had had a duty to the Cuban people to prepare them for his absence.

But retirement, he added, would not stop him from carrying "on fighting like a soldier of ideas", and he promised to continue writing essays entitled Reflections of Comrade Fidel.

Though he has not been seen in public for 19 months, the government occasionally releases photographs and pre-edited video of him meeting visiting leaders from around the world.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/7261204.stm

Published: 2008/02/24 22:15:45 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

interesting. Raul is 76. he's not going to last that long, IMO.