Radio Havana Cuba-23 June 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 21 May 2001 *FIDEL BRIEFLY OVERCOME BY HEAT AT RALLY FOR THE MIAMI 5 Cotorro, 23rd June (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro today headed a gathering of some 60,000 Cubans to condemn the conviction of their five compatriots in Miami for allegedly endangering US national security. The rally took place in the Havana suburb of Cotorro where the Cuban leader and his column entered the capital 42 years ago after the defeat of the dictator Fulgencio Batista. Many of those present today were ex-combatants that accompanied Fidel Castro that day. Addressing the gathering under intense heat and scorching sun, the President called for a campaign on the scale of that carried out to demand the return of the Cuban child Elian Gonzalez to his father, who was also present at the rally today. This time, attention will be focused on the return of the five men to their families. It will be a long and arduous battle, said Fidel Castro, warning that it might take years before they are released. He then gave details as to the academic qualifications of all five, explaining that they were all university graduates and were highly principled individuals. Little was said about their commitment to their country and their quality as human beings, charged Fidel Castro, noting that they were not the kind of people they were portrayed to be in the Miami court that convicted them. The Cuban leader then went on to describe the thousands of instances of sabotage, invasion, bilogical attacks and bombings carried out against Cuba, for the loss of life of well over 3,000 of its citizens with many others maimed for life. He said that Cuba will prove as totally false the conspiracy to murder conviction in connection with the downing of the two aircraft that violated the island's airspace in 1996, as well as all other charges levelled against them. Refuting the allegation that the five Cubans endangered US national security, Fidel Castro revealed that in 1998 Cuba had provided a visiting FBI delegation with ample and detailed information regarding terrorist actions being conducted from and within the United States. He said the information provided to the FBI included the names and plans of 40 terrorists acting in US territory,and that it had been compiled thanks to the work done by patriotic Cubans like the ones presently in jail in the US. Fidel Castro said that ironically, nearly three months later the FBI had responded by arresting a group of Cubans in South Florida and charging them with spying. As he was reading from reports sent by other Cubans concerning terrorist plans being plotted in the United States, an exhausted Fidel Castro excused himself and had to be helped from the podium. Cuban foreign minister Felipe Perez Roque immediately took the microphone explaining that the President had been working all night and had not slept or eaten before speaking. Some 10 minutes later Fidel Castro returned to the podium, assured everyone he was alright and that the intense heat had affected him. He said he would continue speaking on the subject in the cool of a TV studio Saturday evening. The sentencing phase of the trial of the five Cubans has not yet been carried out, but some of the accused are facing possible life in prison. More details and a report on Fidel's complete speech later in the day are on NY Transfer's Caribbean newsfeed at: http://www.blythe.org/nytransfer-subs/Caribbean/ (c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= rhc-eng-2558 2001-Jun-24 19:11:43