Elian's father turns to the courts

Atlanta - The father of Cuban shipwreck survivor Elian Gonzalez filed an emergency motion with a US appeals court yesterday seeking…

Atlanta - The father of Cuban shipwreck survivor Elian Gonzalez filed an emergency motion with a US appeals court yesterday seeking the sole right to speak for his six-year-old son before the courts.

The motion marked the first direct use by Cuban tourism worker Juan Miguel Gonzalez of the US court system in his bitter, five-month custody battle with his Miami relatives, who say Elian should not be forced to grow up in Cuba.

"This father beseeches this court with all the emotion and fervour of a parent protecting his son to let him raise his child in peace," the motion said.

On Tuesday, Elian's great-uncle Lazaro Gonzalez, who cared for the boy after he was rescued at sea, asked the Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to appoint a guardian for Elian.