Fidel Castro Resigns as President of Cuba

[Mendoza]

and no he's not being linked with taking over from Rafa Benitez

But its the end of an era, and could make my trip[ to Cuba in 4 days time very interesting

Fidel Castro resigns as president - Americas, World - Independent.co.uk

Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said today that he will not return to lead the country, retiring as head of state 49 years after he seized power in an armed revolution.


Castro, 81, said in a statement to the country that he would not seek a new presidential term when the National Assembly meets on 24 February.

"To my dear compatriots, who gave me the immense honor in recent days of electing me a member of parliament ... I communicate to you that I will not aspire to or accept - I repeat not aspire to or accept - the positions of President of Council of State and Commander in Chief," Castro said in the statement published on the website of the Communist Party's Granma newspaper.

The National Assembly or legislature is expected to nominate his brother and designated successor Raul Castro, 76, as president in place of Castro, who has not appeared in public for almost 19 months after being stricken by an undisclosed illness.

His retirement drew the curtain on a political career that spanned the Cold War and survived US enmity, CIA assassination attempts and the demise of Soviet Communism.

A charismatic leader famous for his long speeches delivered in his green military fatigues, Castro is admired in the Third World for standing up to the United States but considered by his opponents a tyrant who suppressed freedom.

His illness and departure from Cuba's helm have raised doubts about the future of the Western Hemisphere's only communist state.

The bearded leader who took power in an armed uprising against a U.S.-backed dictator in 1959 had temporarily ceded power to his younger brother after he underwent emergency surgery to stop intestinal bleeding in mid-2006.

Castro has only been seen in pictures since then, looking gaunt and frail, though his health improved enough a year ago to allow him to keep in the public mind writing reams of articles published by Cuba's state press.

Castro could remain politically influential as first secretary of the ruling Communist Party and elder statesman.

Raul Castro, Cuba's long-standing defense minister, has run the country since 31 July as acting president. He has raised expectations of economic reforms to improve the daily lot of Cubans, but has yet to deliver.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

What a time to be going.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I was staying in a small town, Baracoa, that was celebrating its 490th Birthday and Fidel was supposed to visit. They painted the whole town from top to bottom in a vast array of colours, but he didn't turn up in the end, as he was called away on urgent business. It would have been great to see him, but the party was cracking fun anyway.

 

[SeagullEd]

I do find the ways that the CIA tried to kill him hilarious!

They put an exploding shell when he went scuba diving, among thousands of shells. They tried to get him to change wetsuit because the one they were trying to give him was poisonous.

 

[Buzzer]

And I find it odd that Castro is held up as a loveable little guy fighting the nasty American Imperial forces. His track record on human rights abuses is very well known, has been continuous throughout his dictatorship and persists to this day. Still....as long as he's anti-American that's okay then.

 

[Wilko]

Could make your trip very interesting Brett - I wonder if plans to get the first Mcdonalds and Starbucks built are now well under way !

 

[Lokki 7]

And I find it odd that Castro is held up as a loveable little guy fighting the nasty American Imperial forces. His track record on human rights abuses is very well known, has been continuous throughout his dictatorship and persists to this day. Still....as long as he's anti-American that's okay then.

Whereas the American record on human rights in Cuba is spotless right?
Sounds like this statement paves the way for a more final one to follow shortly. Lets put it this way, I very much doubt he'll be buying any green bananas.

 

[Buzzer]

not saying that it is spotless. It's just that Castro gets an easy ride on his abuses and gets the dubious honour of having people like the Manics lauding him on the grounds that he's anti-American.

I've seen people with "iconic" pictures of Mao on their t-shirts yet the same people would never wear pictures of Hitler. They criticise Pinochet yet can't bring themselves to speak out against Hugo Chavez.

It's always been that way though. I remember at Uni asking one bloke who was campaigning to release the Guildford 4 whether he was also fighting for unionists wrongly imprisoned too. You can guess the response.

 

[Simster]

not saying that it is spotless. It's just that Castro gets an easy ride on his abuses and gets the dubious honour of having people like the Manics lauding him on the grounds that he's anti-American.

I've seen people with "iconic" pictures of Mao on their t-shirts yet the same people would never wear pictures of Hitler. They criticise Pinochet yet can't bring themselves to speak out against Hugo Chavez.

It's always been that way though. I remember at Uni asking one bloke who was campaigning to release the Guildford 4 whether he was also fighting for unionists wrongly imprisoned too. You can guess the response.

You can't compare Chavez to Pinochet. For a start, Chavez was an elected head of state.

 

[Simster]

not saying that it is spotless. It's just that Castro gets an easy ride on his abuses and gets the dubious honour of having people like the Manics lauding him on the grounds that he's anti-American.

I think that's true, but its also worth remembering that his human rights abuses pale into insignificance when compared to the many nasty regimes that the West (and yes, America in particular) has backed.

 

[Grendel]

I think that's true, but its also worth remembering that his human rights abuses pale into insignificance when compared to the many nasty regimes that the West (and yes, America in particular) has backed.

I'm not sure those that have been persecuted in Cuba would describe the abuses they've suffered as being insignificant purely because there are nastier people on the other side of the world.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

It's always been that way though. I remember at Uni asking one bloke who was campaigning to release the Guildford 4 whether he was also fighting for unionists wrongly imprisoned too. You can guess the response.

WERE there any wrongly imprisoned unionists though? At the very least to such a huge extent? Thats not an issue of me being pedantic or trying to start an argument, its a genuine question. It's all before my time but I've studied the troubles from all angles and nothing springs to mind.

 

[Lokki 7]

I'm not sure those that have been persecuted in Cuba would describe the abuses they've suffered as being insignificant purely because there are nastier people on the other side of the world.

Or on the other side of Guantanamo Bay even.

 

[Simster]

I'm not sure those that have been persecuted in Cuba would describe the abuses they've suffered as being insignificant purely because there are nastier people on the other side of the world.

Well obviously. But Amnesty International have frequently pulled up the UK for human rights abuses in the past - especially during the troubles - yet you seem to be suggesting that for me to say that our human rights abuses pale into insignifance compared to Pinochet is somehow incorrect.

 

[Buzzer]

WERE there any wrongly imprisoned unionists though? At the very least to such a huge extent? Thats not an issue of me being pedantic or trying to start an argument, its a genuine question. It's all before my time but I've studied the troubles from all angles and nothing springs to mind.

most definitely. Can't google it at work though as references to terrorists gets blocked.

 

[Rusthall Seagull]

Or on the other side of Guantanamo Bay even.

communist !

 

[Buzzer]

communist !

Agreed. These class war long haired layabouts should try living in the real world.

 

[Simster]

most definitely. Can't google it at work though as references to terrorists gets blocked.

Apart from the Guildford 4 and the Birmingham 6, there were HUNDREDS of Catholics wrongfully imprisoned during internment in 1971.

Yet I bet if you did have access to google, you couldn't find more than 2 or 3 cases of wrongful unionist imprisonment. I did a quick google myself and couldn't find anything! Obviously, they were victims every bit as much, but it wasn't on anything like the same scale. And come to think of it, the British army didn't just mow down 13 unarmed Unionist civilians either.

P.S. Couldn't you just google and use google's cached finding?

 

[Buzzer]

Apart from the Guildford 4 and the Birmingham 6, there were HUNDREDS of Catholics wrongfully imprisoned during internment in 1971.

Yet I bet if you did have access to google, you couldn't find more than 2 or 3 cases of wrongful unionist imprisonment. I did a quick google myself and couldn't find anything! Obviously, they were victims every bit as much, but it wasn't on anything like the same scale. And come to think of it, the British army didn't just mow down 13 unarmed Unionist civilians either.

P.S. Couldn't you just google and use google's cached finding?

Yes, you're right and I'm not trying to say that it didn't happen. In my clumsy way I was just pointing out that quite often a blind eye is turned to atrocities because of political expediency. I don't think that the abuse is particularly relative. It's quite an absolute for me.

I'm sure we all do it though even the great. When Robin Cook was foreign secretary he was very vociferous in saying that the EU/Nato should stop the Genocide in the Balkans because....it was on our doorstep. I wish he'd been that outspoken when Tanzania was complaining of thousands of bodies floating into their country from Rwanda. Robin Cook was a very principled bloke too. It's odd how we choose to ignore some things and really get upset about the same thing happening somewhere else under another regime.

Didn't mean to hijack the thread and I'll bow our now.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

And I find it odd that Castro is held up as a loveable little guy fighting the nasty American Imperial forces. His track record on human rights abuses is very well known, has been continuous throughout his dictatorship and persists to this day. Still....as long as he's anti-American that's okay then.

At least he had a good reason to invade and occupy Cuba.