US heckles Castro's 'baby brother'
From correspondents in Washington
August 19, 2006 06:00am
Article from: Agence France-PresseFont size: + -
A US State Department official poked fun Friday at ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro's brother, who is interim ruler of the communist state, calling him "Fidel's baby brother" and "Fidel light."
Tom Casey, the deputy State Department spokesman, made the remarks when asked to comment on Raul Castro's first public statement since the president temporarily ceded power to him on July 31 following major surgery.
The junior Castro had told the Communist Party newspaper Granma that he had mobilised tens of thousands of reservists and militia members to face a possible US invasion threat.
"Wow. Gee. I guess you're asking me what we think of remarks by Fidel's baby brother?," Casey said. "And what do we think of them?
"I guess, not much is the answer," he said at the department's daily media briefing.
Mr Casey continued, "We're not particularly fond, as you know, of the government of Cuba as run by Fidel. I can't say that we're particularly enamoured of the first words we've heard from "Fidel light".
The United States has invaded and administered Cuba in the past, a subject of everyday political discussion by the Cuban government. The communist regime has been the target of a US trade embargo for more than 40 years.
"What we do not accept is the arrogant and interventionist policy frequently assumed by the current administration" of US President George W. Bush, said Raul Castro, the bearded president's constitutionally designated successor and the Caribbean nation's defence chief.
The State Department reiterated overnight that "the United States has no plans to invade Cuba."
Washington has dismissed suggestions it would take advantage of Castro's illness to foment a crisis in Cuba, but reiterated demands for free elections and democratic change in the Americas' only one-party communist regime.
A commission on Cuba that Bush created in 2003 to help defeat the Castro regime has recommended a series of steps to speed up the emergence of democracy, including funding for dissidents and support for an eventual transition government committed to holding free elections.
"The plan that we've put forward is designed to assist the Cuban people as they move through a transition to a democratic government. It's our firm hope that that transition comes sooner rather than later," Mr Casey said.
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August 19, 2006 06:00am
Article from: Agence France-PresseFont size: + -
A US State Department official poked fun Friday at ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro's brother, who is interim ruler of the communist state, calling him "Fidel's baby brother" and "Fidel light."
Tom Casey, the deputy State Department spokesman, made the remarks when asked to comment on Raul Castro's first public statement since the president temporarily ceded power to him on July 31 following major surgery.
The junior Castro had told the Communist Party newspaper Granma that he had mobilised tens of thousands of reservists and militia members to face a possible US invasion threat.
"Wow. Gee. I guess you're asking me what we think of remarks by Fidel's baby brother?," Casey said. "And what do we think of them?
"I guess, not much is the answer," he said at the department's daily media briefing.
Mr Casey continued, "We're not particularly fond, as you know, of the government of Cuba as run by Fidel. I can't say that we're particularly enamoured of the first words we've heard from "Fidel light".
The United States has invaded and administered Cuba in the past, a subject of everyday political discussion by the Cuban government. The communist regime has been the target of a US trade embargo for more than 40 years.
"What we do not accept is the arrogant and interventionist policy frequently assumed by the current administration" of US President George W. Bush, said Raul Castro, the bearded president's constitutionally designated successor and the Caribbean nation's defence chief.
The State Department reiterated overnight that "the United States has no plans to invade Cuba."
Washington has dismissed suggestions it would take advantage of Castro's illness to foment a crisis in Cuba, but reiterated demands for free elections and democratic change in the Americas' only one-party communist regime.
A commission on Cuba that Bush created in 2003 to help defeat the Castro regime has recommended a series of steps to speed up the emergence of democracy, including funding for dissidents and support for an eventual transition government committed to holding free elections.
"The plan that we've put forward is designed to assist the Cuban people as they move through a transition to a democratic government. It's our firm hope that that transition comes sooner rather than later," Mr Casey said.
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posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 5:38 AM
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