Cuban officials taunt rivals over unrest hope

CUBA: Cuban officials yesterday mocked opponents who had hoped that unrest would erupt in the communist-ruled nation following…

CUBA: Cuban officials yesterday mocked opponents who had hoped that unrest would erupt in the communist-ruled nation following the hospitalization of veteran leader Fidel Castro.

In the latest of several messages from Washington aimed at encouraging Cubans to push for change, president Bush said Cubans should decide their own form of government.

A leading intellectual and Cuban government member said the country had set in motion a "peaceful succession" - the first official to use the word succession. It was not clear whether his use of the term implied that Mr Castro's handover of power to his brother Raul will turn out to be permanent.

Fidel Castro remained convalescing out of sight yesterday, one week after surgery for internal bleeding forced him to put Raul Castro provisionally in charge of the island he has dominated for 47 years. Senior officials have in the past few days assured Cubans that Castro, who is due to turn 80 next Sunday, is on the road to recovery.

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The news of his illness last week stunned the nation of 11 million people and prompted heated speculation in Cuba, in the exile bastion of Miami, and beyond over Cuba's future political course. Roberto Fernandez Retamar, a writer and member of the council of state, said the US government had expected chaos after Mr Castro handed power to his brother.

"They had not expected that a peaceful succession was possible. A peaceful succession has taken place in Cuba," he told a news conference.

National assembly president Ricardo Alarcon said a potentially difficult situation had been handled smoothly and he criticised opponents "who have been dreaming, or trying to fool the world and put out the idea that something terrible would happen in Cuba".

US president Bush said it was up to Cubans to decide to move from one-party rule to democracy.

"Our desire for the Cuban people is to be able to choose their own form of government . . . and we will make this very clear, as Cuba has the possibility of transforming itself from a tyrannical situation to a different type of society. The Cuban people ought to decide," he told a news conference. - (Reuters)