Original reports from The Times: The
Bay of Pigs invasion | Cuban
Missile crisis starts | Krushchev
backs down
The
blog reaction
The United States stressed that its embargo of communist Cuba would remain in
force today despite the resignation of Fidel Castro as President after
almost 50 years in power.
Mr Castro, 81, the dictator who has not been seen in public since emergency
intestinal surgery 19 months ago, signalled the end to his rule when he
issued a statement early today saying he had no desire to continue as
President or commander-in-chief.
“To my dear compatriots, who gave me the immense honor in recent days of
electing me a member of parliament," he wrote in the online
version of the official daily Granma.
"I neither will aspire to nor will I accept - I repeat - I neither will
aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of
state and commander in chief.
"It would betray my conscience to take up a responsibility that requires
mobility and total commitment that I am not in physical condition to offer."
Western leaders responded by calling for democratic reforms in Cuba but John
Negroponte, the deputy US Secretary of State, confirmed that the US would
not be lifting its embargo, saying: "I can’t imagine that happening
anytime soon."
Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential hopeful, later issued a statement
however saying that the US should consider easing the trade embargo if
progress was made.
"If the Cuban leadership begins opening Cuba to meaningful democratic
change, the United States must be prepared to begin taking steps to
normalise relations and to ease the embargo of the last five decades,"
he said.
Hillary Clinton, his main rival, said the US was "ready to meet"
Cuba if it made political progress, but mentioned nothing about lifting the
embargo.
"I would say to the new leadership, the people of the United States are
ready to meet you if you move forward towards the path of democracy, with
real, substantial reforms," she said. "The United States must
pursue an active policy that does everything possible to advance the cause
of freedom, democracy and opportunity in Cuba."
Republican front-runner John McCain - who was criticised by Mr Castro himself
this month in an article as being "the pawn of that mafia" of
conservative Cuban-Americans - said Castro’s resignation was "nearly
half a century overdue." He said: "Freedom for the Cuban people is
not yet at hand, and the Castro brothers clearly intend to maintain their
grip on power."
Speaking on a visit to Africa, President Bush – the 10th American leader that
Mr Castro has seen since he took office in a 1959 revolution – made a strong
call for democratic reform.
"What does this mean for the people in Cuba? They’re the ones who
suffered under Fidel Castro. They’re the ones who were put in prison because
of their beliefs. They’re the ones who have been denied their right to live
in a free society. So I view this as a period of transition, and it should
be the beginning of the democratic transition in Cuba," he said.
As the US debated its future policy towards Cuba, Britain, the Europeans and
Cuban dissidents persecuted by Mr Castro's regime all called for democracy
in the country.
David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, said: "The Cuban people
will now be looking to the future, a future which we hope will offer them
political progress founded on democracy and human rights, and continued
progress based on social justice and individual need."
The European Commission offered to enter into a "political dialogue"
with Cuba to encourage a transition to democracy while Oswaldo Paya, a
well-known Cuban dissident, added: "This is a crucial moment. Cuba
wants change, the people want change."
Allies of the veteran Cuban President, however, claimed that he had pursued
the right policies and urged his brother, Raul, to continue his legacy.
"It’s a brave decision and, in taking it, I’m sure Fidel Castro was
guided by the interests of his country and his people," Gennady
Zyuganov, leader of the Russian Communist Party, told the state's Interfax
news agency. He added that the President was "a fantastic political
leader who has hosted high the flag of freedom".
Communist Vietnam also praised the President, with a foreign ministry
spokesman saying: "To the leadership and the people of Vietnam,
President Fidel is forever a great friend, a comrade and a very close
brother."
Mr Castro’s relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War took the
world to the edge of nuclear conflict in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis,
which was sparked off when Moscow sought to position nuclear-tipped rockets
on the island, facing Florida.
His announcement today came ahead of a session of the Cuban National Assembly
this Sunday which was due to pick key governors, including the president.
There had been speculation about whether Mr Castro would accept a nomination
for re-election to that post or retire. That increased when the dictator
published a letter in December in which he said it was his duty "not to
cling to power".
It followed his decision in July 31 2006, amid growing health problems, to
hand over day-to-day running of the country to his brother, Raúl, who is 76.
He also sparked speculation about a succession beyond the Castro family by
appointing a group of six other men to head up projects in the fields of
health, education and energy.
Since his rise to power on New Years Day 1959, when the fiery guerrilla leader
reshaped Cuba into a communist state, he resisted attempts by ten American
administrations to topple him, including the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion
in 1961.
Then, a year later, President John F. Kennedy announced the discovery of
Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. After a tense week of diplomacy, the Soviet
President Nikita Khrushchev pulled them out.
With the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, and the loss of aid from the
collapsing Soviet Union, Cuba plunged into a financial crisis but the
economy slowly recovered in the late 1990s, boosted by tourism, although it
remained beset by low wages, chronic shortages and a crumbling transport
system.
During this period, Mr Castro's regime ensured Cuba remained among the world’s
five last remaining communist countries.
His supporters admired his ability to provide a high level of healthcare and
education for citizens while remaining fully independent of the United
States. However, his detractors called him a dictator whose totalitarian
government denied his people individual freedoms and civil liberties such as
speech, movement and assembly.
Cuban watchers say that Mr Castro's decision to stand aside could mark a
change in the country's relations with the West after half a century of
conflict, with younger economic reformers recently gaining in influence at
the expense of hardline Castro loyalists such as Felipe Pérez Roque, the
Foreign Minister.
In addition, Carlos Lage Dávila, the Vice-President, 55, who enjoys the
support of Raúl Castro, has become one of the most visible figures on the
political scene.
The former doctor has represented the Cuban Government at most international
meetings and trips abroad and nurtured the all-important relationship with
Hugo Chávez. The Venezuelan President provides vital aid to the Cuban
economy.
Mr Lage is credited with implementing the economic reforms that helped Cuba to
ride out the Soviet collapse. After the worst of the economic crisis was
over, many of those tentative reforms were subsequently reversed by Fidel
Castro.
His younger brother is believed to favour a gradual opening of the economy
while retaining firm political control.
Waiting in the wings
Raúl Castro (b1931) Nominated his brother’s successor in the late 1990s. Lacks
Fidel’s popular appeal and talent for public speaking. Former Cuban Defence
Minister
Carlos Lage Dávila (b1951) Vice-President of the Council of State and
Secretary of the Council of Ministers, is considered the ‘de facto Prime
Minister’ of Cuba. Credited with negotiating the favourable deal bringing
Venezuelan oil to Cuba
Felipe Pérez Roque (b1965) Cuban Foreign Minister, one of the youngest members
of government and one of few born after the revolution. Thought to be open
to negotiating an end to the US embargo on Cuban goods
Sources: nndb.com ; Cuban Government; Times archives
